It is debated. The old school used vinegar and water; the modern approach skips it for onion juice, mineral water, or kefir, giving softer, juicier meat without a harsh tang.

How long should I marinate?

From 2 hours, but ideally overnight in the fridge. Fatty pork and lamb become noticeably more tender after a night.

How do I avoid drying it out?

Fatty meat, even cubes, coals with no flame, frequent turning, and taking it off in time. Dripping fat that flares into flame is the main enemy, sprinkle the coals with water.

What do I serve with it?

Pickled onion, flatbread, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, herbs, and a spicy sauce (adjika, tkemali). The meat is slid off the skewer wrapped in hot flatbread.

Russia · Meat Dishes · Gluten-free

Shashlik

Name: Shashlik
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Russian
Ingredients: 1200 g pork neck; 500 g onion; 3 whole bay leaf; 1 tbsp ground coriander; 200 ml mineral water; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 whole lemon; 2 tsp salt; 1 tsp black pepper

A post-Soviet summer classic of fatty pork neck cut into cubes, marinated overnight with plenty of onion, lemon, and mineral water, then grilled on skewers over charcoal. The onion tenderises the meat while the coals give it a smoky char; it is served off the skewer with flatbread, pickled onion, and a spicy sauce.

40 min 480 kcal 6 serves Medium🌾Gluten-free🇷🇺Russia Jump to recipe★★★★★5.0· 1 reviews

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Ingredients

ServingsMetric

1200 gpork neck
500 gonion
3 wholebay leaf
1 tbspground coriander
200 mlmineral water
2 tbspvegetable oil
1 wholelemon
2 tspsalt
1 tspblack pepper

Note from Sergei

Sergei Martynov

“Shashlik is not just grilled meat but a whole summer ritual of the post-Soviet dacha: the grill, the coals, friends, and cubes of marinated meat on long skewers. There is more argument over the "right" recipe than for any other dish, but everyone agrees on the essentials: use fatty meat (pork neck is a safe bet), plenty of onion, and do not skimp on marinating time. Modern grillers add acid gently, with onion juice, mineral water, or kefir, rather than harsh vinegar.”

The main tenderiser is onion: grate part of it into juice and massage it into the meat, and keep the rings for aroma (do not thread them on the skewer, they will burn). Grill over coals with no open flame and turn often; flames flaring up from dripping fat dry the meat, so keep water or diluted wine nearby to knock them down.

Method

Cut the pork neck into even cubes about 4 to 5 cm. Slice half the onion into rings and grate the other half, squeezing out the juice.
In a glass or ceramic bowl, combine the pork with the grated onion and its juice, the onion rings, salt, pepper, ground coriander, bay leaves, oil, and the juice of the lemon. Massage the marinade into the meat with your hands.
Pour over the mineral water, mix well, cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
Light a charcoal grill and let it burn down to even, glowing coals with no open flame.
Thread the meat onto skewers, not too tightly, and discard the marinade, onion, and bay leaves.
Grill over the coals for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly charred and cooked through. If dripping fat flares up, sprinkle the coals with a little water.
Rest the skewers a couple of minutes, then slide the meat off with a piece of flatbread and serve with pickled onion, fresh vegetables, and a spicy sauce.

FAQ

The classic for juicy shashlik is pork neck: the fat keeps it from drying out. Lamb is also traditional. Beef and chicken work too but need a gentler marinade and careful heat control.