Winter? Is it cold or slush on the street? This is not a reason to refuse your favorite dishes, which are usually cooked in the fresh air. Modern kitchen appliances are quite capable of replacing the usual barbecue or bonfire. Shish kebab in an air grill is cooked quickly, without unnecessary trouble and delicious. This method has only one drawback - the meat is obtained without the "haze", the aroma of the fire and burnt wood. And this is a completely different taste. However, if you usually cook on cooked coals, then a barbecue in an air grill is a great alternative.
Meat freshness
One of the main conditions for the preparation of a delicious barbecue is the quality of the selected meat. In order not to miss his choice, follow these tips.
- Buy only fresh. No freezing. The meat which has lain for a long time in the freezer loses its texture, aroma and juice. The second point follows from this.
- Check the meat for elasticity. After pressing a piece of meat (cut) with your finger, the fossa should be quickly leveled. If this does not happen, then the meat is stale.
- Juice secreted by pressure should be clear, not cloudy.
- Few people like the smell of fresh meat, but you can distinguish foul from fresh meat by smelling it.
- Pay attention to fat. In poor meat, it can be grayish or even yellow, secrete a sticky substance and mucus.
Following these recommendations, you can not only choose meat for barbecue in the grill, but just learn how to determine a quality product.
Meat selection
Before you start cooking, an experienced culinary expert wisely chooses the ingredients. And the type of meat is no exception. Now we will consider which protein is best suited for the selected cooking method.
No need to shout that "chicken kebab is not kebab." Chicken breast fillet is one of the main proteins with which it is very difficult to make a mistake. In any case, the meat will be tender, crumbly and tasty. Of the minuses, it is worth highlighting that not all people like chicken kebabs, and there are fewer nutrients in white meat than in red.
The lamb shish kebab turns out to be rather dry and quickly freezes. However, such meat contains less cholesterol. Remember that lamb meat is better suited to cooking than an adult ram. It does not have a strong unpleasant odor, which must be able to beat off the marinade, and simply gentler. The main problem is that lambs are usually born in January-March, therefore, by the summer and on picnics, such meat can hardly be bought. But in the winter in a grill the kebab will turn out to be just wonderful, but be careful that you don’t slip either the old meat or the old animal.
With pork, everything is much simpler. She herself is softer and softer. It does not require long pickling and messing with it is a little easier than with chicken. It also has many beneficial substances, including natural antidepressants. Of the minuses - this meat is quite oily and can harm your figure.
Beef. Despite the fact that this is one of the most expensive proteins, its preparation will require some skill, otherwise the meat will turn out to be very tough. It will take a lot more time to pickle it, and for "sudden" gatherings it does not fit too well.
A simple chicken recipe
So, you have decided what kind of meat you want to cook? Grilled chicken kebab is one of the simplest dishes on the list, and we will start with it. The cooking process itself is not particularly complicated and does not differ in variety. The main problem for any person who wants to cook this dish is the selection of ingredients for the marinade. In the simplest case, you can get by with the following products:
- chicken fillet - 500 grams;
- one lemon;
- two onions;
- olive oil;
- cilantro and salt to taste.
Chicken fillet should be washed and put into containers. Pour lemon juice and oil so that each piece is covered with a mixture. Top with finely chopped onion and leave to marinate for 5-6 hours.
Before baking, the meat must be salted. You can use wooden skewers and string meat on them, alternating with onion rings or some vegetables. Cook for 10 minutes at a temperature of 260-280 degrees, then turn over or check the readiness by eye.
Do not forget to put a pan at the bottom of the air grill, otherwise you will have to wash all the equipment later. It is also recommended to pour the remaining marinade into it to get a more flavorful meat.
Beer Chicken
This recipe for barbecue in an air grill guarantees a delicious meal. The meat prepared on beer will turn out with a little acidity, which will further arouse appetite, and most importantly, that alcohol will not be felt at all and will not harm the body. Such meat can be given even to children. You will need:
- 1 kilogram of meat.
- 0.5 liters of dark beer. A lot depends on its quality. Try to take either draft or imported, packed not at Russian factories.
- A can of mustard (175 grams).
- Lemon.
- Head of garlic.
- 2-3 onions.
- A mixture of spices for barbecue. It’s best not to buy “branded” in the supermarket, but by weight in the market. So you will do without the use of various "chemistry".
The meat is cut into large pieces, poured with beer, mustard and lemon juice. Onions are cut into rings so that they can then decorate the finished dish. 50-100 grams of the mixture is poured immediately. Garlic is peeled. Incisions are made on the cloves and sent entirely to the pan. Marinade infuse for about 2 hours. The barbecue is baked until cooked at a temperature of about 250 degrees.
Lamb
How to cook kebab in air grill from the following protein? The recipe will not differ too much from the previous ones, however, remember that when buying "old" meat you will have to beat off its smell, which means that you should not skimp on spices. For marinade, use the following components:
- 500 grams of meat;
- 2 onion heads;
- 2 tomatoes (ordinary);
- 25 ml of grape vinegar;
- 70 ml of dry white wine;
- 20 ml of vegetable oil;
- salt pepper.
As already mentioned, use seasoning mixes if you come across a “fragrant” piece. To make the meat tasty, follow these steps:
- Peel the meat from the veins and chop into large pieces.
- Cut one onion into small pieces, add to the chopped pieces together with a mixture of the above liquids. Cut the second in rings, soak in the marinade and serve with the prepared meat.
- Pickle everything for about 2 hours.
- Fry the meat at 240 ° for 5 minutes, and then another half hour at 180 °.
From beef
Another way to cook kebab in a hot grill with a photo of its result. It also uses beer, but do not be afraid - no one will get alcohol poisoning. To prepare 500 grams of meat you will need:
- 1 onion, cut into rings;
- a tablespoon of spices;
- salt pepper;
- 100 ml of beer;
- 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise and soy sauce;
- sawdust (100 grams).
The rest is simple. The meat is washed under running water. Mixes with onions and all other seasonings. Then it is pickled in just 20 minutes. Sawdust is wetted with beer and laid out at the bottom of the air grill to produce a haze. Bake at 240 degrees for 45 minutes, periodically turning.
Pork
The last protein left to consider. Barbecue pork skewers are also cooked at 240 ° C for half an hour or until cooked. And for the marinade, the following components are perfect:
- a kilogram of meat;
- 1 onion head;
- 3 tablespoons of vinegar;
- 5-6 peas of allspice;
- 2 bay leaves;
- salt;
- water.
Meat with chopped onion is completely poured with water. All necessary components are added. All this is marinated for about half an hour. After preparation, you can bake. Place a pan or foil at the bottom of the grill. During cooking, periodically pour the meat with marinade.