Boodog () is a
Mongolian cuisine
Mongolian cuisine predominantly consists of dairy products, meat, and animal fats. The most common rural dish is cooked mutton. In the city, steamed dumplings filled with meat—" buuz"— are popular.
The extreme continental climate of Mon ...
dish of barbecued goat, mutton or
Tarbagan marmot
The tarbagan marmot (''Marmota sibirica'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in China (Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang), northern and western Mongolia, and Russia (southwest Siberia, Tuva, Transbaikalia). In the Mongol ...
cooked with heated stones inserted into the carcass. It is prepared on special occasions. The meat, often accompanied by vegetables, is cooked with heated stones in the de-boned body of the animals, or in the case of
khorkhog, a sealed milk can. Marmot hunting usually takes place in the fall when the animals are larger and have been preparing for
hibernation
Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic reduction entered by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It is mos ...
.
''Boodog'' is considered a more egalitarian dish, with meat separated from the bones. Prepared in a perishable container, it is socially less prestigious and generally reserved for household members or fellow camp dwellers.
Preparation
The practice is performed outdoors and requires two or more people. The animal is stunned and then killed by severing the aorta at the neck. Blood is drained into a container, as it must not touch the ground. The skin is kept intact except for a slit at the neck. The bones and
viscera
In a multicellular organism, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to a ...
are removed through this opening, except for the bones in the feet. Heated stones, along with onion, salt, and some meat, are inserted into the body cavity. The neck is repeatedly squeezed and the body pressed to ensure the contents make contact with the hot stones. The neck is then closed with a wire, and the carcass is singed to remove hair, traditionally over embers, now more commonly with a
gas burner
A gas burner is a device that produces a non-controlled flame by mixing a fuel gas such as acetylene, natural gas, or propane with an oxidizer such as the ambient air or supplied oxygen, and allowing for wikt:ignition, ignition and combustion. ...
.
The meat is cooked entirely through contact with the heated stones. Once done, the body is washed and the skin slit open to access the cooked meat. Unlike the customary method butchered and boiled, goats prepared as ''boodog'' are cooked whole, skin-on, and bone-separated.
In popular culture
The dish features in
Matthew Salleh's documentary film ''Barbecue''.
See also
*
Regional variations of barbecue
Barbecue varies by the type of meat, sauce, Spice rub, rub, or other flavorings used, the point in barbecuing at which they are added, the role smoke plays, the equipment and fuel used, cooking temperature, and cooking time.
The meat may be wh ...
References
Mongolian cuisine
Barbecue
{{Mongolia-cuisine-stub