BB.lv: Everyone’s on a picnic!

“… Azazello placed a sizzling piece of meat on a golden plate, poured lemon juice over it and handed the barman a golden two-pronged fork… The barman, out of politeness, put a piece in his mouth and immediately realized that he was chewing something really very fresh and, most importantly, incredibly tasty.” You, of course, remember this excerpt from “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov: meat fried over a fire is still very tasty!

But how to cook kebab so that it turns out not tough, certainly juicy and, as they say, smoky? Don’t even try to look for the only correct recipe – every master of this culinary genre has his own opinion on this matter. We offer a simple and trouble-free version – a recipe developed and repeatedly tested in practice by Dmitry Buzmakov, product development technologist for the Meistara Marka line of the Maxima Latvija network.

Let’s start with the fact that you need to buy high-quality meat – ideally, this is, of course, pork neck meat (5.99 euros per kg – until May 7 at Maxima Latvija), but pork shoulder will also do (without bone and skin – only 3.99 euros per kg – until May 7 at Maxima Latvija).

Let us remind you that good fresh pork is white and pink, the surface of the piece should be slightly glossy, slightly moist and non-sticky, the consistency should be dense, elastic, when pressed with a finger, the indentation should be restored, the smell should be natural, without any foreign notes.

Marinade: can be made from berries and fruits!

When preparing a marinade for pork, you can use various berries and fruits as one of the ingredients, as they help make the meat softer. It is not forbidden to take an orange (for example, in Maxima Latvija – Valencia varieties for 0.89 euros per kg, this is a 50% discount – the offer is valid until May 7), pineapple, pomegranate and rhubarb. You can also put various sour berries on the table – gooseberries, black currants, blueberries, lingonberries, plums, cherries and even jam.

You need to take into account the taste compatibility of fruits and berries, and then – your creative approach and tasting.

If you want to buy ready-made meat in an interesting marinade, I recommend trying Meistara Marka pork kebab in kiwi marinade, which is prepared using kiwi puree, or pork kebab in red currant marinade, which contains natural red currant puree and dried red currants. currant.

Trick with Coca-Cola, beer or kefir

Dmitry Buzmakov advises: to refresh the usual taste of barbecue marinade, use… Coca-Cola (1.5 liter capacity – 1.09 euros, special offer from Maxima Latvija). It can easily be combined with figs, berries or jam.

You can replace the well-known ingredient in barbecue marinade – vinegar – with products such as tomatoes (tomatoes on a branch at Maxima Latvija on a special offer – 1.69 euros per kg) or tomato juice, kefir, yogurt, sour cream (by the way, a jar of this product is 400 g 20% fat content from the Latvian manufacturer Smiltene now costs only 0.79 euros, we recommend buying for future use).

An excellent combination of flavors is light beer for a marinade along with seasonings, or mustard with honey, or various Asian marinades that include mint or lemon balm in combination with traditional seasonings.

Time plays a role!

The duration of marinating pork depends on the composition of the marinade and the storage temperature of the marinated meat. At room temperature, the meat will marinate and be ready for frying in two to three hours. If carbonated drinks, such as mineral water or Coca-Cola, are used for marinating, then after stirring the meat at room temperature, it will be ready for frying in 15–20 minutes.

If you keep marinated meat in the refrigerator, it is best to fry it the next day. For meat that you plan to fry in two to three hours, you need to prepare a stronger marinade, and the meat itself must be thoroughly mixed with the marinade by hand. But if you fry it the next day or prepare a softer marinade, the meat should be lightly stirred and refrigerated.

Coal and other subtleties of the process

The secret to successfully cooking pork shish kebab is well-prepared charcoal and properly chopped meat. It is best to cut the meat into equal pieces of medium size (so that the weight of one piece is approximately 50 g).

If the meat is cut too thin, it will be dry; if it is cut too thick, the crust will burn and the meat will be raw inside. It is best to fry meat on smoldering coals when the flame has already burned out. At first, you don’t need to turn the skewers often, you need to let the meat become crusty on all sides, and then cook. Approximate frying time is 15–20 minutes.

Dmitry Buzmakov suggests that seasonal new items from the Meistara Marka line, for example, young cabbage salad, lightly salted cucumbers, spicy cabbage salad, plates with vegetable appetizers and canapes with cheese or meat, are ideal for well-prepared pork shish kebab.

If you want to make cabbage salad yourself, the price for fresh young cabbage at Maxima Latvija is 0.79 euros per kg, and Latvian fresh long cucumbers are 0.99 euros per piece. The price is valid until May 7, you will have time to buy.

And in the morning they woke up…

The most delicious and juicy kebab is freshly fried. If you still manage to cook more than the guests could eat, and the fried meat remains, it must be cooled, transferred to a sealed container and stored in the refrigerator.

The next day, it is recommended to heat the kebab properly in a saucepan, adding a little broth to make the meat juicier. The second option is to cut the kebab into small pieces and cook a casserole with potatoes or vegetables in the oven.

Everything we love: top purchases for a picnic (and more) at Maxima Latvija:

1. Onions – 0.79 per kg.
2. Watermelon – 1.39 per kg.
3. Bananas – 0.99 per kg.
4. Meistara Marka ready-made chicken kebab, marinated in spicy mayonnaise, 800 g package – 5.69 euros.
5. Chicken heart shashlik from RGK, 500 g package – 2.69 euros.
6. White eggs A category size M – 1.49 euros for 10 pieces.
7. Tomato sauce Spilva, 510 g – 0.99 euros.
8. Classic processed cheese Dzintars, 200 g – 0.99 euros.
9. Cheese salad with carrots Meistara Marka, 500 g – 3.59 euros.
10. Plata with various vegetables and sauces, 800 gr. –7.99 euros.
11. Classic mayonnaise Well Done 73% fat, 620 g – 2.49 euros.
12. Smoked pork cheeks from RGK, packaged – 3.99 euros per kg.
13. WellDone canned champignons, 320 g jar – 1.39 euros.
14. Rice Well Done, in a package of four bags of 100 g – 0.79 euros.
15. Valdo salt – 1 kg for 0.69 euros; Kitshen Mood sugar – 1 kg for 0.99 euros.

Reference: Find all Maxima Latvija offers on www.maxima.lv and in the company’s weekly newspaper. Some special offers are valid during the specified period with the Paldies card.