Khorkhog ( mn, Xopxoг) is a

barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke t ...

dish in

Mongolian cuisine Mongolian cuisine predominantly consists of dairy products, meat, and animal fats. The most common rural dish is cooked mutton. In the city, steamed dumplings filled with meat—"buuz"— are popular. The extreme continental climate of Mongo ...

. Khorkhog is made by cooking pieces of meat inside a container which also contains hot stones and water, and is often also heated from the outside.

Preparation

To make khorkhog, Mongolians take

lamb Lamb or The Lamb may refer to: * A young sheep * Lamb and mutton, the meat of sheep Arts and media Film, television, and theatre * ''The Lamb'' (1915 film), a silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in his screen debut * ''The Lamb'' (1918 ...

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goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

meat can be substituted) and cut it into pieces of an appropriate size while leaving the bones attached. The cook then places ten to twenty fist-sized stones over a fire. When the stones are hot enough, the rocks and the meat are placed in the chosen cooking container. Metal

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...

jugs are a traditional and typical choice, although any container sturdy enough to hold the hot rocks will serve. The heat of the stones and the steam will cook the meat inside the jug. The cook can also put the jug on a fire or the stove if the stones are not hot enough. The stones will turn black from the heat and the fat they absorb from the lamb. The jug remains covered while the cook listens to and smells the meal to judge when it is ready. The stones can take up to an hour and a half to cook the meat sufficiently. When the dish is ready, the cook hands out portions of meat along with the hot stones which are tossed from hand to hand and are said to have beneficial properties. Diners usually eat khorkhog with their fingers, although knives may be used to slice the meat off the bone. The dish is said to be a relatively modern, 20th century invention, dating back to the time of the Soviet Union's military presence in Mongolia, when Mongolians began cooking with cast-off Red Army water jugs. It is a variation of

boodog Boodog is a Mongolian cuisine dish of barbecued goat or Tarbagan marmot cooked with heated stones inserted into the carcass. It is prepared on special occasions. The meat, often accompanied by vegetables, is cooked with heated stones in a sealed ...

, an older Mongolian dish made with hot stones in which the meat is cooked inside an animal skin. Khorkhog is a popular dish in Mongolian cuisine, but it is generally not served in restaurants.

References

External links

Khorkhog Recipe
Mongolian cuisine Buryat cuisine Tuvan cuisine Kalmyk cuisine Altai cuisine Barbecue Lamb dishes {{Mongolia-cuisine-stub

Preparation

See also

References

External links