Name: Kakhetian-Style Lamb Mtsvadi
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 53 min
Cuisine: Georgian
Ingredients: 1; 200 g boneless, well-marbled lamb shoulder, trimmed only of very thick hard surface fat and cut into 4 cm cubes; 9 g fine salt; 120 ml dry Kakhetian white wine or another dry white wine; 200 g yellow onion, thinly sliced

Lamb mtsvadi cooking over glowing grapevine embers on an outdoor grill.

Yield6 skewers

Serving1 skewer; about 200 g raw lamb

DifficultyModerate; manage the embers and check the centre temperature

DietGluten-free; contains lamb; no dairy or egg

Jump to recipe ↓

The dish

About Kakhetian-Style Lamb Mtsvadi

Georgian Lamb Skewers over Vine Embers

Make Kakhetian mtsvadi with well-marbled lamb shoulder, salt, a light brushing of dry wine and raw onion, grilled over steady embers.

Mtsvadi can be made with lamb, veal or chicken, though Kakhetian mtsvadi is especially associated with pork. This recipe uses lamb and follows the simple ember-grilling method as a clearly labelled home variation.

This home version keeps the seasoning spare so the lamb and ember smoke lead. It uses six skewers, with about 200 g of raw lamb for each serving. Lamb shoulder stays juicy over direct heat when it has fine marbling; trim only very thick, hard outer fat and leave the fine streaks in the meat.

Other Georgian households prepare mtsvadi with pomegranate juice, spices, onion marinades or different meats. Those are valid variations, but this recipe follows the salt-forward Kakhetian style: raw onion goes on the serving platter and a little dry wine is brushed over the meat near the end of grilling.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Georgian Lamb Skewers over Vine Embers

Lamb

1
200 gboneless, well-marbled lamb shoulder, trimmed only of very thick hard surface fat and cut into 4 cm cubes
9 gfine salt

For basting

120 mldry Kakhetian white wine or another dry white wine

To serve

200 gyellow onion, thinly sliced

Method

Cut and season the lamb. Pat the lamb dry and cut it into even 4 cm cubes. Divide the meat among six flat skewers, leaving a little room at the ends. Sprinkle all sides with 9 g salt. If the embers are not ready, keep the skewers refrigerated in a covered tray.
Prepare the wine and onion. Pour the wine into a small heatproof cup. Slice the onion into thin rings and arrange them on the serving platter, away from utensils or surfaces that touched raw lamb.
Set up the grill. Prepare an even bed of glowing embers lightly coated with ash and no active flames. Set the skewers over the heat and turn them often so each side browns evenly.
Grill and baste. Cook for 20–25 minutes, brushing sparingly with wine during the latter part of grilling. Keep the brush and wine cup away from raw-meat contact and discard unused basting wine. If dripping fat causes a flare-up, move the skewers briefly to a cooler part of the grill until the flames settle.
Check the centre temperature. Insert a clean instant-read thermometer from the side into the center of the largest cube. Whole cuts of lamb must reach 62.8 °C (145 °F), followed by a 3-minute rest. A browned surface is a quality cue, not a replacement for the temperature check.
Serve. Slide the cooked lamb onto the onion-lined platter and serve hot, dividing it into six portions. Take care when handling the hot metal skewers.

Practical guidance

Success points

Cut the lamb into even 4 cm cubes so they brown at a similar rate and are easy to check with a thermometer.
Grill over glowing embers without active flames. Brush on only a little wine near the end so the meat browns instead of steaming.

Practical guidance

Similar-sized cubes cook more evenly. Lamb shoulder has enough fine marbling to stay juicy; very lean cuts and small cubes may dry before they brown. The recipe assumes the embers are ready when cooking begins and that the grill fits all six skewers. If your grill is smaller, cook in batches and allow extra time.

Avoid tall flames. If fat catches, move the skewers to a cooler zone until the flare settles; do not lean over the grill. Vine clippings give the characteristic regional smoke. If they are unavailable, use clean, untreated hardwood charcoal and avoid chemically treated or resinous wood.

Refrigerate raw lamb at or below 4 °C and use within 3–5 days, or freeze it. Refrigerate cooked leftovers in a shallow covered container within 2 hours and use within 3–4 days. Reheat leftovers to 74 °C (165 °F). Do not reuse wine or a brush that has touched raw meat.

Nutrition per serving

Estimated nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 skewer; about 200 g raw lamb
Energy: ~550 kcal
Carbohydrate: 4 g
Protein: 34 g
Fat: 42 g
Fibre: 1 g
Sodium: ~700 mg

Approximate estimate for one sixth of the full recipe. The estimated full batch provides about 3,286 kcal, 21.8 g carbohydrate, 202 g protein, 250.5 g fat, 3.4 g fibre and 4,298 mg sodium. Added salt is included. Actual fat and sodium vary with the cut and the salt retained.

Allergens and food safety

The listed ingredients contain no major declarable allergen; some wines contain sulfites. Keep raw lamb and its utensils separate from the ready-to-eat onion and serving platter. Wash hands and surfaces after handling raw meat. Check the largest cube with a clean thermometer: the centre must reach at least 62.8 °C (145 °F), followed by a 3-minute rest. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and keep them at or below 4 °C.

Serving cues

The cubes are browned at the edges and juicy inside; confirm doneness with the thermometer before serving.
Serve at once with the raw onion, which adds a crisp, mild contrast to the smoky lamb.

About Kakhetian-Style Lamb Mtsvadi

Ingredients

Lamb

For basting

To serve

Method

Success points

Practical guidance

Estimated nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

Serving cues

More Georgian dishes

Mtsvadi on Tsalami

Megrelian Satsivi (Roasted Turkey in Thick Walnut Sauce)

Kakhetian Chakapuli