What's the best way to soak lamb shish kebab? How to cook lamb kebab: the best marinades and all the subtleties of the process. To complete this recipe you will need

Lamb kebab is the most correct among all other varieties of meat fried on skewers. Initially, it was prepared only from lamb tenderloin. Today, this meat has been replaced everywhere by pork, but in Asia and the Caucasus, flocks of sheep are still raised in the same way as they did many centuries ago.

Meat selection

Not all lamb is suitable for frying on skewers. While there are a lot of recipes for marinating lamb kebab, there are only a few rules for choosing meat. Experts recommend choosing lamb meat that is no more than 1 year old. In appearance, its tenderloin is light red, and the layers of fat are almost white. An adult or old ram has bright red meat and yellow fat.

Parts of the carcass suitable for cooking on the grill include the ham, loin and ribs in the front part. Here the meat is most tender with a small amount of fat, not tough and almost odorless. The back part is not suitable for lamb kebab; the muscle fibers here are very dense and tough.

Frozen tenderloin is not suitable for baking. During the defrosting process, the meat loses some of its juice, which is why it will be dry in the future. Therefore, when going to a store or market, the products are checked for freshness. Good meat quickly returns to shape when pressed. Frozen and stale materials form dents that may not disappear at all. In addition, when pressed, such pulp releases a lot of liquid - water and juice.

To buy a quality product, choose fresh chilled tenderloin from trusted producers, preferably farms that work without intermediaries.

Preparation of lamb

The barbecue meat should be a single large piece, which is cut into cubes along the grain. The size of one serving is 4 by 4 cm. If you only managed to buy a frozen product, defrost it naturally or in cold water. This way the meat will not lose its juiciness in the future.

Portioned pieces for barbecue

If you are lucky enough to purchase a young ham, you can make even larger pieces of lamb for barbecue. They will have time to quickly fry without losing their juiciness. Large pieces of fat, if any, are cut off and the films are removed. When ribs are cooked along with shish kebab, the largest of them are chopped in half and marinated separately. Young tenderloin does not need to be pre-soaked in vinegar or other acids to soften the fibers.

Almost all vegetables are used for barbecue with lamb. Due to the large amount of juice that is released during grilling over coals, the vegetables on the skewers are saturated with it, becoming tasty and crispy. You can cook pieces of tenderloin either on skewers or on a grill or barbecue pan. In all cases it will turn out delicious.

Recipes for marinades without vinegar

High-quality meat and the right marinade allow you to prepare juicy and tasty kebab. Among the variety of recipes for marinating meat, there are those in which vinegar is the basis, and those in which it is replaced by natural fruit or vegetable acids or other ingredients. Marinades without vinegar are preferable, as they do not harm the health of people with problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

Onions are an essential ingredient in all marinades.

Not all spices and sauces are suitable for lamb, here are the best ones:

black pepper;
red pepper;
turmeric;
caraway;
tkemali;
garlic;
spices.

The marinade is usually based on lemon juice, mineral water, yogurt, mayonnaise, and sour cherry plum sauce.

Recipe for shish kebab marinated with kiwi (for 2 kg of tenderloin):

Peel 3 kiwis and 1 orange and cut into small pieces.
Cut 2 large onions into small cubes, crush with a knife to release the juice, put everything in one deep container.
Squeeze the juice of half a lemon.
Add herbs to taste and desire, add 1 tsp. salt and ground black pepper, mix everything.
Place pieces of lamb into the resulting mixture, stir, cover the container with cling film and leave for 1-2 hours to marinate.

Marinating lamb for barbecue with kiwi is very convenient, as it allows you to soften the fibers of the meat in a very short time. Kiwi, orange and lemon contain fruit acids that are more effective than vinegar. This marinade is suitable even for old and tough meat.

Mineral water or plain water is often used as a marinade base.

Recipe for meat marinated with mineral water (for 2 kg of product):

Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon and combine with 500 ml of sparkling mineral water.
Add 2 onions cut into rings.
Thinly slice 2 ripe tomatoes and add to the marinade.
Sprinkle the meat with salt and black pepper and mix in a container with vegetables and mineral water.

The most delicious kebab will be obtained if you keep the meat in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.

Ingredients for yogurt marinade:

natural yogurt without additives 250 g;
salt 2 tsp;
mixture of spices (ground ginger, black pepper, curry 0.5 - 1 tsp each);
2 cloves of garlic.

The lamb is kept in this marinade for 45-60 minutes and sent to the grill. It is better to use homemade yogurt for the marinade, which is guaranteed to have no preservatives or other chemicals.

What else can you marinate lamb in? As an alternative to the base for the brine, you can use full-fat kefir, ketchup, tkemali sauce or homemade plum sauce with tomatoes. High-quality young meat can simply be sprinkled with spices and onion rings. After 1-2 hours it can already be grilled.

Classic marinade recipes

It’s easier and faster to marinate lamb kebab in vinegar and spices. This is the most classic version of the marinade, used for all types of tenderloin. Salt, spices, and vinegar are diluted in a bowl, chopped onion is added and left for 15 minutes, then poured into a container with meat, mixed thoroughly and left overnight in the refrigerator. This way the meat is guaranteed to be tender.

Recipe for Caucasian-style lamb with wine:

1 glass of dry grape wine;
3 large onions;
1 kg of meat;
salt pepper;
vegetable oil.

The tenderloin pieces are first cut into pieces and sprinkled with a mixture of salt and pepper. Leave for 15 minutes.

The onion is cut into rings and poured with wine, vegetable oil is added. Place the meat in another container, alternating with a layer of onions. Pour marinade over everything and leave in the refrigerator for 7 hours.

You can marinate meat according to an interesting Turkish recipe, which can be considered a classic one. Here, pureed tomato and tomato paste are used as a base. For 1 kg of meat you will need 2 tomatoes and 1 tbsp. l pasta. The meat is first sprinkled with salt and black pepper, crushed cumin and hyssop are added, then poured with a tomato mixture. At the end, add chopped garlic cloves and onion rings. In this form, the tenderloin should stand for 4-5 hours. Properly marinating lamb in Turkish means taking things slowly and using only the best products.

Tomatoes and tomato juice contain acids that soften meat fibers well.

Express marinade

The fastest and easiest way to prepare marinated lamb for barbecue is to sprinkle it with spices and fill it with plain water. The main thing is to do it right. The tenderloin pieces are laid out on a flat surface and generously sprinkled with salt, black and red pepper and any other spices intended for cooking on the grill.

The meat is mixed and placed in a deep bowl. Fill with water. For 1 kg of meat you need 1 glass of clean, cool water. Next comes the most important moment. You need to knead the pieces of meat well with your hands so that the fibers lose their tone and become saturated with spices. After 30 minutes, the meat can be grilled over coals.

For quick marinating, the combination of mustard with soy sauce and spices is ideal. For a glass of mustard, usually take 1 tbsp. l. sauce. Be sure to use coriander, black pepper and a lot of onions. The meat is kept in the mixture for 1 hour. This means that you can prepare lamb for frying on the grill just before going out into the countryside.

Experts believe that the more spices used for marinating, the more aromatic and tender the kebab turns out. In the following recipe, the base is tomato juice (1 glass) and olive oil (50 ml). The remaining ingredients are spices and herbs:

black pepper;
garlic;
red pepper;
cumin;
coriander;
sweet paprika;
cilantro.

This is the optimal set of spices that are designed to improve and highlight the taste of young lamb.

Everyone has their own, marinated according to special rules with their favorite set of aromatic spices. But the recipes proposed above were collected in regions where such a dish appeared a long time ago, and people understand the harmony of good taste from early childhood.

Which part of the carcass should I take?

Most often used:

● The hindquarter is the leg or ham. You can make juicy shish kebab from it.

● Bone-in loin is the most affordable option. The loin is baked after being chopped into pieces.

● Lumbar part - it is also willingly sent to the coals. The taste is difficult to describe - you have to try it. Features: presence of bones, tender meat.

There is also tenderloin, but it is not prepared so often, because this option is practically not found in markets and stores.

How to properly cook odorless lamb

First you need to figure out what gives it. And most often the reason for the specific aroma is surface fat, so we clean it off. But if the smell remains, use our tips:

● You can soak the purchased piece in milk. To do this, we will prepare a “milk bath” and place the meat in it for a couple of hours or overnight.

● Another option is soaking in marinade with herbs (cumin, coriander, rosemary, oregano).

● Milk can be replaced with kefir or vinegar. But if you are going to soak the lamb in the latter, do not forget about it - otherwise your ham will become dry and tough.

That's all - we got rid of the smell, all that remains is to learn those culinary subtleties that we talked about. Let's start with the right marinade.

Secrets of marinating

It's up to you to decide whether to do this or not. If you get a good piece without an unpleasant smell, tender and juicy, you can skip this step. If you have something tough in front of you, it is better to invite such a ram for a bath in a fragrant dressing. It should last from 3 to 5 hours.

If you come across a soft piece, you can leave only the minimum that allows the flavor to reveal itself - spices (rosemary, thyme, saffron, mint, ginger). They should be added at the very end, so that guests first feel the unique main ingredient and only then the trail of herbs.

How to cook lamb on the grill

● First tip: wait for the red coals. But do not expose your leg, steaks, ribs or shish kebab to them - at this temperature they will quickly turn into black soles. So our main task is to turn the pieces as often as possible so that they do not have time to burn.

● Maximum roasting time – 10 minutes. If you want a different degree of doneness (driier meat), remove the coals by moving them to the side and continue cooking the main dish of the picnic in the heat that remains.

It’s one thing if we cook lamb over a fire, and quite another thing if we cook it on the grill. A subtle smoky aroma that tickles the nostrils, an unforgettable atmosphere, convenient temperature control, and heat retention under the dome - this is what makes the Kamado Joe kamado an ideal option for creating your culinary masterpieces.

What to do if you have leftover meat

The following story often happens: they bought too many pieces, and only one or two were left. Where should I put them? We answer:

● You can prepare a fragrant and rich soup with potatoes, ribs, and onions. If the ingredients are too few for your liking, add homemade grains or noodles to the hot pot. It turns out tasty and satisfying. The guests are happy, you have discovered a new recipe.

● You can make a warm salad. To do this, chop the meat into thin slices, fry on the grill, add cherry tomatoes cut in half, red onion half rings, boiled potatoes and baked eggplants, diced. Dressing – olive oil and favorite spices. Fresh herbs won't hurt either.

Here's what you can cook from lamb with vegetables - it's more than enough tasty and satisfying, the photos won't let you lie.

Garnish

A win-win side dish is baked vegetables and rice. The ideal option is crumbly pilaf with dried fruits - raisins, prunes and dried apricots. You can offer your guests delicious kebabs of champignons, tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant. But do not forget that nothing should overshadow the taste of the meat.

We have already talked about what the marinade should be like and what nuances should be taken into account. Now let's talk about how to properly cook lamb (namely leg) at home on the grill.

Fry or bake

So, the first method is classic roasting. We don't need a burnt ham - we turn it over often, preventing the brown crust from turning black. The peculiarity of this option is that you can immediately cut off the finished layers and place them on a plate.

The second method is baking in foil. Here you won’t be able to try a piece quickly - you’ll have to wait. The recipe is simple: first marinate the meat, then wrap it in foil (2-3 layers), before pouring the remaining marinade onto the leg of lamb. It should be cooked over hot coals, remembering to turn it over. Baking can take up to half an hour - depending on the age of the animal and the size of the ham. Afterwards, you need to unfold the foil and fry our lamb until golden brown.

The best side dish for this dish is juicy grilled eggplant.

Recipes

With rosemary and mint

For the meat we will need parsley, mint, rosemary, a few cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp. vegetable oil for marinade, ground red or black pepper and salt - to taste.

The cooking process is simple: first chop the herbs (mint, rosemary, parsley), then crush the garlic and combine the prepared ingredients with oil, not forgetting to add pepper. We leave the lamb in this aromatic marinade for a maximum of 15 minutes - this time is enough for our piece to be soaked. Then we transfer it to the grill, fry for a couple of minutes on one side, add salt, turn over and wait for the other side to brown.

Appetizing steaks

Among our recipes with photos describing how to cook delicious grilled lamb, there is also a juicy steak. To prepare this dish we will need ready-made portions, a teaspoon of cumin, a little coriander, pepper and coarse salt.

Grind the spices in a mortar and combine them with pepper and salt. Rub the resulting mixture onto the meat and leave for 20 minutes. Then put it on the grill and fry until done, remembering to turn it over. Serve with herbs - parsley, cilantro.

In a spicy marinade

In addition to the lamb itself, we will need wine (white and red), wine sauce, olive oil, rosemary, thyme and pepper, cloves, a couple of red onions for the marinade and 4 more for the sauce, lemon, dill.

First we prepare the dressing. To do this, combine finely chopped onions with red wine, vinegar and oil, add herbs, pepper, and cloves to them. Mix the resulting mixture thoroughly. Place the meat into it, previously cleared of fat and films, washed and cut into portions up to 2 cm thick, and leave it for 3 hours. An hour before cooking over an open fire, take out our lamb and let it warm up to room temperature. Afterwards we prepare the sauce: finely chop the onion, sprinkle it with pepper and salt, crush it with a pestle, add a mixture of lemon juice heated over the fire with white wine, and dill. Fry the pieces for 5 minutes on each side and serve them with sauce and halved cherry tomatoes.

With herbs (in foil)

We will need ham, garlic, thyme, rosemary, mint leaves, olive oil, pepper and salt. We make shallow cuts in the leg of lamb entrusted to us, put garlic and herbs there, pour oil over the meat, rub with salt and pepper. Then wrap the piece in foil and place it on a wire rack for one to two hours (depending on the size). Don't forget to turn the package over. Then we put it on a plate, unwrap it and cut it into pieces. The ideal side dish is baked potatoes.

Now watch the video and cook lamb according to the rules - without an unpleasant odor, tasty, without overcooking on the grill:

This meat should be eaten hot - piping hot. Invite guests for a picnic, prepare kamado and the necessary ingredients - surprise those who have always refused the most tender ham because of its fat content or unpleasant smell. And don’t forget – creating culinary masterpieces is easy when you know what to do.

In this article, we did not tell you how to cook lamb over a fire, because we have a grill and recipes for it - especially for those who appreciate the taste of smoke and the crackle of burning coals. Even heat and bon appetit!

Lamb shish kebab is one of the most delicious and healthy dishes. Young lamb has tender and juicy meat, quickly absorbs aromas, which is why it is often used in preparing snacks. There are an endless number of roasting techniques and marinating methods that should be covered in the recipes below.

How to cook lamb shish kebab?

Lamb shish kebab will turn out to be incredibly tasty if you cut it responsibly, properly marinate it and fry it correctly. For excellent results, there is a huge selection of spicy marinades and special aromatic coals. These additions will be useless if you don’t know how to choose lamb for barbecue.

The most tender and delicious kebab is made from 2-month-old lamb. This meat is considered a delicacy and can only be bought in early spring.
Meat from one-year-old lambs is more accessible. It has a bright red color, white fat and a specific sweetish smell.
The meat of old animals is not suitable for cooking due to the strong specific odor.
For shish kebab, use the loin, tenderloin or the flesh of the hind leg.
When purchasing meat, it should be chilled and not frozen, this will directly affect the result: chilled pieces always come out drier and looser.

Lamb kebab - classic recipe

Lamb is one of the important components, because it directly affects the taste, color and aroma of meat. Dairy lambs are marinated in a dry marinade of salt, spices and onions. For older meats, use a combination of lemon juice, oil, cumin and coriander. You can spice up the lamb with paprika, garlic and black pepper.

Ingredients:

lamb pulp - 2 kg;
onion - 1 kg;
vegetable oil - 50 ml;
lemon juice - 120 ml;

Preparation

Remove membranes from the meat and cut into pieces.
Add chopped onion into rings and mash.
Season, add juice and oil. Stir and set aside for 4 hours.
Thread onto skewers and fry the classic lamb kebab for 15 minutes.

Caucasian lamb shashlik recipe

Caucasian-style lamb shish kebab is a popular cooking method, characterized by simplicity and incredible taste. You just need to prepare a marinade from vinegar and herbs, and immerse the lamb for several hours. Dairy meat will require less time to marinate. Fresh herbs and baked vegetables will highlight the Caucasian flavor.

Ingredients:

lamb pulp - 1 kg;
onion - 500 g;
grape vinegar -60 ml;
fresh cilantro and parsley - a handful;
tomatoes - 3 pcs.;
sweet pepper - 1 pc.;
water - 700 ml.

Preparation

Chop the pulp and chop the onion into rings.
Add vinegar, herbs, meat and onions to the water.
Marinate for 7 hours.
Thread onto skewers, alternating with tomatoes, onions and peppers.
Fry Caucasian lamb shish kebab for 15 minutes.

Lamb kebab on kefir

The lamb shish kebab recipe differs in different marinades and cooking times. The easiest and most affordable way is to use kefir. The fermented milk product will perfectly soften the meat, add a slight sourness to the pulp and relieve the dish of a specific smell. The marinating process will take no more than 4 hours, which is quite justified.

Ingredients:

lamb - 550 g;
kefir - 500 ml;
onions - 3 pcs.;
lemon juice - 60 ml.

Preparation

Chop the lamb and onion.
Layer in layers, season with juice and set aside for 40 minutes.
Pour in kefir and marinate for 3 hours.
Fry delicious lamb shish kebab on the grill until golden brown.

Lamb kebab “seeds”

Lamb is a popular dish, popularly called “seeds,” thanks to its juicy and tasty pulp, which is impossible to tear yourself away from. “Seeds” are prepared simply: you need to peel the ribs from the membranes, cut into portions and, skewer, fry, then cut the flesh from the bone and, flavored with paprika, serve with sauce.

Ingredients:

ribs - 900 g;
zira - a pinch;
paprika - 1 teaspoon;
ground black pepper - a pinch.

Preparation

Cut the ribs and season with spices.
Thread onto a skewer and fry for 20 minutes.
Remove from skewer and trim off flesh.

Lamb kebab with kiwi - recipe

Marinade for lamb kebab with kiwi is the best way to quickly prepare meat. To soften it, you need an acidic environment. Kiwi is an exotic fruit whose chemical composition contains natural acids, so it is perfect for marinade. The meat should be kept in the marinade for no more than an hour, so as not to turn it into a hard “sole”.

Ingredients:

lamb pulp - 900 g;
kiwi - 2 pcs.;
onions - 2 pcs.;
mineral water - 250 ml.

Preparation

Chop the meat and onion.
Grind the kiwi.
Combine the products, add water, stir and set aside for an hour.
Thread the meat onto skewers and fry the lamb kebab until golden brown.

Lamb shish kebab in pomegranate juice

For barbecue, this is a great way to show your imagination and try original marinades. One of which - with pomegranate juice - is especially tasty and piquant. You should be careful about the process and marinate the product for no more than three hours, since the juice contains tannins that will make the meat “rubbery.”

Ingredients:

lamb - 2 kg;
onion - 1 kg;
lemon juice - 50 ml;
clove of garlic - 6 pcs.;
pomegranate juice - 100 ml;
vegetable oil - 50 ml;
coriander and black pepper - a pinch each.

Preparation

Chop the lamb and onion. Knead it. Season, add lemon and pomegranate juice, oil and garlic.
Mix everything and set aside for 2 hours.
Skewer and grill the best lamb skewers for 20 minutes.

Lamb shish kebab on the bone

Lamb shish kebab on the bone is particularly juicy and tender. The bone retains fat and juice in the meat and keeps the flesh from drying out. Bone-in brisket is an excellent choice for this method of cooking. This meat marinates well, quickly fries and is easy to serve, so it is often prepared at picnics and trips to the countryside.

Ingredients:

lamb loin - 1.2 kg;
vegetable oil - 40 ml;
paprika - 10 g;
coriander - 1/2 teaspoon;
lemon juice - 60 ml;

Preparation

Cut the loin into slices.
Season, drizzle with juice and oil.
Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Thread onto skewers and grill over coals until done.

Lamb shish kebab with wine

Juicy lamb kebab will become much tastier if you marinate it in red wine. After this soaking, the meat acquires an expressive shade, unusually juicy flesh and a traditional Caucasian flavor. To make the meat tender and aromatic, you should keep it in the marinade for an hour, then fry it for 15 minutes.

Ingredients:

lamb pulp - 1 kg;
onion - 500 g;
dry red wine - 250 ml;
vegetable oil - 50 ml;
ground black pepper - 1/2 teaspoon.

Preparation

Chop the lamb pulp and chop the onion into rings.
Layer, season, add oil and wine. Marinate for no more than an hour.
Thread onto skewers and grill for 15 minutes.

Lamb kebab in the oven - recipe

Lamb kebab in the oven is an appropriate replacement for the traditional method of cooking over coals. At home, you won’t be able to achieve everyone’s favorite smoky flavor, but a properly selected marinade and a high-quality piece of meat with a moderate amount of fat will provide the dish with juiciness and excellent taste.

Lamb is tender, tasty, healthy and environmentally friendly meat. The fact is that when raising sheep, antibiotics, hormones and other artificial additives are not used. Lamb contains easily digestible proteins, valuable vitamins, minerals, macro- and microelements, especially iron. There are certain subtleties and rules for cooking lamb that will help you avoid many mistakes, thanks to which the dish will turn out appetizing, juicy, aromatic and very tasty. This article will talk about how to marinate lamb so that the meat becomes softer and juicier and as a result we get a tasty delicacy. Let's figure it out.

Focus primarily on the color: for good meat it should be from light red to dark red, and it is better not to buy gray and brown pieces. There should also be a light, specific aroma, but not a sharp, unpleasant odor, which many people associate with lamb.

Lamb has its own unique aroma. In no case should it be suppressed, but only emphasized. This is the only reason you need to use spices.

Three parts of the ram’s body are most often used for grilling, including:

Rear end- this is what they call a hind leg or ham, if you like. Lump shish kebab or lula kebabs are prepared from this part.
Loin on the bone- the rib part is the most common and available in stores. It is fried after being disassembled into separate pieces.
Lumbar part(from the last rib to the rump) - saddle of lamb - also fried on coals. This is the most tender and most delicious part with a tiny bone.

In addition, the ram has a completely edible tenderloin - but it is so small (100–200 g per carcass) that you can rarely find it on the shelves. Offal lovers also grill such a delicacy as lamb tongue over coals.

How to remove the smell?

To remove the unpleasant smell of lamb caused either by the age of the animal or improper slaughter, you can use several proven methods:

The meat should be rubbed well with mustard, wrapped in cling film, and put in a cool place for about one hundred and eighty minutes.
The lamb should be immersed in bubbling water for about fifteen minutes. Then you need to drain the hot water, pour in clean water, boil, and after fifteen minutes drain it again.
Marinate the lamb using a tablespoon of acetic acid, three tablespoons of full-fat mayonnaise and seasoning.
Soak in homemade milk. To do this, place the meat in a deep container, completely fill it with homemade milk, then put it in the refrigerator for two hours. After time, the meat is washed and rubbed well with chopped garlic cloves. You can also use beer instead of milk.
Marinate lamb meat. Pour boiled water into a deep container, add adjika, dry mustard (two hundred milliliters of water will require a tablespoon of spices). Then add coriander, ground black, allspice at your discretion, add five chopped garlic cloves. Cut the meat into small pieces and add to the prepared marinade. Place the container on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator for approximately five hours. After this, the lamb should be washed with plain water.
Soak the meat in a salty solution. To do this, add one liter of water to the lamb and add a large handful of table salt. After sixty minutes, the meat should be washed.
Soak the meat in curdled milk (preferably homemade) for two hours. Place the lamb in a deep container and completely fill it with yogurt, and then add about one hundred grams of chopped garlic cloves.
Remove all fat that is in the meat.

Do I need to marinate lamb?

Whether or not to marinate meat depends on the preferences of the eater. This is not a mandatory condition at all. However, if the meat is a bit tough, then it is better to marinate it. Three to five hours will be enough. A good marinade is made from a mixture of adjika, paprika, cumin and black pepper.

If the meat is soft, then it is better to use a mixture of spices. And they should be added at the end of cooking. Why? When you taste the dish, you will first feel the taste and aroma of spices, and in the second wave the pure taste of meat will come to you.

The calorie content of lamb is at an average level, so you can eat meat in small quantities without fear for your figure.

How to marinate lamb - Top 5 most delicious marinades

The most delicious marinade for lamb

Ingredients:

120 ml dry red wine
120 ml red wine vinegar
60 ml olive oil
1 tbsp. l. (15 g) sugar
1 tbsp. l. (6 g) dried mint
1 tbsp. l. (5 g) salt
1 tbsp. l. (2 g) juniper berries
2 bay leaves
2 onion slices
1 sprig of parsley
1 sprig thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
A pinch of ground nutmeg

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients. Place in an airtight container, store in the refrigerator and use as needed.

Kefir marinade - to keep lamb meat soft

For 1–1.5 kilograms of lamb you will need 0.5 liters of kefir and the juice of one lemon. Also, add salt, pepper, spices, bay leaf (5 sheets) to the marinade. Kebab cooking time is 4 hours.

Cut the lamb into small pieces, cut the onion into large rings. Place a layer of meat and onions in a pan, add bay leaf, ground pepper, peppercorns, then sprinkle the meat with lemon juice. Leave for 45 minutes, after 45 minutes add kefir. Leave the meat in kefir for 3 hours (stir occasionally). You need to salt the lamb kebab 5-10 minutes before you thread it onto the skewers.

Marinade for lamb with kiwi

Ingredients:

Kiwi - 80 gr.
Peeled garlic cloves - 5 pcs.
Lamb - 0.7 kg.
Fresh cilantro - 15 gr.
Fresh tomatoes - 90 gr.
Turnip onion - 100 gr.
Lemon - 1/4 part
Mineral water - 1 glass
Vegetable oil - 2/3 cup

Recipe:

Defrost the meat, remove films and veins that are not suitable for eating. Cut into equal portions. Place the container in which the product will be marinated.
Peel the onion and wash. Cut into pieces, then puree using a blender. We do the same with kiwi.
Peel the garlic cloves and chop them into small strips using a medium-sized grater. Rinse the cilantro sprigs under water and dry them on a paper towel. Then finely chop them. Wash the tomato and lemon and chop into small pieces.
Place the prepared products on top of the meat and begin preparing the composition. Pour water and oil into a small container, adding a little spices. Pour it over the meat pulp, then stir and cover. Place in a cold room for at least half a day, so that the meat is soft.
We roast in coals. At this point, the composition for the lamb kebab is completely ready, and in order for the meat to be soft, the most delicious marinade should be prepared with the introduction of the exotic kiwi fruit.

Recipe for lamb shish kebab marinade with soy sauce

Ingredients:

1 kg lamb
100 ml soy sauce
2 cloves garlic
juice of 1/2 lemon
half a teaspoon of sugar
black pepper and other spices - to taste

Cooking method:

Crush the garlic, mix with lemon juice, sugar, soy sauce and ground pepper.
Pour the marinade over the lamb, cut into pieces, and mix well.
Leave for 2-3 hours. If the ram is old and tough, it’s better to spend the night.

Express marinade

The fastest and easiest way to prepare marinated lamb for barbecue is to sprinkle it with spices and add plain water. The main thing is to do it right. The tenderloin pieces are laid out on a flat surface, then generously sprinkled with salt, black and red pepper and any other spices intended for cooking on the grill.

black pepper;
garlic;
red pepper;
cumin;
coriander;
sweet paprika;
cilantro.

This is the optimal set of spices that are designed to improve and highlight the taste of young lamb.

How to marinate lamb for barbecue

In Caucasian sauce

Ingredients:

lamb - 1 kg;
onion – 300 g;
lemon juice – 50 ml;
parsley – 50 g;
salt, black pepper - to taste.

Preparation:

Chop the onion finely or even three on a grater. Rub the lamb with salt, pepper, sprinkle with onion, chopped parsley, add lemon juice, mix, then leave to marinate in the cold for 6 hours.

Lamb kebab with lemon and onion

Ingredients:

1 kg young lamb meat
juice of 1 lemon
1 lemon
ground coriander
ground red pepper
2 onions
green cilantro
salt to taste

Preparation:

Cut the meat into neat cubes. Pepper and season with coriander. Pour in the juice of one lemon. Stir in onion rings and lemon slices. Place in a cool place for 6 hours. Season with salt and thread the meat onto skewers, alternating with onions and lemon. Cook over coals. Sprinkle with herbs.

In Caucasian

Ingredients:

800 g lamb
2 onions
2 tomatoes
½ glass dry white wine
2 tbsp. spoons of wine vinegar
1 tbsp. spoon of vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Cooking method:

Cut the washed and tendon-free lamb into pieces, add salt and pepper. Sprinkle the meat with finely chopped onion. Mix vinegar, vegetable oil, wine and pour this mixture over the lamb, stir. Refrigerate the meat in this marinade for 1.5 hours. After this, place pieces of meat, onion rings and tomatoes on skewers. Roast at 240°C and high fan speed for 5-7 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 160°C and cook for about 45 minutes. Also reduce the ventilation speed to medium.

Lamb shashlik in Adyghe style

Cut the lamb flesh into small pieces of 60–80 g. Beat each piece of meat with a wooden mallet, thread it onto skewers, then fry over hot coals, constantly turning the skewers. During the frying process, pour the pieces of meat with a salt solution to which crushed garlic has been added. Fry the kebab until done, serve hot with herbs.

Lamb kebab in eggplant

Cut the loin or back of the lamb into equal pieces. Cut the eggplants deeply lengthwise and add salt. Let stand for a while, then squeeze out the bitter juice. Place pieces of lamb into the cut of the eggplant, lightly sprinkling them with salt and ground black hot pepper. Thread onto skewers, catching both ends of the eggplant and all pieces of meat. Fry over coals, rotating the skewer so that all sides of the lamb pieces turn into the open cut of the eggplant. While frying, brush the eggplants and pieces of meat with vegetable oil. Serve kebabs along with baked eggplants, herbs and spices.

By choosing the appropriate marinade recipe for lamb and marinating it correctly, you will certainly be able to prepare delicious kebab, juicy, tender and aromatic. Serve it with adjika or other spicy sauce, pickled onions and fresh vegetables. Instead of bread, it is advisable to serve pita bread. Bon appetit!

Initially, kebab was made from lamb, and today many people recognize only this. However, not everyone decides to fry this particular meat over coals, fearing that it will be tough or have an unpleasant smell. All these fears are groundless if you know how to choose the right meat for shashlik and make a delicious marinade for lamb shish kebab. If the technology for preparing meat for barbecue is well known and clear to you and you managed to find a successful marinade recipe that is suitable specifically for the meat you have chosen, you should not expect any unpleasant surprises.

How to marinate lamb correctly

In order for the lamb kebab to be tender, juicy and aromatic, it is not enough to know how to properly grill it on the grill. Meat preparation plays a much more significant role. By choosing and marinating the lamb correctly, you will almost certainly get an excellent kebab that will appeal to all picnic participants.

Avoid purchasing frozen meat for barbecue. After defrosting, especially if it was done quickly and in violation of the rules, the meat loses its juiciness. The kebab from it will most likely come out dry and tough. Sometimes at the market they sell defrosted meat under the guise of fresh meat. Under a piece of such lamb you may find a bloody puddle, and traces of snow on the surface of the meat. Even if there are no obvious signs that the lamb has been frozen, it makes sense to try pressing the piece with your finger. If a hole forms on it and fills with liquid, this indicates that the meat was frozen. There will be no hole in fresh meat; it will quickly return to its original shape.
For barbecue it is better to take young lamb meat. It cooks faster, turns out more tender, and has a more pleasant smell. The color of this meat is lighter and brighter than old lamb, and its fat has an almost completely white tint, while that of old lamb is yellowish.
The length of time you should keep lamb in the marinade before frying depends on the composition of the marinade and the meat itself. Young lamb meat is usually marinated for 1 hour to 3–4 hours; old lamb needs to be marinated for 8–12 hours.
Lamb marinade usually contains acidic products that prevent the protein from coagulating during heat treatment, which is why the kebab turns out soft. When these products come into contact with aluminum, harmful substances are formed, which is why such utensils are not suitable for marinating lamb for barbecue. It is better for this purpose to choose containers made of glass, ceramics, stainless steel, and also coated with enamel.
Salt is added to the marinade only half an hour, maximum an hour before frying the meat. Otherwise, the salt will draw out a lot of liquid from the lamb and the kebab will turn out dry.

Each type of meat has its own set of spices and seasonings. For this reason, pork marinade recipes are not always suitable for lamb or chicken. Therefore, to prepare lamb shish kebab, you should choose marinade recipes that are suitable specifically for this type of meat.

Kiwi lamb marinade

lamb – 2 kg;
onions – 0.5 kg;
kiwi – 0.3 kg;
lemon – 1 pc.;
orange – 1 pc.;
vegetable oil (refined) – 5 ml;
spicy herbs, pepper, salt - to taste.

Recipe for the occasion::

Cooking method:

Rinse and dry the meat. Remove inedible parts. Cut the pulp into pieces measuring approximately 5 by 5 centimeters.
Peel the onions, cut each onion into 4-8 pieces. Grind the onion in a blender or using a meat grinder. Place in the container in which you plan to marinate the meat. Pour the onion juice released during chopping into the same container.
Wash the lemon and cut it in half. Squeeze the juice out of it into a container with onion puree.
Wash and peel the orange. Divide it into slices. Cut into small pieces with a knife. Place the orange in a container with the onion-lemon mixture, and pour the released orange juice into it.
Peel the kiwi. Grind the pulp with a knife. The smaller the pieces, the better.
Add the kiwi pieces to the rest of the chopped ingredients and mix.
Add spices and herbs to taste, stir again.
Dip the lamb into the resulting mixture. Toss with your hands until the marinade coats each piece of meat. Place in the refrigerator.

Fruit acids are very effective at tenderizing meat. The kiwi marinade is so good that even old lamb can be left in it for 2.5 hours, no longer. Young lamb meat will be ready in an hour. It is not advisable to keep it in the kiwi marinade for more than the specified time, since if you overexpose the meat in it, it will begin to separate into fibers right in your hands.

Marinade with vinegar and onions for lamb

young lamb – 1.5 kg;
onions – 0.5 kg;
vinegar essence (70 percent) – 20 ml;
vegetable oil – 20 ml;
a mixture of peppers, salt - to taste;
dried basil – 20 g;
coriander grains – 5 g;
water - as much as needed.

Cooking method:

Prepare the meat by washing it, patting it with a napkin, removing the veins and cutting it into pieces weighing 40–50 g.
Sprinkle with pepper and basil, coriander seeds, mix with your hands.
Remove the skins from the onions and cut into not too thin rings or half rings. Use your hands a little to let the onion release its juice, and add it to the meat. Stir to distribute the onions evenly.
Mix vinegar essence with oil and dilute this mixture in a glass of clean water.
Pour the marinade over the meat. Add enough water to completely cover the meat.
Place the container with the lamb in the refrigerator.

It is not necessary to marinate young lamb with vinegar and onions for a long time, two hours is enough. If the lamb is old, then it should be kept in the marinade longer, 8–10 hours. You need to salt the meat about half an hour before cooking it.

Marinade for lamb with mayonnaise

lamb – 2.5 kg;
mayonnaise – 0.2 l;
mustard – 20 ml;
onions – 0.3 kg;
ground dried paprika – 5 g;
sugar – 5 g;
thyme – 5 g;
cilantro (dried) – 5 g;
salt - to taste.

Cooking method:

Place mayonnaise in a small bowl or bowl.
Add mustard, spices, sugar. Mix thoroughly until the sauce has a uniform consistency.
Place the mayonnaise sauce in a saucepan or other container in which the lamb will be marinated.
Peel the onion, cut into thin half rings and mix with the sauce.
Cut the prepared meat into pieces suitable for barbecue and place in a pan with sauce. Toss with your hands until the sauce coats each piece.
Place the pan with the lamb in the refrigerator.

Young lamb in mayonnaise is marinated for about 2 hours, old lamb for about 6–8 hours, you can leave it overnight. An hour before preparing the kebabs, the lamb can be salted. In mayonnaise sauce, lamb turns out to be especially tender and juicy, with a pleasant piquant taste imparted to the meat by mustard and spices.

Marinade for lamb with mineral water

lamb – 2.5 kg;
carbonated mineral water – 0.3–0.5 l;
tomatoes – 0.5 kg;
rye bread – 100 g;
lemon – 1 pc.;
salt, spices - to taste.

Cooking method:

Prepare the lamb for marinating by washing it, patting it dry with a kitchen towel and cutting it into approximately 5cm pieces.
Pour the seasonings into the container with the meat and roll the meat pieces in them.
Peel the onion and cut it into thin rings. Place them on the meat.
Wash and cut the tomatoes into circles and place on top.
Finely chop the bread and place the bread pieces on the tomatoes. You can use rye crackers - it will be even better.
Squeeze the juice from one lemon into a glass of mineral water and stir. Pour this mixture over the contents of the bowl.
Add mineral water so that the liquid completely covers the meat, vegetables and bread.
Lamb should be marinated in the refrigerator.

The mineral water-based marinade turns out to be quite soft, so it takes quite a long time to marinate the meat in it. Usually young lamb is kept in it for 2.5–3 hours, old lamb – from 10 to 12 hours. But the kebab ends up being very tender and juicy.

Marinade for lamb with wine

lamb – 2.5 kg;
soy sauce – 150 ml;
dry red wine – 150 ml;
onions – 0.5 kg;
lemon – 1 pc.;
garlic – 1 clove;
sugar – 5 g;
spices - to taste.

Cooking method:

Wash a piece of lamb, dry it with a kitchen towel, cut into pieces of 40–50 g.
Sprinkle with spices and finely chopped garlic, stir.
Peel the onion and cut into half rings. If the onions are not too large, you can cut them into rings.
Separate the onion with your hands and add to the meat, stir, distributing the onion evenly.
In a separate container, mix soy sauce, wine and juice squeezed from one lemon.
Pour the resulting marinade over the lamb.

Marinate the meat in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours, depending on how young the lamb was. Half an hour before preparing the kebab, salt the meat.

You can also marinate lamb ribs using this recipe. They can be fried either on skewers or on a grill.

Honey marinade for lamb shish kebab

lamb – 2.5 kg;
onions – 0.3 kg;
dried barberry – 5 g;
dried basil – 20 g;
honey – 20 ml;
soy sauce – 100 ml;
garlic – 2 cloves;
vegetable oil – 100 ml.

Cooking method:

Prepare the lamb and cut it into pieces of the desired size.
Crush the garlic with a special press, mix it with basil, soy sauce, butter and melted honey until liquid.
Peel the onion and cut into small pieces, mix with the marinade.
Place lamb pieces into the marinade and mix well.

Marinate the lamb in honey sauce for 2-4 hours. The delicate taste of kebab made from such meat is unlikely to leave anyone indifferent.

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