Mtsvadi

Ingredients

Meat

• 1.5 kgpork neck, or veal, in 4 cm cubes
• coarse salt
• black pepper

Optional

• 2onions, sliced
• a little dry white wine

Fire

• dry grapevine cuttings, or hardwood charcoal

To finish

• 3onions, thinly sliced
• seeds of 1 pomegranate
• 1 bunchcoriander
• salt

To serve

• tkemali, sour plum sauce
• shotis puri, Georgian bread
• wine

Directions

1. Use pork neck, which has fat running through it, and cut it into generous 4 cm cubes. Do not trim the fat off. Cut the cubes large. Small pieces overcook before they take on any colour.
2. Salt the meat generously about 20 minutes before it goes on the fire, and pepper it. Salting ahead lets the salt draw in rather than sitting on the surface, and twenty minutes is enough.
3. Wait until the flames have died completely and you are left with glowing embers under a coat of grey ash. Never grill over flames.
4. Thread the cubes onto flat metal skewers, pressed close but not crushed together. Flat skewers rather than round ones, because round skewers let the meat spin as you turn them.
5. Lay the skewers across the embers, not too close, and turn them every couple of minutes. Turn them often and steadily rather than leaving each side to sear.
6. Cook 15 to 20 minutes until the outside is deep brown and crusted and the inside is just cooked through. Pork must be cooked through, and the large cubes give you room to get colour outside without drying the centre.
7. Scatter pomegranate seeds and coriander over and squeeze the juices from the platter over the top. Serve at once with tkemali, bread and wine, eaten with the hands.

Technique

• Grapevine cuttings are the traditional fuel and give a smoke that charcoal does not.
• Pork neck is the standard cut, and lamb and veal are both used.
• The pomegranate is seasonal and is standard in autumn.

Substitutions

• Hardwood charcoal in place of vine cuttings.
• Lamb shoulder or veal, both traditional.

Variations

• Made with lamb.
• Cooked in the fireplace in winter.
• With a light wine and onion marinade, which some households use.

History

Skewers grilled over dry grapevine cuttings, salted and squeezed with pomegranate; the centrepiece of country feasts.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mtsvadi?

Mtsvadi is a main from Georgia: pork or veal skewers grilled over vine embers. Skewers grilled over dry grapevine cuttings, salted and squeezed with pomegranate; the centrepiece of country feasts.

How long does Mtsvadi take to make?

Mtsvadi takes 20 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Mtsvadi?

Yes, within limits. Hardwood charcoal in place of vine cuttings. Lamb shoulder or veal, both traditional.

What is the most important thing to get right in Mtsvadi?

Use pork neck, which has fat running through it, and cut it into generous 4 cm cubes. Do not trim the fat off. Cut the cubes large. Small pieces overcook before they take on any colour.