Georgian pork mtsvadi (shashlik) – what cut?

[Hassouni]

I just got back from Georgia, the home of criminally underrated yet superb food and wine. One of the most striking things was how fresh everything was, not least the meat. The highways are dotted with places simply grilling meat, cooking a couple other things, and selling beer. The meat is done like kabab or shashlik, and called mtsvadi, and made from beef, lamb, pork, etc. The pork ones were the tastiest - inch-or-so cubes of boneless meat, tender and slightly fatty, without much seasoning other than salt.

I want to recreate this at home, but have NO IDEA what cut of pork to use. It was definitely not loin of any kind, as it wasn't quite that tender, had some fat, but no connective tissue that I could discern, and had a much "porkier" taste than loin meat. What slightly fatty boneless, very porky tasting cuts would work for grilling? Anyone have any clues?

[weinoo]

Probably the shoulder, which can be cut up into its different muscles and then into cubes.

[Hassouni]

That's the same as butt, right?

[weinoo]

Yes.

[Nayan Gowda]

I'd suggest using the neck; it's a perfect for sashlik.

FWIW, butchery in the former Soviet Union is very different from 'The West', with carcases not really being divided into cuts based on musculature; so there is a good chance that the meat you had in your sashlik was from any part of the animal that produced a chunk the right shape and size.

[weinoo]

Usually, the neck sold here (in NYC or DC) is pretty darn bony. Love it for stew, however.

[Hassouni]

Made some mtsvadi with pork shoulder - removed the excess fat as best I could, which still left a lot in the chunks - marinated in salt, vinegar, and onions. It came out just about perfectly! It wasn't fork tender or anything, but the fat and whatever else in the shoulder kept the meat moist and delicious, and not too tough for a knife and fork. Thanks for suggesting shoulder!

[gfweb]

Costco has great pork shoulder usually. Mostly usable meat. Good price.