Kilmarnock Kebabs with Tzatziki

Cooking with Johnnie Walker Red like it's 1975.

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I recently came across the inspiration for this recipe in an ad for Johnnie Walker Red in a 1975 issue of Gourmet Magazine. It stuck out to me for a few reasons: I don’t typically see scotch in non-drink recipes, it references Kilmarnock, and the fact that I could receive a booklet of additional recipes if I mailed my information to an address on Park Avenue in New York City.

I don’t really enjoy whiskey (et al), but all of these things intrigued me enough to try it out. I couldn’t find an explanation why Johnnie Walker Red was the spirit of choice for this marinade — it’s the brand’s best selling blend and is one of its older offerings — so there was no need to promote a new or poorly-performing product. I searched the reference to Kilmarnock only to learn that it is the town in Scotland where the brand was founded.

I had lost interest in trying to uncover any pieces of history when I realized that someone must have a copy of the booklet. Sure enough, a seller on Etsy dot com had a copy and for the low price of $6 plus $6.13 in shipping, Gourmet Cooking with Johnnie Walker Red was mine.

Unfortunately, the booklet didn’t provide any additional context. It’s 20 pages of recipes featuring the sprit, and not much else. I accepted that the kebab recipe was just a pure advertising play. Kebabs are a universally loved food, so the recipe is reminding readers that they can make them with their favorite (or soon-to-be) Scotch Whiskey.

The original recipe featured lamb, but to be honest, I was already spending a lot at the butcher shop the day I shopped for this, so I went with pork to bring my bill down. I thought the pork played well here, but I am sure lamb would be good too.

Kilmarnock Kebabs with Tzatziki

Inspired by a Johnnie Walker ad from Gourmet Magazine, 1975

Serves 4

2 lb pork shoulder, pork steak, or similar cut. Cubed into 1 inch pieces

1/4 cup Johnnie Walker Red

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup neutral cooking oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 garlic glove, grated

1 large onion, cut into 1 inch chunks

2 bell peppers, cut into 1 inch chunks

Salt, heavy pinch for the marinade, heavy pinch for the vegetables

Wood skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes

Pita bread, to serve

Tzatziki, recipe below

Whisk together Johnnie Walker, soy sauce, cooking oil, lemon juice, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Combine with pork in a bag or bowl and marinade at least 1 hour or over night.

Place pieces of pork and vegetables on skewers, keeping a bit of space between, and keeping the meat separate from the vegetables. There should be about 4 skewers of pork and 4 of vegetables. Place on a large sheet tray with the pork in the middle and the vegetables on the edges. Season the vegetable skewers with salt.

Turn your oven’s broiler on high. Broil the kebabs for about 10 minutes for the pork, 8-10 for the vegetables. Rotate the tray and flip the skewers halfway through.

Optional: Place the remaining marinade and any leftover pan drippings in a skillet and bring to a boil. Add a hearty splash of Johnnie Walker Red, continuously stir, and cook down until the pan sauce has reduced by half.

Serve with tzatziki (below) and pita.

Tzatziki(ish)

Serves 4

1 cup Greek yogurt

About a 1/2 cup of herbs, thinly sliced: Parsley, oregano, mint, basil

1 persian cucumber, thinly sliced

Juice of 1 lemon

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 fat garlic gloves, grated

Hearty pinch of salt

Few cranks of fresh cracked black pepper.

Mix everything together. Serve with kebabs.