Chislic is a meat dish originating from South Dakota. It consists of deep-fried cubes of mutton, lamb, beef, or venison that are sprinkled with garlic salt and served with toothpicks. The dish is typically accompanied by crackers on the side. The cubes of meat should be served rare to medium-rare.
Chislic is one of those semi-secret regional foods that if you know, you know, and if not, well, you probably are having a hard time even forming the sound of this dish’s name in your head.
Chislic is deeply South Dakotan, and in its purest form is fried mutton with garlic salt, served with Saltines on the side. But there are variations, and beef and venison chislic are common.
Chislic Ingredients
- 2 pounds venison loin, cubed
- 1 tablespoon garlic salt
- Oil for frying
- Hot sauce to taste
- Blue cheese sauce to taste (optional)
Instructions on how to prepare Chislic
- Be sure to remove any silverskin from the venison, and make the cubes about an inch across. Dust with the garlic salt.
- Fill enough oil in a heavy pot or a deep fryer to be able to submerge the venison — you’ll be cooking it in batches, so it doesn’t need to be huge. Bring it to 350°F. Set out some paper towels to let the finished chislic drain.
- Pat the meat dry with paper towels and carefully drop about 1/2 pound into the fryer. It will roil violently. Let the venison fry for about 2 minutes, then move it to the paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining venison, a 1/2 pound at a time.
- Serve with toothpicks, hot sauce, blue cheese sauce, beer, and fries or Saltines.
Why do they call it chislic?
The term chislic most likely derives from the Turkic word shashlyk or shashlik. The Russian dish features cubes of skewered meat grilled over an open fire. The origin of the word shashlik is rooted in shish kebab, the Turkish and Arabic words for skewered meats.