Shashlik

Ingredients

Meat

• 1.5 kglamb shoulder or leg, in 4 cm cubes
• 200 glamb tail fat or fatty lamb, in cubes

Marinade

• 4large onions, grated or sliced
• 2 tspsalt
• 2 tspblack pepper, coarsely ground
• 1 tbspground coriander seed
• 1 tspground cumin
• 3bay leaves
• 3 tbspoil

Sometimes

• 200 mlsparkling mineral water
• or 100 ml wine vinegar
• or 200 ml kefir

To serve

• sliced raw onion with sumac and vinegar
• flatbread or lepyoshka
• grilled tomato and pepper
• fresh herbs
• tomato sauce or adjika

Equipment

• long flat metal skewers, shampur

Directions

1. Use shoulder or leg with some fat running through it, cut into cubes of about four centimetres. Cut them large rather than small, since small pieces dry out over fierce coals before they colour. Cut them evenly, so they cook at the same rate on a shared skewer. Any fatty lamb trimmings do the same job if tail fat is unavailable.
2. Use a great deal of onion, at least a quarter the weight of the meat. Grate it, or salt and squeeze sliced onion, so it releases its juice. Work the onion juice thoroughly into the meat with your hands.
3. Season generously with coarsely ground black pepper, which is characteristic. Now marinate it for at least six hours, and overnight is better.
4. Keep it covered and refrigerated, turning it once or twice. Do not marinate lamb for more than about a day, since the texture begins to break down. Use long flat metal skewers, which stop the meat spinning when you turn them.
5. Thread the cubes on with a piece of fat between every two or three pieces. Push them close together rather than spaced apart, which keeps the meat juicier.
6. Shake the onion off the meat before threading, since burnt onion tastes acrid. Do not thread vegetables on the same skewer as the meat, since they cook at completely different rates. Grill them separately if you want them. Turn the skewers every minute or two so all sides colour evenly.
7. Cook for twelve to fifteen minutes depending on the size of the cubes. If fat drips and the coals flare, move the skewers aside rather than dousing the fire with water, which raises ash onto the meat. Serve them still on the skewers, with raw onion dressed in vinegar and sumac and plenty of flatbread.

Technique

• Whether to use vinegar is a genuine and unresolved argument.
• Onion juice tenderises without the toughening effect of acid.
• Fat threaded between the cubes bastes the meat as it renders.

Substitutions

• Pork, which is standard in Russia and Ukraine.
• Fatty lamb trimmings in place of tail fat.

Variations

• Made with pork neck, which is very common.
• Marinated in kefir or in sparkling mineral water.
• Made with sturgeon or chicken.

History

Skewered marinated meat grilled over coals, adopted from the Caucasus and central to Russian dacha and picnic culture.

Frequently asked questions

What is Shashlik?

Shashlik is a main from Kazakhstan: marinated meat skewers grilled over coals. Skewered marinated meat grilled over coals, adopted from the Caucasus and central to Russian dacha and picnic culture.

How long does Shashlik take to make?

Shashlik takes 30 min plus 6 hr marinating of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Shashlik?

Yes, within limits. Pork, which is standard in Russia and Ukraine. Fatty lamb trimmings in place of tail fat.

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

Use shoulder or leg with some fat running through it, cut into cubes of about four centimetres. Cut them large rather than small, since small pieces dry out over fierce coals before they colour. Cut them evenly, so they cook at the same rate on a shared skewer. Any fatty lamb trimmings do the same job if tail fat is unavailable.