Mtsvadi is Georgia's grilled meat, most often pork, cut into chunks, salted, threaded onto skewers, and cooked fast over hot coals until charred outside and juicy inside. You make it by dry-brining the pork, skewering it tightly, and grilling it directly over high heat with almost no seasoning beyond salt and smoke.
It's the centerpiece of a Georgian supra, a long feast-style meal built around toasts and shared plates, and it's traditionally cooked over grapevine cuttings, which give a subtle sweetness to the smoke. Home cooks use regular hardwood charcoal to the same effect, just less intense.
Mtsvadi is deliberately simple. The point isn't a complicated marinade, it's good meat, high heat, and a hot fire that isn't smothered by flare-ups.
What Actually Matters
Salt the pork at least 2 hours ahead, not right before grilling. A dry brine draws moisture out, then the meat reabsorbs it along with the salt, seasoning it all the way through and helping it stay juicy over direct high heat. A last-minute salt only seasons the surface.
Georgian Mtsvadi
Serves 4. Prep time: 20 minutes (plus 2 hour dry brine). Cook time: 15 minutes. Total time: 2 hours 35 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1.5-inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 large onion, sliced into rings
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses or red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Lavash or flatbread, for serving
- Fresh tkemali sauce or a squeeze of lemon, for serving
Method
- Season the pork cubes evenly with the salt. Refrigerate uncovered for 2 hours.
- Toss the salted pork with the onion, pepper, pomegranate molasses, and olive oil.
- Thread the pork tightly onto metal skewers, packing the pieces close together with no onion between them.
- Build a hot charcoal fire and let it burn down until the coals are covered in white ash.
- Grill the skewers directly over the coals, turning every 2 to 3 minutes, for 12 to 15 minutes total, until charred outside and just cooked through.
- Rest the skewers for 3 minutes, then push the meat off onto a platter with bread.
- Serve with the grilled onion, flatbread, and tkemali sauce or lemon.
| Nutrition (per serving, estimated) | |
|---|---|
| Calories | 480 |
| Protein | 38g |
| Fat | 32g |
| Carbohydrates | 5g |
These figures are calculated estimates based on standard ingredient data, not lab-verified values.
Tips, Variations, and Storage
Lamb and beef versions are also traditional; adjust cook time down for lamb since it cooks faster. Leftover mtsvadi is excellent chopped into a flatbread wrap the next day. If you don't have a charcoal grill, a very hot gas grill or a cast iron pan gets you most of the way there, just without the smoke.
FAQ
Why metal skewers instead of wood?
The pieces are large and packed tightly; metal skewers hold up under that weight and heat far better than wood, which can burn or snap.
Can I marinate it longer than 2 hours?
Yes, up to 24 hours in the fridge, though the pork stays quite plain-seasoned by design. Don't add acidic marinade ingredients for that long, the vinegar or pomegranate molasses can turn the texture mushy.
What's tkemali sauce?
A sour Georgian plum sauce, tart and slightly spiced. If you can't find it, a squeeze of lemon with a pinch of ground coriander gets close.
Can I make this indoors?
A very hot broiler or a ridged cast iron grill pan works, though you'll lose the smoke flavor that live fire gives the dish.
More From Wine Drop Cookery
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Who Is Writing This
I'm Chef Alan. I have spent 35 years in professional kitchens, I have formal culinary education in New Hampshire, and I have been honored as a 6-Time 4-Diamond Chef. More about me here.
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