It was very hard to get a photo of this dish, mainly due to the fact that it smelt and tasted so fantastically good that I was too busy devouring it to remember to photograph it! This is probably the national dish of Armenia – meat marinated and barbequed, served with delicious crispy potatoes, onion rings and bread. It’s incredibly simple and incredibly good. While I still can’t quite capture the flavour of the khorovatz we ate in Yerevan and Gyumri, this is as close as I’ve come and it really is excellent. The meat used is pork or lamb, preferably on the bone and with a little fat. The below marinade recipe is for 8 pork or lamb chops, which will serve 4 people at the most – don’t underestimate just how good this is. The most important part of the cooking process is the wood fire (mixed with some heat beads is ok); nothing else will truly impart the proper khorovatz flavour.
8 chops, pork or lamb
2 onions, minced finely in a food processor
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp hot paprika
* 1 tsp svaneti salt (optional – only available if you’ve just come back from Georgia! Or if you ask me nicely.)
20-30 basil leaves, roughly torn
Mix onion, seasonings and basil leaves together in a large bowl; add the chops and rub the mix all over them. Marinade for at least 24 hours, 48 if you can, and re-rub the meat at least once during this time.
Cook over a wood-fired barbeque until done – you want plenty of charring on the outside. Serve with potatoes that have been par-boiled, sliced and tossed in any remaining marinade with a little oil and then roasted til browned and yummy. Sprinkle with salt & pepper and ta da! Serve with salad, thinly sliced red onion and bread and you have a killer bbq meal.
The Pesky Peppercorn 
Hi. I came across your page while doing a search for Svaneti salt. I’ve had this before and have not been able to find a good recipe for making this delicious seasoning. We usually just mail order for it. Care to share?
Hi Jeff – I must confess I don’t make my own either! I’m lucky enough to have visited Georgia recently and brought a stockpile back to Australia. It really a great seasoning, and so uniquely Caucasian. I haven’t had any luck finding a recipe for it in English yet… Sorry I can’t help but thanks for dropping by!
Hi Jeff. When I worked in Armenia, I found that the Armenians serving Khorovotz cooked in street side stands used cilantro not basil in the marinade. the other ingredients are like you list them except they do not mince the onion.
My Armenians friends did it like this:
Cut thin rings of onion and place on bottom of marinade container along with Sprigs of Cilantro. Sprinkle with vinegar, black pepper, and a trace salt. Place ½ to ¾ inch thick cuts of fatty untrimmed pork chops on top of vegetable/herb mix. Lay down another layer of onion and sprigs of Cilantro. Sprinkle with Vinegar, black pepper, and a trace salt. Repeat as needed to marinade all meat. Cover and place in a refrigerator overnight.
Thread on to flat 1 cm wide Skewers (I bought mine in Armenia).
Grill the meat as close as possible over a very hot hardwood fire. placing the skewers a fire pit built on the ground one brick or two high works well.