Russian Shashlik (Шашлы́к)

Russian Shashlik (Шашлы́к)

Ingredients:

~10 Lbs Pork Shoulder

3 Cups Pomegranate Juice

3 Cups Sparkling Water

2 Onions, Sliced

1 Tbsp Salt

1 Tbsp Pepper

1 Bottle (30oz) Mayonnaise

Unwrap and wash the pork shoulder.  Begin cutting it into 1.5” strips, following the grain of the muscle whenever possible.  Remove the bone as you cut.  Continue to cut the meat into cubes that are roughly 1.5” on a side.

Mix the pomegranate juice, sparkling water, salt, pepper, and mayonnaise in a large bowl.

Add a single layer of pork to a large pot (at least a 2 gallon pot).  Add a layer of onions and some of the sauce.  Continue adding layers of meat and onions until all of the meat is in the pot.  Allow to marinade for at least 12 hours before cooking.

Traditionally, the shashlik are cooked on a small grill called a mangal (мангал) with large metal skewers that are wide and flat so as to prevent the meat from twisting.  Of course, if you don’t have any of these, more “American” shish kebob skewers and a charcoal or gas grill would work nearly as well.

 

Skewer similarly-sized pieces of pork on skewers, periodically wrapping some of the sliced onions between pieces of meat.

 

Grill slowly until fully-cooked.  You could check the internal temperature of some of the pieces (145 degrees), but the easiest way is to just check for firmness of the pieces and then cut one open.  You want the meat to be mostly grayish, but a little gray-pink is ok.

As you remove the shashlik from the grill, remove them from the skewers and place them in a bowl.  Enjoy them the Russian way by eating with your fingers!  No forks allowed.