It is well known that open-air grilled dishes in the middle of picturesque nature, surrounded by eagerly awaiting refreshments of cheerful picnic participants, are much tastier and juicier than those prepared in ordinary conditions - in the home kitchen. How to cook meatballs on the grill? Let's talk about this in our article.
General principles of cooking
This delicious and mouth-watering treat is perfect for a simple family dinner (lunch), and for a festive feast or picnic. There are several general principles for the preparation of grilled meatballs, which are worth getting acquainted with those who want to please their loved ones or guests with a new dish. In the absence of coal, you can also prepare a dish in the kitchen. It is generally accepted to use the following methods of roasting meat products:
- on a grill above the coals;
- in a pan with a ribbed bottom;
- in electric grill;
- in the oven with grill function.
It is known that some craftsmen try to make their own grill for frying cutlets at home from improvised materials. It’s better not to joke with this, experts warn: meat fat is a flammable product, so those who fry meatballs on a home grill should think about their safety. Experienced cooks use barbecue grills for cooking meatballs.
Stuffing for such cutlets should be done independently. The storefront, as a rule, is ground several times, as a result of which it becomes more like porridge. Ideally, the product for minced meat should be grinded only once using the largest grill in the meat grinder. You can use any meat for grilled cutlets. Experienced culinary experts recommend using several types of meat for the preparation of minced meat, for example, pork or chicken with beef, etc. It is important that the minced meat from which the meatballs will be grilled is not too fat.
The pieces of meat in the product are bonded to each other with the help of a raw egg, onion (chopped) is used to enhance the taste. The dish should certainly be seasoned with ground pepper. Adds a small amount of water or fresh lard to the cutlets. As a rule, grilled meat patties are small in size, their thickness is usually about 2 cm. Products are made mainly round or oblong, but you can sculpt any shape of patties. The important thing is that none of the many recipes for grilled cutlets provides for the use of breading.
When frying, semi-finished products are placed on the grilled surface greased with vegetable oil. Often the cutlets themselves are also oiled. The duration of the cooking process depends on what type of grill is used. To cutlets fried evenly, after one side comes to readiness, the products are gently turned on the other and also brought to readiness. Serve a treat with vegetables, a side dish or without it. Often cutlets are supplemented with specially prepared sauce (or ordinary tomato from the store).
Useful tips and tricks
In addition, the masters advise:
- Use any part of the carcass for cooking pork cutlets , for beef cutlets from a shoulder blade or neck.
- Pepper and salt are added to the minced meat just before the start of frying, then the meat moisture will not have time to come out, and the juiciness of the cutlets will be provided.
- Before you lay out the prepared foods on the grill, you should press them in the center with your finger. This is necessary in order to keep the surface level. But when frying a cutlet, do not squeeze it with a spatula, otherwise the juice may leak and the product will turn out dry.
- Before turning the cutlet to the other side, the unfried barrel must be greased (sprinkled) with oil. At the same time, a black crust does not form on it.
- Each side of the cutlets, so that they are juicy, should be fried for no more than 5 minutes. An average degree of frying is obtained if the product is kept on the grill for 6 minutes, in order to achieve maximum frying it will be enough to fry the cutlet for 7 minutes on each side.
- The smaller the product will be disturbed during cooking, the more complete, tastier and more beautiful it will be. In the process of frying, wanting to check if a golden crust has appeared, many raise the patty, trying to make out its barrel. Experts do not recommend this. It’s better to wait a while, the meat will turn out to be of better quality if you “less disturb” it less.
How to cook grilled meatballs: recipe with photo
According to reviews, this dish turns out to be unusually appetizing and juicy. Serve it with potatoes baked on a fire. To prepare 6 servings use:
- 700 g of veal and pork;
- two onions;
- three eggs;
- two tablespoons of semolina;
- salt and pepper to taste;
- vegetable oil.
Step-by-step description of cooking technology
You must complete the following steps:
- The meat is thoroughly washed, cut into pieces (small) and put in a food processor.
- The onion is peeled, cut in half and placed there. Grind the meat with onion into minced meat.
- Then the minced meat is laid out in a pan or bowl, eggs are broken there and semolina is added. Salt and pepper to taste. If desired, add spices for meat. The contents of the dishes are thoroughly mixed until a homogeneous mass is formed.
- Next, lubricate the hands with vegetable oil or water and proceed to the formation of cutlets.
The resulting cakes are laid on a wire rack and fried on both sides in gentle heat until cooked.
Cooking “Ushtiptsy” (Serbian grilled cutlets)
Use:
- 100 ml of mineral water (slightly carbonated);
- 250 g of lean beef;
- 150 g fatty pork;
- a teaspoon of ground paprika;
- two small onion heads;
- 70 g of smoked brisket;
- garlic;
- vegetable oil;
- parsley or any fresh herbs;
- 0.5 tsp soda;
- lemon;
- 100 g salted feta cheese.
Cooking
The meat is thoroughly washed, cut into large pieces and scroll in a meat grinder. Add paprika, baking soda and ground pepper. They add salt, add mineral water, which should give the meatballs splendor, and thoroughly knead. The surface of the mass is leveled, greased with vegetable oil, covered with a lid and placed in the refrigerator overnight. Ideally, mincemeat should be kept in the refrigerator for about two days. Next, the minced meat is taken out and left for some time in the heat.
Meanwhile, the brisket is chopped finely, rub the feta cheese on a coarse grater, chop the cheese chips with a knife, and chop two garlic cloves. All crushed components are mixed and transferred to the minced meat. Add onion, grated on a coarse grater and mix well. The cutlets are formed - flat, small in size and certainly round. Next, they warm the grill pan well, without using oil. Put the patties on it and fry on both sides over low heat.
At this time, chopped onion is fried. An ordinary thick-walled pan with the addition of vegetable oil and salt is used. Bring to the appearance of a golden color, removed from the stove. Squeeze a little lemon juice in a pan, add parsley, mix. Fried onions in an even layer spread on a plate, and on top of it - ready-made cutlets.
“Two grilled meat patties, special sauce, cheese, cucumbers, salad and onions, all on a sesame bun!”
In this advertising slogan, the famous “Big Mac” is sung - a hamburger consisting of a bun cut into 3 parts, the top of which is sprinkled with sesame seeds on top. Between them lay two grilled meat patties (each weighing about 50 g), a slice of cheese, two slices of pickled cucumber, onions, lettuce and Big Mac sauce. Today this dish is extremely popular all over the world. There is the so-called "Big Mac Index", which allows you to judge the cost of living in different countries.
Although the song says that in this hamburger there are only “two meat cutlets grilled, special sauce, cheese ...” and so on, there are actually options in which there are up to eight cutlets in one serving of a burger! Maybe this is too much. Maybe you shouldn’t be so fond of volumes of food. And yet, be that as it may, this testifies to the ardent gourmets of the whole world for the unsurpassed taste advantages of the small culinary masterpiece to which the article is devoted. How to cook cutlets for a real American burger?
Beef Burger Grilled Hamburger
For cooking use:
- 1 kg of beef shoulder blade;
- one egg;
- spicy sauce;
- one tablespoon of dry wine;
- one teaspoon of dried ground garlic;
- half a teaspoon of a mixture of fragrant peppers;
- a couple of spoons of Worcester sauce.
About the cooking method
Grilled burgers cutlets are prepared as follows:
- A piece of beef (chilled or fresh), rinse thoroughly with running, cold water. Dry lightly with a towel, coarsely chop and grind using a large grill.
- Wine is poured into the meat, add sauce, dry garlic, a mixture of peppers. Pour the egg, salt, mix thoroughly, and then beat off.
- The dishes with minced meat are tightened with foil and placed in the refrigerator for one hour, so that the meat is properly saturated with spices and seasonings.
- From meat chilled mass form flat cutlets 1 cm thick.
- Grill the grill pan with vegetable oil and place patties on it. Fry for up to 10 minutes on each side until the desired degree of frying is obtained.
- One minute before being prepared, put a slice of cheese on the patties.
After the cheese slices have melted, the bun is cut and the grilled cutlet is placed in the middle. Flavor with your favorite sauces, add greens. Enjoy your meal!