What is shishliki if not the easiest way to pack huge flavour with next to no effort or ingredients? This simplicity lends itself well to backpackers and rail-riding hobos alike.
‘Shishliki’ is a dish of Russian origin that means ‘marinated meat’, roughly translated. It is popular in my home area around east-central Saskatchewan, and particularly in Kamsack. It is traditionally made with lamb, but is equally delicious with chicken, pork, or beef. I prefer bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs because they’re the tastiest, cheapest cut and that is really the spirit of all this.
At its most basic, all you need is:
Chicken thighs, boneless lamb shoulder or leg, or pork shoulder cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
Large onions (most of the flavor comes from onions I find)
Salt (seasoning salt is mighty fine)
Cracked pepper
Canola oil
How to prepare:
Buy the meat as fresh as possible and do not freeze.
Chop up a generous amount of onion into ½ inch pieces. Toss the meat and onions into a bowl, then throw in enough oil to lightly coat everything. Get it nice and sloppy (Maybe a couple tbsp, max to prevent grease fires.)
Put some salt in there. You think that's enough? Throw in a little more (I’ve been told this is too much salt.) Same goes for the pepper.
Toss the bowl around until that marinade evenly coats all of the meat. Transfer the batch into a vacuum seal bag then seal it... Just kidding! Hobos don't have vacuum sealers – use a sandwich bag. You might want to double bag it so oil doesn't bust out all over your stick and bindle.
Place in the refrigerator overnight so the flavours have some time to mingle, then into the freezer it goes.
That is pretty much it. Take it out of the freezer on the morning of your trip and it should be de-frosted by supper time. You will want to cook it as soon as possible. But during the colder seasons in Saskatchewan, you should be fine for a few days. I’ve heard Shishliki be called ‘meat one day from retirement’ — food safety is only a suggestion! You put salt on it, didn’t you?
You can get creative and add more ingredients to the marinade. Try any of these:
Smoked paprika
Garlic salt & onion powder
Lemon juice
Fresh parsley
Cayenne pepper
Slow roast it next to your fire, but don't be afraid to get it a little charred. Smoke, ash, whatever. It’s all seasoning. Side note: this dish is honey mustard’s soul mate.