Without a doubt, food is at its tastiest in nature, in the fresh air, when your appetite, like a wild beast, is getting hard to tame! When you're hungry, you can make all sorts of grilling mistakes that can make your shashlik dry, tough to bite into, rubbery - and then you'll blame the marinade recipe, when it's the grilling process that's to blame!
To avoid frustrating situations, here is a list of the most common mistakes:
1. Don't use flammable liquids when setting up the grill! They give off toxic substances which are absorbed into the meat being grilled. We recommend using eco-friendly rubs instead of liquids.
2. If the meat to be grilled is dry and without fat, it is recommended to push the pieces of meat slightly closer together to prevent them from drying out. If the grill is fattier, it is not advisable to squeeze. In general, it is not advisable to squeeze the grilled shashlik hard, as this will cause the juices to run out.
3. If you grill your shish kebabs, they may sweat more quickly due to contact with the metal - scrape off some of the marinade before grilling. If you are grilling on a spit, you can leave the marinade on.
4. Do not cook over too hot a fire: make sure that you are cooking over greyish coals, charcoal and that the grill does not have open flames. High temperatures will only dry out the grill.
5. If you are unsure about the intensity of the heat, hold your hand over the coals before grilling. If you can hold it for about 30 seconds, go ahead. If you can hold your hand for more than 2 minutes, the heat is insufficient.
6. Try to keep cooking to a minimum. Flipping dehydrates the meat.
7. Don't baste the grill, even if you really want to! This will encourage the meat to lose its juices and dry out the grills.
8. If you cook your barbecue in a grill rather than a grill, the most important thing is to keep the fat and juices from dripping onto the coals and embers, which is how carcinogens are released and absorbed into the meat. Modern grills take care of this problem by incorporating a special grease collection system.
9. If you use firewood for your charcoal grill or barbecue, avoid softwood. Birch, oak or apple wood is recommended. However, it is important to peel off the bark when using birch wood, as it is high in tar, which will spoil the flavour and aroma. Charcoal and briquettes are actually a much better choice - they will grill faster and for longer.
10. If you use bamboo skewers, keep them in cold water for a while before cooking the meat. This way the skewers will not burn or scorch.
