6 COOK’S COUNTRY • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019
I DIDN’T KNOW I was hungry until
I smelled it—that unmistakable aroma
of smoke and flame-kissed beef. My
wife and I had been walking around
the Brighton Beach neighborhood of
Brooklyn, New York, when we followed
our noses to a street vendor tending
a wood-fired grill with a dozen or so
sword-like skewers of sizzling beef. It
wasn’t until we took our place in line
that I asked the person next to us what
exactly we were waiting for. In a thick
accent, the man said, “Shashlik.” We’d
take it.
As I finished off the last bite of the
juicy, deeply seasoned, and well-charred
beef topped with yogurt sauce, I was
determined to figure out what was in
the marinade—it had a unique vibrancy
rounded out with warm spices that
beautifully cut through the richness of
the meat.
With some research, I found out
that shashlik is a popular street food in
Russia, Kazakhstan, the Caucasus, and
anywhere in the United States with
immigrant communities from these
areas. Shashlik marinades vary, but
there are three common elements: an
acidic liquid such as vinegar, wine, or
fruit juice; olive oil or vegetable oil; and
a lot of onion.
After cooking through a pile of reci-
pes, none of which produced shashlik
as good as what had enchanted me in
Brighton Beach, I got to work on my
own marinade, which I would use to
season 2 pounds of sirloin steak tips,
one of our favorite cuts for kebabs
because of its juiciness, big beefy flavor,
and loose grain that enables it to soak
up ample marinade.
Over the course of several days, I
tested each element of the marinade.
I opted for vegetable oil since its neu-
tral flavor didn’t obscure the impact
of the marinade’s other components.
For the acidic component, I tested red
wine vinegar, red wine, and pome-
granate juice; we liked the assertive
tang of the vinegar. And for the onion,
I tried both slicing it and pureeing it
in a blender; the pureed version won
for its deeper onion flavor and smooth
texture that clung to the meat. For
each test, I grilled the skewered meat
over a screaming-hot charcoal fire.
At this point the beef was juicy and
flavorful, but my shashlik was far from
perfect. With so much wet marinade
on the beef, it was hard to get sufficient
char, and the tanginess was monoto-
nous and lacked balance.
I achieved the deeper browning I
was after by adding a tablespoon of
sugar, which caramelizes quickly over
high heat. As for the spices, I remem-
bered the kebabs in Brooklyn having
cinnamon, just a hint of heat, and
the earthy warmth of cumin. A lot of
recipes call for citrusy coriander and
savory bay leaf, so I added those to the
blender as well. The complex smell of
the marinade hit me as the blades spun,
and my mouth began to water. I was on
the right track.
The yogurt sauce I’d had that
day contained caramelized onions.
I wondered if it had been an inge-
nious use of the onions left over from
the marinade, so I tested the theory
while my beef marinated. I sautéed
finely chopped onion in a little bit of
reserved marinade and then stirred it
into a mix of tangy yogurt and fresh ci-
lantro. The familiar taste of the sauce
was more proof that I was headed in
the right direction.
But when the kebabs hit the grill,
I knew for sure: My shashlik had that
same unmistakable aroma, and true to
the original, it tasted even better than
it smelled. That street corner moment
was mine to relive, again and again, in
my own backyard.SHASHLIK-STYLE BEEF KEBABS
Serves 4 to 6
Sirloin steak tips are often sold as flap
meat; we prefer to buy one large piece
and cut it into pieces ourselves. We
cook this beef past medium-rare in
order to get more charring and to keep
it from being too chewy. If you prefer
it less cooked, remove it from the grill
sooner (125 degrees for medium-rare).MARINADE
½ cup coarsely chopped onion
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon ground coriander¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf, crumbledBEEF AND SAUCE
2 pounds sirloin steak tips, trimmed
and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, chopped fine
1⁄3 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1⁄3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons lemon juice
6 (10-inch) wooden skewers, soaked in
water for at least 30 minutes- FOR THE MARINADE: Process
all ingredients in blender until smooth,
about 30 seconds. Measure out 2 table-
spoons marinade and set aside. - FOR THE BEEF AND SAUCE:
Combine beef and remaining marinade
in 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Press out
air, seal bag, and turn to coat beef in
marinade. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. - While beef marinates, combine
onion, water, oil, and reserved mari-
nade in 10-inch skillet. Cover and cook
over medium-high heat until liquid
has evaporated and onion is begin-
ning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Uncover, reduce heat to
medium, and continue to cook until
onion is well browned, 8 to 10 minutes
longer. Transfer onion to bowl and stir
in yogurt, cilantro, and lemon juice.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.- Thread beef tightly onto skewers,
leaving ends of skewers slightly exposed.
5A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL:
Open bottom vent completely. Light
large chimney starter mounded with
charcoal briquettes (7 quarts). When
top coals are partially covered with ash,
pour evenly over half of grill. Set cook-
ing grate in place, cover, and open lid
vent completely. Heat grill until hot,
about 5 minutes.
5B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all
burners to high, cover, and heat grill
until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all
burners on high. - Clean and oil cooking grate. Ar-
range kebabs on grill (over hotter side
if using charcoal) and cook (covered
if using gas), turning every 2 to
3 minutes, until beef is well browned,
charred around edges, and register-
ing between 135 and 145 degrees, 8 to
12 minutes. Transfer kebabs to platter,
tent with aluminum foil, and let rest
for 5 minutes. Serve with sauce.
A little sugar in the marinade adds a hint of sweetness and encourages charring.Shashlik
A visit to Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, New York,
inspired our take on this flavorful cousin of kebabs.
by Matthew Fairman
Illustration:^ Ross^ MacDonald