Georgians and Americans have a lot of things in common.
First, we both seem to have an intense, almost excessively intense, sense of patriotism and love of country. This becomes very evident when talking to most Georgians.
Second, we both enjoy drinking. Americans are more catered towards craft beers and fancy swirl and sniff vineyards, while Georgians are more of a “chug-amber-wine-out-of-a-rams’-horn” kind of people. But the spirit is what matters, not the details.
Third, we both aren’t particularly fond of Russia. I don’t think we have any problem with Russian people in general, but as one Georgian wisely described to me one day, “it’s the politics”. So I’ll leave it at that.
Lastly, and most unbeknownst to both Americans and Georgians writ large, we both love pork BBQ, skewered shashlik, or, as it is known in Georgia, mtsvadi.
Georgian barbeque is a ritual handled by Georgian men, much like the grill is generally handled by American men.
It involves only a few simple yet important ingredients, supplies, and steps that, when executed properly, can produce incredibly juicy and tender meat.
And I’m not alone in this opinion – nearly all the friends I’ve cooked this for back in America are struck by how tender and juicy the meat remains when prepped the Georgian way.
So, below is a photo outline of how to do the Georgian BBQ, or mtsvadi, the right way.
GEORGIAN PORK SHASHLIK (MTSVADI)
Supplies
-Charcoal Grill, whether stand-alone or jerry-rigged on the ground the Georgian way (although I’ve pulled off mtsvadi with a gas grill on high heat as well)
-Charcoal – ideally fast-lighting, fast-burning fuel that can produce a good sear (in Georgia they use dry grapevine prunings), though regular charcoal will work just as good
-Heavy Duty Skewers, i.e. “Valerian Steel” (see below)
-Repurposed water bottle for spraying pork with marinade, i.e. a large plastic bottle with small holes punched into the cap
Ingredients
-One Fatty Pork Shoulder (or more, depending how much meat you need)
-Salt
-Amber (white) wine mixed with salt and water to taste (for marinating – see below)
Step One
Identify a quality source of meat. Pictured here is the family hog a friend’s grandparents were saving for Christmas feasts.
Georgian Barbeque, or mtsvadi, is made from pork. Georgians will generally prefer the fatty, but not too fatty, parts of the hog, such as the shoulder and breast/chest.
Step Two
Purchase the cuts you want. Again, Georgians recommend the shoulder and/or breast/chest for the right amount of fat.
This guy, located at a market outside of Tbilisi, had a battle-ax as large as my head. He only needed about two chops to give us the cuts we wanted.
(I asked that he NOT include the sweat and chest hair he often includes with the meat, but he managed to get some in there anyways – let’s just consider it as some additional quality nutrients…)
Step Three
Have the right tools, or become a regular with a butcher who does. Dice the meat into 1-inch square chunks.
For our grape harvest supra, the village butcher had a serious set of tools in his outside/roadside hut. This man knew what he was doing.
Step Four
Skewer the meat while prepping the fire.
This is simple enough. Take each 1-inch square chunk and skewer the center of the meat piece by piece, leaving no gaps.
Not all skewers are created equal, though. Many Georgians lament the advent of cheap, foreign-built (cough/Chinese/cough) skewers made from cheap metal. Real mtsvadi skewers, or champuri, are made from thick, sturdy iron/steel (not really sure of the metallic content) – it should be very, very hard to bend.
(The Georgian obsession with good champuri is kind of like the obsession and legend of Valerian Steel in Game of Thrones. And for good reason – it truly makes a difference.)
For the fire, Georgians like to use dried grapevine prunings, normally stored in bundles. It lights and burns down fast, providing the bed of charcoals needed for a proper sear.
Hot, searing heat is the key though, as is the ability to lower and elevate the skewers as needed. Both can be accomplished on an American-style grill.
Step Five
Salt the meat heavily while prepping the charcoals.
Pork loves salt. Ensure all sides of the meat are fully salted (and the earlier you add the salt, the better.)
Meanwhile, if making natural charcoal from a chosen source of fuel, ensure a buddy is prepping/raking the charcoals to minimize the flames.
You want searing, radiating heat, not the burning heat from a flame.
Step Six
When the heat source (ideally charcoals) is hot enough – you shouldn’t be able to hold your hand near the heat for longer than a second or two – place the meat 2-3 inches above the source to produce a good, initial sear. Adjust height as necessary.
You want to sear an initial crust on the meat so that the juices are trapped inside.
Also note the use of bricks on the near side of the flame – this allows the Georgians to handle the skewers without burning their hands. It also serves as a rack for the skewers in general.
Step Seven
Continue marinating the meat with an amber/white wine and salt brine mixture.
My Georgian buddies like to mix homemade amber wine with a good dose of salt and water. After filling a large water bottle with the mixture, they poke holes in the top and squirt the meat with the marinade.
This both marinates the meat while also keeping the flames down.
Sometimes they’ll add a layer of wet newspaper on top – this allows for a slow drip of the marinade onto the meat, while also trapping some of the smoke/flavor. They continuously squirt the newspaper with the marinade during this process.
Step Eight
Prep the table.
Supra literally means “table cloth” in Kartuli, so your first task is to cover your table with a clean, white cloth (if you’re trying to keep with Georgian tradition, that is.)
Step Nine
Feast!
Two quick notes, though.
First, the Georgian way to “unsheathe” the skewer is to take a large piece of bread, grasp the chunks of meat, and pull them down off the skewer (then the bread, dripping in pork fat and grease, can be enjoyed separately).
Second, Georgians traditionally eat mtsvadi with fresh, uncooked sliced onions. Dipping sauces, such as the plum sauce tkmali, are also highly recommended.
And if this is your first supra, enjoy!