BBQ – A South-East European Specialty

This meal, or, better said, a feast, has been served in my family since I was born. And I was born in the former Yugoslavia, where every village had its version of how BBQ should be done. So, when I say BBQ is a traditional meal in the South-East part of Europe, that is an understatement and almost insulting. It is a religion!

History and Customs

Soon after humankind discovered fire, we figured meat was much tastier if “grilled” over it. So yeah, we were burning meat long before letters and language. Based on that fact, we have BBQ present worldwide. As for the BBQ “form” we nowadays have here in southeast Europe, the roots can be found in ancient Greece and the Ottoman Empire later on. The base of everything is a wood charcoal grill and, of course, the meat (though vegetables can also be grilled).

There is an exception when talking about meat—fish. If you are taking a trip to the Dalmatia region of Croatia, you do not grill fish on a wood charcoal grill. To properly grill fish, only dry grapevine should be used. Also, the seasoning is different, and along with the grapevine grill, it gives the fish an exceptional aroma and flavor.

What You Need…

The most important ingredient is love! You need to love the meat and enjoy the preparation and ceremony of grilling it. And there is nothing better than a lovely sunny weekend day, good company, a beer, and the smell of the meat on the grill. Nothing can go wrong, right? Well… it can.

First of all, don’t be a lazy bastard and buy already prepared and seasoned meat in the supermarket. Usually, that kind of meat is not fresh and is covered with too much spice to disguise its lack of freshness. Go to a good butcher shop and buy your meat there. And buy it one day before you intend to grill it.

Second, don’t use “all-in-one” grill spice mixtures. If you want to stick to this recipe, you will need salt, pepper, fresh parsley, fresh garlic, and some vegetable oil. Trust me, you don’t need anything else.

You last need a nice chunk of bacon to grease your grating. Once you have everything, you can go and enjoy your grilling day.

…And How You Do It

To start, get your meat (and veggies if you like). Once you have it, season the meat and leave it overnight in the fridge. The next day, buy some quality wood charcoal (don’t buy that cheap stuff you can find at gas stations) and clean your grating. With everything in place and ready, you can start the fire and burn some meat!

Step 01 – The Butcher Shop

I’m serious. Go and find a good butcher. Ask people around, or Google your area and check the reviews. Once done, you can go and buy the meat. You can put various pieces of meat on your grill, and I recommend the following: pork shoulder (or pork neck) chops, pork chops, pork belly,  pork skewers, ćevapi (sausage-like minced meat), pljeskavice (like a burger but usually thinner), and good grill sausages. You can grill chicken also, but it’s the last meat I will put on a grill.

If you’re buying chops (any kind), ask your butcher to cut them a bit thicker. Chops should be juicy and soft when grilled; if the cut is too thin, you will burn them, and they will taste like cardboard.

Step 02 – Spices and Side Dishes

For side dishes, you can use anything you like. Usually, I serve potato fries (not frozen ones!) and some seasonal salad. Also, I don’t have to mention that onion (I prefer spring onion) is mandatory! If someone serves you BBQ and there is no onion aside, just leave 🙂

Grilled Bread

There is a unique kind of bagel we have here called lepinja. It is kind of a Pitta Bread, but a bit different. Usually, it is a mandatory side dish for ćevapi, but it goes well with any grilled meat. If you don’t have it, you can use plain bread. Here is what you do:

• You will need stock (any kind)
• If you don’t have stock, you can use oil and a bit of salt

Cut “lepinja” in half and soak it with the stock (do the same with slices of bread). Once you’re done grilling your meat, put the soaked lepinja on the grill and leave it for one minute. Yeah, it is that simple and will go perfectly with your grilled meat.

Step 03 – Season the Meat

To season the meat, you will need a bigger metallic or ceramic bowl. A disposable aluminum container will also work, but don’t use plastic ones (plastic kills flavor). Start by finely chopping all garlic cloves and parsley and preparing all other seasoning ingredients.

Add meat in “layers” to your bowl and season between each layer. First, add thick pieces of meat (pork neck chops, pork chops, and pork belly) and finish with sausages and minced meat (pljeskavice & ćevapi). Once all the meat is seasoned, cover the bowl with sticky plastic foil and put it in the fridge overnight.

Step 04 – Preparation

On the “grilling” day, I like to start early. So wake up, have your coffee, and start the preparation. First, clean your grill. Remove ash residue from the last time you did the grilling and wash your grate. It’s best to leave it soaked in hot water for a bit and then wash and dry it.

Once you’re done with that, you can prepare everything to start the fire. You will need old newspapers, dry wood branches, and charcoal. Put a few wrinkled newspaper leaves on the middle of your grill. On top of that, stack your dry wood branches (make it look like a small native-Indian wigwam).

To kill time until you plan to start the fire, prepare all your side dishes. Wash your veggies, peel potatoes, make salads, chop onions, etc.

One hour before starting the fire, remove the meat from the fridge and scrape off as much garlic and parsley as possible with a fork. Once done, put the meat in a new, clean bowl and leave everything at room temperature.

Step 05 – Grill the Meat

Usually, I start the fire 45 minutes to half an hour before my first guests arrive. This gives me enough time to get nice embers. Once the fire (embers) is right, I place my grate over it to catch some heat (5-10mins).

Before you put the meat over the fire, take a nice slice of fatty bacon, stick it to a fork, and coat your grate. During the coating, the bacon should start to sizzle. If not, the fire is not strong enough yet.

With the grate coated, you can start putting your first pieces of meat on it. Do it in the same order you seasoned it, putting thicker slices first.

Flip the meat every 3-4 minutes until you see nice crispiness on both sides. Depending on the thickness, flip it 2-3 times (each side). Please be careful not to burn it. Repeat until you grill all your meat.

Once the meat is done, you can grill your veggies. Mushrooms are fantastic because they will absorb all the flavor of the meat from the grate. It’s what mushrooms do 🙂 If you also have some bread to grill, leave it for last. Once everything is done, serve it on a big enough platter.

Now sit back in the shade, take a few slices of meat, grab your favorite side dish, open a cold one, and enjoy.

Bon appetit!

South-East Europe Traditional BBQ

Experience the flavors of South-East Europe with this authentic BBQ recipe! Juicy, marinated meats grilled to perfection and infused with regional spices offer a taste of Balkan tradition in every bite. Simple, smoky, and irresistibly flavorful—perfect for summer gatherings and sharing with friends.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 4 hours hrs

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Resting Time 1 day d

Total Time 1 day d 6 hours hrs

Course Main Course

Cuisine Balkans, Southeast Europe

Servings 5 people

Calories 420 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Large Metal Bowl 10 L
• 1 Grilling Grate

Ingredients

  

• 3 dl Vegetable Oil Sunflower
• 15 cloves Fresh Garlic
• 0.15 Kg Fresh Parsley
• 0.1 Kg Black Pepper Ground
• 0.1 Kg Salt Ground
• 6 pcs Pork Neck
• 8 pcs Pork Belly
• 4 pcs Pork Chops
• 1 Kg Ćevapi
• 4 pcs Pljeskavice

Instructions

 

Meat Seasoning

• Generously sprinkle the bottom and sides of your bowl with vegetable oil
  3 dl Vegetable Oil
• Add a small amount of finely chopped garlic and parsley to the bottom of the bowl
  15 cloves Fresh Garlic, 0.15 Kg Fresh Parsley
• Season the bottom and the sides of the bowl with salt and pepper
  0.1 Kg Black Pepper, 0.1 Kg Salt
• Now add the first layer of meat (until you cover the bottom).
  6 pcs Pork Neck, 8 pcs Pork Belly, 4 pcs Pork Chops, 1 Kg Ćevapi, 4 pcs Pljeskavice
• Generously sprinkle the first layer of meat with oil.
  3 dl Vegetable Oil
• Add all seasoning to the first layer of meat.
  15 cloves Fresh Garlic, 0.15 Kg Fresh Parsley, 0.1 Kg Black Pepper, 0.1 Kg Salt
• Repeat steps 4-6 until you use all the meat.
  
• Leave to rest for 24 hours in the fridge.

Preparation

• Prepare side dishes (veggies, potatoes, salads, onions, etc.)
• Take the meat from the fridge and scrape off the garlic and parsley one hour before grilling.
• Put the meat in the clean bowl and leave at room temperature.

Grilling

• Start the fire.
• Once you get nice embers, place the grilling grate over it (leave for 5-10 mins).
  
• Coat the grate with a nice thick slice of bacon.
• Put the meat on the grill (thick slices first).
  
• Flip the meat every 3-4 minutes until you see nice crispiness on both sides.

Keyword BBQ, Grill