Pljeskavica with Beef, Lamb and Pork

Making the mince

1. In many authentic recipes pljeskavica is presented as a patty for a burger. The mince and the spices vary a lot from region to region and from cook to cook, and so do the proportions of the different meats. There are author’s versions, gourmet versions and even stuffed ones, and with fillings the patties turn out very tasty and juicy. A very similar Serbian dish, uščipci, is also made from ground meat on the grill. You can leave out the lamb, but fatty pork or beef fat is a must, otherwise the patties will be crumbly and fall apart during cooking.

2. Wash all the meat and carefully trim off bones, cartilage and sinews. It is better to leave any leftover fat.

   By the way, you can often buy fatty pork trimmings, which are perfect for the mince, and then you don’t need extra fatback.

   

3. Grind each kind of meat separately in a meat grinder, which is how I make mince for pljeskavica. Fatback or smoked pork fat, if you use it, is ground together with the pork.

4. Then grind the mince once more in a blender to make the pieces smaller and the mince more pliable.

   

5. Peel the onion, garlic and hot red pepper.

6. Chop the onion finely with a knife. Don’t put it through the grinder, as it would release too much juice.

7. Crush the garlic cloves and chop them finely with a knife. Chop the hot pepper very finely too.

   By the way, many recipes use green hot pepper.

8. Add the chopped vegetables to the mince. Season the mince generously with ground black pepper and add 1 tsp of sweet paprika (2 g). If you have smoked paprika, even better.

   

9. Then add salt: I added 15 g of salt to the mince and mixed it thoroughly.

   Classic recipes recommend about 2% of the weight of the meat. Here we use about 1 kg of meat in total, so that would be 20 g of salt. Still, personal taste should never be ruled out.

10. Pour 50 ml of mineral water into the mince and knead very well. The mince absorbs the water beautifully and becomes soft and juicy.

    This is important: without the water the pljeskavica will be very dry. You can use plain drinking water, or mineral water that is not very high in salts.

    

11. The mince isn’t ready yet, it needs time to mature in the cold. Put the mince in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge, for at least 3 hours, as they say.

    But for the best result, prepare the mince in the evening and leave it in the fridge overnight. Let it rest for 10-12 hours, or even a full day, and you will be pleased with the result. By the way, if you are going on a picnic, make the mince the evening before and just take it with you. No complicated handling is needed afterwards.

Shaping and grilling

1. As I said, cooking over live coals and in a grill pan can both give a good result. By the way, the coals are said to be best when made from beech wood.

2. So, the mince has matured. Take the bowl out of the fridge and knead the mince again.

3. Divide the mince into six portions to get patties of about 185-190 g each.

   A traditional pljeskavica should weigh 180-200 g. Yes, nobody said these were small home-style patties. The total amount of prepared meat in this recipe is about 1.1-1.15 kg.

4. Roll the portions into balls and place them on a plate.

   

5. Brush the grill grate or grill pan with vegetable oil, then heat it well.

6. Flatten each portion of mince with your palms into a round patty 15-20 mm thick. The edges may tear, so pinch the tears closed to keep the edge even and smooth.

   

7. Place the patties on the hot grill and press them down with a spatula.

   The patties are quite large, but they will probably all fit on a grill grate. On a pan you can likely fit only one, so see what works.

8. Cook for 6-7 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for the same time on the other. Ground meat tends to shrink while cooking. That’s normal, you can simply press the patty down a little with the spatula.

9. To make sure the meat is cooked through, flip it a few times on the grill and cook until done: the juices should run clear. The total cooking time usually doesn’t exceed 15 mins, otherwise the meat loses its juiciness.

   

Serving

1. Meanwhile, prepare plates or a board for serving. Serving usually includes a thin flatbread such as pita or lavash. You can warm the bread on the grill for a moment to make it softer. Add a little mixed greens and, if you like, a slice of brynza cheese, sliced hot pepper and red onion rings. Put tomato sauce in a sauce boat, or better still, ajvar, a Serbian red pepper relish.

2. Put the pljeskavica on a plate or board, and I recommend sprinkling a small pinch of coarsely ground dried hot pepper over it. Serve while the meat is still hot and you can still hear it sizzle. Wine goes well with the meat, so don’t deny yourself.

   Meat cooked on the grill and in a pan looks different. After the grill, the surface is browner and darker, with spots of light charring here and there, which doesn’t spoil the taste or look. After the pan, the ridges of the pan bottom are clearly visible, like on Bulgarian kebapche.

   If you cooked the meat for a burger, put it on a half bun lightly toasted on the grill and spread with sauce, add a slice of processed cheese, lettuce and tomatoes, pickles, and cover with the second half of the bun. Or make your own version.