When choosing meat for barbecue, grocery buyers most often prefer pork. Moscow entrepreneur Albert Zakirov shared these observations with socialbites.ca: Those who want to save money choose scapula or ham, those who are willing to pay more get necks.
Zakirov considers pork neck the most suitable meat for barbecue, according to him, the rest of the pork will be drier and not so tasty. He adds that the beef skewers in his shop are also made, but mostly to order. “They buy beef tenderloin for barbecue and it’s expensive. But it turns out a nice soft shish kebab. If you want to use other pieces for the barbecue, you will have to beat them well so that the meat is tender,” he explains.
Zakirov confirms this preference, stating that more and more regular customers have been ordering lamb shish kebab lately. “The lamb ham skewers are the bomb. The important thing is that the meat is fresh and the lamb is young,” he says.
The entrepreneur says barbecue marinade should be simple, and good meat doesn’t need much.
“I marinate the lamb with salt, pepper and onions but literally 30-40 minutes. Lamb doesn’t need anything else. It is better to marinate pork longer – at least a couple of hours. It is good to add mineral water, salt, pepper and onions to the marinade for pork kebab – the kebab will be juicy and well saturated with spices. But also 2-3 hours, now marinating pork kebab all night is already stupid, ”she shares.
But Albert Zakirov does not recommend buying ready-made kebabs in buckets. According to him, in such containers there are often too many onions and marinades, and the meat itself is not of the best quality. “Meat goes there, which is badly sold, actually decorations. It’s also always heavily loaded with seasonings, which cuts through the taste and aroma of the meat,” she says.
According to Zakirov, buying barbecue in the market should be done with care. He explains that the market “always suffers” from the sanitary standards so important to meat. “There should be a clean table, clean water and a separate board for each type of meat. And the butchers in the market often don’t even have a sink,” he says.
The entrepreneur recommends buying ready-made barbecue only in trusted places so that you can see what parts it is made of.
“If possible, smell the meat. There should not be any odor. A very strong spice flavor may indicate that the meat is stale and the seller is masking the unpleasant odor with the help of spices,” he warns.
of Gayane
The tradition of opening the barbecue season for the May holidays has been embraced by Russian expats. Thus, Italian Mirko Dzago, chef of Onest and Aist restaurants, admits that he loves barbecue prepared in Russia.
According to the chef, there is no kebab culture in Italy as in Russia. But small Japanese kebabs – yakitori, cooked in the Abruzzo region, are popular.
“This is the only kebab available in Italy. As a rule, it is prepared from lamb, from pieces of meat alternating with lard. They are very tasty – children’s favorite delicacy, ”said he.
Mirko Dzago prefers pork neck skewers marinated with white onions, lemon juice, salt and pepper. He explains that if you cook barbecue, it’s only in real wood. “For me, barbecue is necessarily real firewood, not lighter gas-coated coals that taste horrible gasoline,” he shares.
Mirko Dzago prefers simple marinades: he adds olive oil to the beef, fresh rosemary, thyme or mint to the chicken. But the chef does not share the Russian love for traditional “bbq” sauces. “I don’t like ketchup and mayonnaise, they always seem unnecessary to me. If meat is good, why are they? I’m in favor of the pure taste of meat. Adjika—unless I like grated tomatoes with cilantro and chili peppers,” she says.
Sergei Navasartov, the chef of the Noah’s Ark restaurant, in solidarity with the Russians – prefers pork shish kebab and recommends the choice of neck or waist. “Fat should not be much, but its presence is mandatory, at least half a centimeter. Fat makes the meat more juicy,” she says. The chef advises you to approach the choice of meat very carefully. “Meat should be visually appealing, not frayed, bright and saturated in color,” she says.
The chef has a negative attitude towards ready-made kebabs in the bucket. “It’s better not to buy them, they contain baking soda for meat, vinegar and other chemicals. Meat is better to buy on the market, it should not be frozen. You need to choose a specially refrigerated product,” she says.
According to Evgeny Gurin, brand chef of the Dom Nino restaurant in Samara, when choosing meat for barbecue, it is always important to take into account the density and percentage of fatty tissues in the muscle. “These cuts are the juiciest when roasted,” he says.
For lamb skewers, the chef recommends choosing the meat from the hind legs and making sure to add bottled tallow when frying. For those who prefer beef skewers, the chef recommends getting the tenderloin and a thick edge when it comes to grass-fed beef. “When we talk about grain-fed meat, the side cut is ideal, I think it comes from the most delicious kebab,” he says.
Folk restaurant chef Mark Shah Akbari recommends choosing tenderloin when choosing beef for barbecue. “Don’t be afraid to make alternative cuts. For example, the inner diaphragm is a butcher’s steak. Usually butchers don’t sell it and keep it to themselves, but it makes a great barbecue,” he says.
Other alternative cuts of beef can also do well with the addition of a “secret ingredient” to tenderize the meat. By “secret ingredients” the chef refers to naturally sour vegetables and fruits – kiwi, pineapple, tomato puree, yuzu juice, orange or tangerine peel. “Add pomegranate juice, adjika, lots of herbs and a little olive oil to seal the meat – it won’t let the juices escape while the kebab is browning. Don’t forget the cardamom, cumin, and utsho-suneli – these spices should be stocked up before barbecue season begins,” he summed up.
Williams at Oliver
Gayane Breiova, restaurateur and brand chef of Armenian restaurant Gayane’s, recommends using fillet (meat with bones) for lamb skewers. “If the lamb is young, you can’t marinate it beforehand. Salt, pepper just before frying – and on fire. This way, you preserve the natural taste of the meat,” she says. The chef recommends cooking pork skewers from fillets, ribs or necks and marinating the meat 2 hours before frying.
“For pork skewers, diced onions, salt, cayenne, and black pepper are most commonly used. Armenians add dried herbs to the marinade – thyme and regan (purple basil – socialbites.ca). You can add mineral water to make it juicy,” she says.
According to the chef, any part of the bird is suitable for chicken kebab – wings, thighs, drumsticks, but most often they take the breast. Gayane Breiova recommends marinating chicken breast 30 minutes before frying. We use salt, red and black pepper, a little vegetable oil, sour cream or mayonnaise, a little suneli hops.
Nadezhda Lyubimova, brand chef of the Wiiliams At Oliver kitchen network, considers chicken a universal option for barbecue. “When someone doesn’t eat pork and someone doesn’t like beef, this is a great option for a large company,” she says. According to the chef, chicken kebab is also good because it can be cooked in different ways.
“You can make a classic leg skewer, cook chicken legs or wings in an interesting sauce,” she says. But unlike Gayane Breiova, the chef does not recommend using the breast – Nadezhda Lyubimova believes that the barbecue will turn out a little dry.
As for the chicken marinade, it all depends on the part of the bird chosen for barbecue. “Marines with the addition of kefir, mineral water or lemon juice are very suitable for thighs and shanks. I recommend choosing marinades with soy sauce and honey for the wings, they will help create a beautiful crust. Of spices, garlic, smoked paprika, curry, coriander are always suitable for chicken,” she says.
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.