Abruzzo · Voltigno plateau
Arrosticini
Abruzzese mutton skewers
Small cubes of mutton on thin skewers, grilled over embers in a long trough called the ‘canala’ and eaten by the dozen.
- Course
- Secondo piattoMain course
- Serves
- 4
- Hands-on
- 41 min
- Cooking
- 33 min
- Resting
- 30 min+
La provenienza
Where this recipe comes from
Arrosticini are the food of Abruzzo's shepherds. Legend has it that in 1830 two shepherds of the Voltigno plateau cut up the meat of an old sheep, threaded it onto little sticks and grilled it over embers in a split gutter — hence the ‘canala’, the trough-shaped grill still used today. Another story links the small pieces to the transhumance, when shepherds driving their flocks to the coast used cuts of meat as small change for barter. Teramo and Pescara both claim them.
They are listed among Italy's traditional food products, and a request for EU protection as ‘Arrosticini d'Abruzzo’ PGI has been in preparation, but has not been granted.
- Provenance
- Documented traditionA regional tradition documented in cookbooks and local practice, with no single official text.
- Defined by
- Abruzzese pastoral tradition
- Reference
- Voltigno, Gran Sasso and the Pescara and Teramo hinterland
Ingredienti
Ingredients
Equipment
- ‘Canala’ — the long, narrow Abruzzese grill — or a barbecue where the skewers can rest on two edges over the coals
- Lump charcoal or hardwood
- 40 thin wooden skewers
- Very sharp knife and a board
- Probe thermometer
Preparazione
Method
About 1½ hours: 30–40 minutes to cut and thread the meat while the embers burn down, then 3–4 minutes on the grill per batch.
- 41 minhands-on
- 33 mincooking
- 30 minresting, at least
Preparation
-
Rest 30 min
Soak the wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes so they do not burn on the grill.
-
Cooking 30–40 min
Light the charcoal or wood in the canala and let it burn down until the embers are glowing and covered with white ash — 30–40 minutes. There should be no flames.
-
Hands-on 20 min
Cut the mutton into cubes of about 1 cm, keeping the fat: it bastes the meat as it cooks.
Tip Cold meat cuts more neatly: keep it in the fridge until the last moment.
-
Hands-on 20 min
Thread the cubes tightly onto the skewers, alternating lean and fat pieces, to about 25 g per skewer. Keep them in the fridge until the embers are ready.
Check Compact skewers with no gaps between the pieces.
Grilling
-
Cooking 3–4 minTemp 60 °C–65 °CHeat glowing embers, no flame
Lay the skewers across the canala with the meat over the embers and the ends resting on the edges. Grill for 3–4 minutes, turning them every 30–45 seconds.
Check Browned and crisp at the edges, still juicy inside — about 60 °C–65 °C at the centre.
-
Hands-on 1 min
Salt only now, with coarse salt, and serve straight away, standing in a tall jar or cup as they do in Abruzzo, with country bread brushed with olive oil.
Tip Salting before grilling draws out the juices; arrosticini are seasoned with salt alone, never marinated.
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Errori comuni
Common mistakes
- Marinating the meat: arrosticini are seasoned with salt alone.
- Cutting the meat large — the pieces are small so they cook in minutes.
Fuori dall'Italia
Cooking it outside Italy
- Mutton is the real thing; lamb shoulder is the easiest substitute outside Italy — keep the fat.
