Pork Shish Kebab

Name: Pork Shish Kebab
Ingredients: 2 kg pork (pork neck works best); 500 g onion (small onions are preferable); 3 tbsp apple cider or wine vinegar 6% (can be substituted with lemon juice); 2 tbsp salt, heaping; 2 tsp freshly ground pepper; 0.5 kg young zucchini (optional); ≈0.5 liters sparkling mineral water

Aromatic shish kebab with crispy zucchini. There are many ways to make shish kebab — or rather, the cooking method is mostly the same (over hot coals), but the marinades vary wildly. For example, people marinate it in lemon juice, vinegar, pomegranate juice, kefir, wine, or beer. Some add mayonnaise, adjika, tomatoes, or even Coca-Cola (yes, I've actually come across that one). Others throw in mashed kiwi, onion purée, minced garlic, and all sorts of other things. And everyone insists that theirs is the one true, most delicious shish kebab :-) By the way, some people skip the marinade entirely and go with nothing but salt, pepper, and fresh meat. I think I've listed every variation I could remember, though I'm sure this is far from a complete list :-) Today I'd like to share a version made with sparkling mineral water — thanks to the carbon dioxide bubbles, the meat marinates faster and comes out more tender. A small amount of natural vinegar adds a barely-there aroma, and young, crispy zucchini makes a wonderful accompaniment to a juicy, fragrant piece of kebab. I cut the meat into 36 pieces, 6 per skewer.

Ingredients:

2 kg pork (pork neck works best)
500 g onion (small onions are preferable)
3 tbsp apple cider or wine vinegar 6% (can be substituted with lemon juice)
2 tbsp salt, heaping
2 tsp freshly ground pepper
0.5 kg young zucchini (optional)
≈0.5 liters sparkling mineral water

How to cook pork shish kebab

Cut the pork into equal pieces of about 50–60 grams each and place them in a container.

Peel the onion, slice into rings, and add to the pork.

Add salt, pepper, and vinegar, mix well, rubbing the spices gently into the meat. Note: if you are not adding sparkling water, use less salt.

Pour in the sparkling water until the meat is covered (I used 0.5 liters). Let marinate for 2–3 hours, or longer.

I closed the container with the lid upside down and wrapped it tightly in plastic wrap so nothing would spill on the way.

Slice the zucchini into medium-sized rounds. Cut this way (as shown in the photo), the zucchini stays nicely crisp. If you prefer a softer result, cut the rounds about twice as thin. Generously salt the zucchini, rubbing the salt in, mix well, and place in a suitable container (I used a lidded food container).