Few people may know, but the state dish of South Dakota is chislic! What is chislic and what is all the hype about, you may be asking? Well, simply put, chislic is bite-sized pieces of meat fried and served hot with garlic salt. Ultimately, different areas of South Dakota have their own unique versions and they all claim to be the original and best, but when it comes down to to it, lamb is king and they can all go suck it! Most people agree chislic should be fried, but I've seen it grilled and flat top-seared so cooking preparations are varied from town to town and even bar to bar. Today I will introduce my take on chislic and keep it a little more on the healthy side by Air Frying it, so you can enjoy twice as much for half the guilt! Stick with me as we go through this super simple appetizer/snack.....let's get cooking!
Most people just cube up their meat and throw it in the fryer, but I think everything needs a touch of seasoning and marinades just make food much more enjoyable so we are going to add an extra step to help build some umami flavors. Begin by chopping your meat, hopefully from a boneless leg of lamb as I recommend, but a chuck roast or other hunk of beef works as well. Break it down into 1/2 - 3/4 inch bite-sized pieces and drop everything into a sealable container or ziplock bag. In a separate bowl, combine your Worcestershire sauce and dry seasonings and mix everything thoroughly. Pour the marinade over the lamb, mix everything around to ensure even coating, and toss it in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight.
After the lamb has finished marinating, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to come up to room temperature. We are doing a quick Air Fry at a high temperature so we don't want the middle to be cold and uncooked, but a perfect medium-rare! Preheat your Air Fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and give the basket or tray a quick spray of oil. This will help put a quick sear on the outside of the meat and help prevent anything from sticking. Since we cut the meat into fairly small bites, the actual cooking will take little to no time at all. Aim for 4-5 minutes maximum and toss or flip everything after the first 2 minutes. If you want to stay a bit more traditional and actually fry your chislic, heat your oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and let it rip for about 2 minutes, maybe 3 minutes max!
That's it, folks! Lamb Chislic is a simple, rustic appetizer or snack to munch on while you sip on your favorite beer and relax. You can serve it up on a tray with toothpicks for easy grabbing or skewer several pieces together for individual servings. Most people either sprinkle a dash of garlic salt over everything to finish it off or fill a small condiment bowl/ramekin with garlic salt for dry dipping. Try this simple recipe out and let me know what you think of South Dakota's unofficial state dish.....just keep cooking!
AIR FRYER LAMB CHISLIC
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