Pork shashlik in traditional marinade is the perfect summer BBQ food every year. This shashlik recipe uses simple ingredients and is very quick and easy to make.

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This dish is more popular in Eastern Europe, where we are familiar with it and often enjoy it. Although you can buy shashlik in traditional marinade at grocery stores, making the marinade yourself is the best way to get great grilling results and the best flavor. Just plan a day or two.

How to Cook Shashlik?

The traditional way to cook shashlik is over wood charcoals on a grill, threading cubes of pork onto metal or wooden pork skewers.

However, not everyone has a grill at home, but that shouldn’t stop you from making this recipe. You can easily cook shashlik on a baking sheet in a regular oven. You’ll miss out on the slightly smoky flavor, but the food will still be good.

Metal or Wooden Meat Skewers?

Both work quite similarly. If you grill often at home, I recommend getting metal skewers, they are more durable and there’s no risk of them catching fire at high heat.

FAQ

Can you eat the leftover marinated onions?

We usually don’t eat the onions, but many people do. Just remember that onions cook much faster than meat pieces while grilling.

Tips and Ideas

• You can marinate pork for longer than 24 hours. Even after several days, the meat will be great. Just keep an eye on it to ensure the pieces of meat don’t spoil.

• Add black pepper to the marinade. It adds an important flavor nuance. Optionally, you can enhance the marinade further by adding bay leaves and spices.

Ingredients 

Check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for ingredient quantities and nutritional information!

Salt

Onion

Vinegar

Pork

Black Pepper (recommended)

Making the Classic Onion Marinade

• Cube the pork and place it in a large mixing bowl. The pork cubes should be about two to three fingers thick and as uniform as possible for even cooking.

• Add onion slices to the bowl. No need to chop them finely, slicing them into rings is enough.

• Add vinegar to the marinade. Vinegar isn’t mandatory, but it gives the meat a nice tangy flavor and makes it tender. The sugars in vinegar will also caramelize during cooking, making the meat look more appealing.

• Add salt and mix all marinade ingredients thoroughly.

• Cover the container with plastic wrap or beeswax wrap, or place a plate on top to prevent the meat from drying out.

• Let it marinate in a cool place or refrigerator for about 24 hours.

Cooking the Meat

Cooking in the Oven

• Take a large baking sheet and grease it with olive oil to prevent sticking. Spread all the shashlik meat onto the sheet, adding marinated onion if you like.

• Place in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) and bake for about 30 minutes or until the meat is crispy and brown on the outside.

• Place the cooked meat in a large bowl and serve it warm if possible.

Open fire

• Start your grill. If you’re using charcoal, wait until the flames have died down and only glowing coals remain before adding meat.

• Thread pork cubes onto skewers, spacing them evenly but not too tightly to ensure even cooking.

• Place skewers on the grill, cover, and cook over hot coals for about 15-20 minutes. Occasionally check to avoid burning, turning the skewers for even cooking.

• Place the cooked meat in a large bowl and serve it warm if possible.

I hope this recipe gives you what you came here for. Remember, shashlik can be prepared in various ways, and tastes can vary significantly. Practice makes perfect. Make your first batch and then decide if you’d like to tweak it to your taste.

Serve the meat with homemade mayonnaise and ketchup – our family’s favorite! Potatoes and a fresh salad also go wonderfully with this dish.

Continue to Content

Traditional Pork Shashlik Marinated with Onion

Yield: 2kg

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 1 day

Total Time: 1 day 30 minutes

Pork shashlik in traditional marinade is the perfect summer BBQ food every year. This shashlik recipe uses simple ingredients and is very quick and easy to make.

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Ingredients

• 2kg (4.4lbs) of pork
• 4 tbsp of salt
• 4 onions
• 2 tsp of black pepper (recommended)
• 100g of apple cider vinegar (or other vinegar)

Instructions

Making the Classic Onion Marinade

1. Cube the pork and place it in a large mixing bowl. The pork cubes should be about two to three fingers thick and as uniform as possible for even cooking.
2. Add onion slices to the bowl. No need to chop them finely, slicing them into rings is enough.
3. Add vinegar to the marinade. Vinegar isn't mandatory, but it gives the meat a nice tangy flavor and makes it tender. The sugars in vinegar will also caramelize during cooking, making the meat look more appealing.
4. Add salt and mix all marinade ingredients thoroughly.
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or beeswax wrap, or place a plate on top to prevent the meat from drying out.
6. Let it marinate in a cool place or refrigerator for about 24 hours.
   

Cooking the Meat

Cooking in the Oven

1. Take a large baking sheet and grease it with olive oil to prevent sticking.
2. Spread all the shashlik meat onto the sheet, adding marinated onion if you like.
3. Place in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) and bake for about 30 minutes or until the meat is crispy and brown on the outside.
4. Place the cooked meat in a large bowl and serve it warm if possible.
   

Open fire

1. Start your grill. If you're using charcoal, wait until the flames have died down and only glowing coals remain before adding meat.
2. Thread pork cubes onto skewers, spacing them evenly but not too tightly to ensure even cooking.
3. Place skewers on the grill, cover, and cook over hot coals for about 15-20 minutes. Occasionally check to avoid burning, turning the skewers for even cooking.
4. Place the cooked meat in a large bowl and serve it warm if possible.