Summer is on the calendar. And that means that picnics are in full swing, which rarely do without the good old barbecue. And really, what could be better than a juicy fragrant kebab under a glass of cognac on a warm summer evening in the company of relatives and friends?
Shish kebab is a dish that came to us from oriental cuisine. Traditionally, it is made from lamb. We have more popular pork. Perhaps due to its availability and average price tag. Moreover, when properly cooked, this meat turns out to be very juicy, soft and surprisingly aromatic.
Types of seasoning for barbecue
Let us consider in more detail what seasonings are added to pork skewers.
Each chef will have in stock several branded recipes for this additive of their own preparation or borrowed from more experienced masters. But always and everywhere a certain selection of the best spices for a particular dish remains popular. For example, connoisseurs use different herbs for each type of meat.
So what seasonings for pork barbecue can be considered the best?
Black pepper. Red pepper
Spice goes well with any pork dish. It is used in the form of peas (for marinade) and in a ground state.
Peruvian Indians used red pepper in funeral rituals. It was believed that without this spice can not do, going to another world. But it turned out that this divine fruit has a beneficial effect on the human body in this world too. Red pepper has a rejuvenating effect and helps get rid of extra pounds. In a word, for barbecue in a female company, it is absolutely necessary.
Basil
Translated from Latin: "royal grass." This healing plant copes with various viruses and bacteria, and also relieves headaches. In India, it is used for sacred rites. Different varieties have different smells, such as lemon, cloves or vanilla. The latter, of course, is not suitable for barbecue. But a light aroma and a slightly bitter taste of cloves will be just right.
Coriander
A very fragrant plant, better known as cilantro. Usually, all its parts are used for seasoning: leaves, roots, seeds. To list all the beneficial properties of the plant, you need a separate healing guide. Greens is a regular “regular” of summer salads and meat dishes of Caucasian cuisine. But as a seasoning for barbecue, dried seeds are needed, which should be previously crushed. It is advisable to do this immediately before use, as the ground peas are quickly exhausted, losing their unusual spicy taste. Coriander gives the finished meat a bright finish and anise flavor.
Turmeric
This is a ginger plant. For seasoning, you need only its roots, which must be dried and ground. The powder thus obtained has a slightly burning taste and a subtle spicy aroma. The long-known anti-inflammatory properties of the plant are actively used in oriental medicine. The Japanese even claim that turmeric can fight cancer cells.
Juniper
Dried berries of this plant are used as seasoning for pork barbecue marinade. The medicinal properties of juniper are widely known: strengthening immunity, restoring digestion and improving the functioning of the respiratory system.
Nutmeg
Tasty and healthy spice. There were times when this nut was worth its weight in gold. Indian priests even proclaimed the Myristic tree a sacred creation, which made him a constant participant in religious rituals. The fruits of the tree are similar to apricots, inside of which the nut itself is located. It is believed that if you use a small amount of this nut in a ground form daily, it will have a beneficial effect on the immune system, soothe the nervous system and relieve headaches. The fruit should be grated and added to the mixture of seasonings for pork barbecue. The spice has a sweetish and slightly piquant taste, being an indispensable seasoning for marinade.
Paprika
This is ground red bell pepper. Depending on the variety, it can be sweet or spicy with a characteristic aroma. Unusual taste and smell made seasoning very popular throughout the world. In addition, this plant has a lot of useful properties. It contains a large number of vitamins and essential minerals. It would be foolish to bypass such a valuable product. Therefore, we safely add paprika to our mixture.
Parsley
Good old grass, which has found application in the kitchens of all peoples of the world. It is worth including chopped parsley leaves and pork barbecue seasoning recipe. It will give the meat a bright flavor. You can use both fresh herbs and dried options. One well-known fact speaks of the beneficial properties of this herb: it contains more vitamin C than in lemon. If you add parsley to the dishes daily, then you can not worry about the lack of this vitamin in the body.
Dill
There is probably no better known spice in the world. The dill aroma cannot be confused with anything. It is rich in vitamins, minerals and essential oils. Fresh herbs can not be boiled. It is necessary to sprinkle with it an already prepared dish. In this form, this herb is the most nutritious and healthy. But in a frozen state, it also retains excellent taste and aroma. The least useful properties are found in dried dill. However, in the absence of fresh herbs, it can be used in seasonings for barbecue.
Salt, sugar and onions
These ingredients do not need explanation. With salt and sugar you need to be very careful. A sense of proportion and constant sampling is useful here. But onion barbecue impossible to spoil. Thin rings of this fragrant vegetable should be added to the marinade itself. You can also marinate the onion in lemon juice to serve it with the finished dish. And how tasty are green onion feathers in the bite with fried meat! Real jam!
Now you can buy seasoning at any grocery store. This will save you from running around in search of individual components, saving time and effort. But many ground spices quickly lose the brightness of their aroma. Therefore, very often professional chefs prefer to cook spices on their own. During this process, you can take into account personal preferences, supplement the composition of the seasoning for pork shish kebab with something of your own, or, conversely, exclude an ingredient that you do not like.
Do-it-yourself pork barbecue seasoning
- Pour dried parsley, dill, green onion, and basil into a coffee grinder, blender, or combine harvester.
- Add dried carrots and parsley root. The amount of each product is 15 g or one tablespoon.
- Add a little salt and a couple of black pepper peas.
- Next, add a few peas of coriander.
- Now sprinkle a teaspoon of paprika.
- Optionally, put turmeric and nutmeg powder on the tip of a knife.
- Grind all ingredients for 3-4 minutes. Wait until the suspension settles in the blender, only then open it.
- The mixture needs to be poured onto a sheet of clean paper, after which the seasoning can be considered ready.
Store it in a clean, dry jar with a tight-fitting lid in a cool place.
What other seasonings are added to pork skewers?
There are many options. Each chef has his own secret composition of spices in seasoning for pork skewers.
The most famous and popular bay leaf. Fresh or dried horseradish root is also great. It should be used carefully, since it is able to interrupt the aroma of other spices. Some kebab masters add juniper berries, rosemary and caraway seeds.
The thing that is called the master. In any case, the main thing is not to overdo it and not drown out the taste of the meat itself. Try to prepare a seasoning of various composition and experimentally find out what is worth adding, and what is better to refuse immediately.
Alternatively, you can buy a ready-made mixture of the best seasonings for pork barbecue and add to it what you like. For example, nutmeg, which in the store composition, as a rule, does not happen.
Herb and Vegetable Seasoning Recipe
We offer you to dry at home a mixture of herbs and vegetables, preparing them for the winter. This seasoning can be used for any first and second courses, if suddenly there were no fresh analogues at hand. The mixture may form the basis for more complex seasoning recipes, such as kebab seasoning. You can easily add new ingredients to it.
- Wash and peel the onions and carrots. Then cut into thin (3 mm) rings.
- Separate dill and parsley from the stems (if the grass is young and the stems are soft, then you can leave it), wash and dry.
- Put vegetables and grass in trays and dry in an electric dryer according to the instructions.
- When the drying process is finished, put the prepared vegetables and spices in a blender, add a little salt and peas. Grind the mixture until small pieces are formed.
- Store seasoning in glass jars with hermetically sealed lids. Banks must first be sterilized and dried well. Tightly closed containers can be put in the cabinet. Subject to all conditions of proper storage, the finished seasoning retains its taste and aroma for a year, until the next harvest.
The ingredients can also be dried outdoors if conditions permit. To do this, they should be laid out on a grill and put on a draft without direct sunlight.
Cut onions and carrots into thin rings. Greens must be finely chopped.
After complete drying of these products, they are packaged and stored according to the principle described above.
Kebab in soy sauce marinade
- Wash 3 kg of pork pulp in cold water, wipe off excess moisture with napkins, cut into pieces.
- Combine 2 teaspoons of pork barbecue seasoning and half a tablespoon of salt.
- 3 large onions cut into rings.
- Put the meat in a deep cup, sprinkling each layer with seasoning with salt, onion rings, and adding bay leaf.
- Pour the meat with soy sauce (half a liter). You need to marinate for at least 6 hours, and preferably 12. Every hour, gently mix the meat, being careful not to break the beautiful onion rings.
Shish kebab in champagne marinade
- Wash, dry and chop 2 kg of pork.
- Mix pieces of meat with 2 large spoons of barbecue seasoning.
- Cut onions into rings and add to the meat. Mix everything carefully.
- Next, the meat must be poured with a bottle of champagne, mix and close with a tight lid so that gas bubbles do not evaporate.
- Leave the skewers marinated for at least 3 hours.
Tomato paste kebab sauce
- 150 g of paste dilute 1/2 cup of pure water. Put on fire and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Add the chopped onion to the tomato, seasoning for pork barbecue, salt to taste. Put the mixture on the fire and boil for 3 minutes.
Grind a few cloves of garlic. Remove the sauce from the heat and, adding garlic, mix well.
Tkemali sauce
- Pour half a kilogram of fresh plums with water, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
- Drain the water into the cup (it will come in handy), remove the seeds. Drain the pulp through a sieve.
- Finely chop a bunch of greens (dill, parsley, cilantro).
- Mash the heads of garlic in a garlic squeezer.
- Finely chop 2 pieces of red hot pepper.
- Put greens, garlic, pepper to the plum mass, add a large spoon of pork barbecue seasoning. Mix everything and salt if necessary.
- Add the water in which the plums were cooked, bringing the composition to the desired consistency.
- The sauce needs to be boiled a little and turned off.
We hope this short excursion into the world of fragrant seasonings and delicious kebabs will be useful to you. Get out into the country soon to try out the recommendations here.
Have fun!