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Mtsvadi

Make Georgian mtsvadi with juicy pork neck, settled charcoal embers, raw onion, and clear thermometer checks for safe grilling

Georgian home recipeGeorgian dish
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Wide view of Mtsvadi on a rustic table, with the serving setting visible around it.
Yield4 pork skewers, 4 servings
Serving basis1 skewer, about 225 g cooked pork; estimate includes 37.5 g onion and 3.75 g parsley
DifficultyIntermediate
Dietary classificationContains pork
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The dish

About Mtsvadi

Mtsvadi is Georgia's skewer-grilled meat, cooked over embers and served hot. Pork is the most popular choice nationally, though Georgian cooks also make versions with other meats and ingredients. This home recipe uses boneless pork neck, cut into even pieces and seasoned simply with salt.

Mtsvadi is a Georgian name for meat cooked on skewers over fire. Pork is the best-known choice, while beef, veal, lamb, poultry, fish, and other variations also appear around the country. The dish has especially strong associations with Kakheti, where grapevine cuttings and a spare salt-only seasoning are part of a recognized style.

This recipe follows that restrained approach for an outdoor home grill: one cut of pork neck, fine salt, and settled charcoal embers. Other Georgian households marinate the meat or finish it with wine, pomegranate, herbs, or sauces; those are distinct variations, not required ingredients here. Keep some natural marbling so the cubes stay juicy, and cut them evenly so they cook at a similar rate.

Start the charcoal about 35 minutes before cooking and wait until the coals are ash-covered with no active flames. Thread the salted pork with a little space between pieces, turn the skewers often, and use a food thermometer. The centre of the largest cubes on every skewer must reach at least 63 °C; rest the pork for at least 3 minutes. Serve with raw onion, parsley, and shoti bread if available.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Mtsvadi: Georgian Pork Skewers Cooked Over Embers

Pork skewers

  • 1.2 kgboneless pork neck (collar), cut into even 4 cm cubes; keep ordinary marbling, but trim tough membrane and unusually thick outer fat
  • 8 gfine salt

To serve

  • 150 gred onion, thinly sliced into rings
  • 15 gfresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
Method

Method

  1. Light the charcoal. Start an outdoor charcoal grill with a chimney starter about 35 minutes before cooking. Wait until the coals are covered with pale ash and no flames remain. Never use a charcoal grill indoors, in a garage, tent, or other enclosed space.

  2. Prepare the onion and herbs. While the coals settle, slice the onion into thin rings and pick the parsley leaves. Set them on a clean serving platter, away from raw meat.

  3. Cut the pork. Pat the pork dry; do not rinse it. Cut it into even cubes about 4 cm across, trimming tough membrane but leaving ordinary marbling. Keep the meat at 4 °C or below until ready to thread.

  4. Salt and thread. Just before grilling, distribute the 8 g salt over the pork. Divide the cubes evenly among 4 flat skewers, leaving a little space between each piece.

  5. Grill over embers. Set the skewers above steady, medium-hot embers without flames. Grill for about 20–25 minutes, turning every few minutes for even browning. Move a skewer to a cooler area if dripping fat causes a flare-up.

  6. Check the temperature. Begin checking after about 18 minutes. Insert the thermometer from the side into the centre of the largest cubes on each skewer. Every check must reach at least 63 °C before the pork comes off the heat. Continue grilling and check again wherever needed; colour alone does not confirm safe doneness.

  7. Rest the pork. Transfer the skewers to a clean warm platter and rest for at least 3 minutes.

  8. Serve. Slide the pork onto the platter or serve it on the skewers with the onion rings and parsley. Offer shoti bread or tkemali separately if available.

Serving, storage, and substitutions

Serving, storage, and substitutions

Serve hot with the sliced onion and parsley. Georgian shoti bread and tkemali are optional sides; neither is included in the nutrition estimate. A dry Georgian qvevri wine can accompany the meal for adults who drink alcohol.

You can cut and cover the pork up to 1 day ahead. Keep it refrigerated at 4 °C or below and separate from ready-to-eat foods. Salt it just before threading. Prepare the onion and herbs shortly before serving.

Refrigerate cooked leftovers in a covered container within 2 hours and keep them at 4 °C or below. Use within 3–4 days. Reheat gently in a covered pan with a spoonful of water, or in a covered oven-safe dish, until the centre reaches 74 °C. Avoid repeated reheating. Freeze cooled cooked pork airtight for up to 2 months for best quality; thaw in the refrigerator and reheat to 74 °C.

Mtsvadi varies by region and household. Other versions use different meats, marinades, wine, pomegranate, or herbs. If charcoal is unavailable, a hot grill pan or conventional oven is a practical method change, though it will not give the same ember-smoke flavour.

Nutrition per serving

Nutrition per serving

  • Serving size: 1 of 4 skewers, about 225 g cooked pork; estimate includes 37.5 g onion and 3.75 g parsley
  • Calories: 725 kcal
  • Carbohydrate: 4 g
  • Protein: 52 g
  • Fat: 54 g
  • Fibre: 1 g
  • Sodium: 990 mg
Allergens and food safety

Allergens and food safety

The listed ingredients contain none of the major declared allergens. Keep raw pork at 4 °C or below, wash hands and utensils after handling it, and keep the raw-meat board and platter separate from the onion and herbs. Cook the centre of the pork to at least 63 °C and rest it for at least 3 minutes; check the largest cubes on every skewer with a food thermometer. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat to 74 °C. Use charcoal outdoors only.

Closing

Closing

  • This recipe makes four skewers of simply salted pork neck cooked over embers.
  • Turn often, verify at least 63 °C in the largest cubes, and rest for 3 minutes before serving.
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