Lamb Kebabs

by Martin Perkins

We made these lamb kebabs while camping last weekend. I borrowed a Weber Portable BBQ, for the trip and it was the perfect size to act as a mangal with our Hand Forged Broad Skewers.

We ate these with garlic mayo, sumac onions, chilli sauce, cabbage salad and lavash bread. One of many tasty morsels enjoyed in the semi-wilderness of Cambridgeshire's Eastern Boarder that sunny weekend.

Serves 2 - 3 depending on sides.

Ingredients:

400g Lamb Leg or Neck, cubed

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 Lemon Zest and Juice

3 Cloves Garlic, crushed

2 tsp Cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed

1/2 tsp Cayenne

1/4 tsp MSG

1 tsp Dried Oregano

1 tsp Sea Salt

1 tsp black pepper, crushed

To Serve:

Sumac Onions

Parsley Salad

Garlic Mayo

Chilli Sauce

Lavash bread 

Method:

Combine all the ingredients and leave to marinade in the fridge for as long as is practical - up to 2 days. If you’re strapped for time, leave it on the side to marinade for a few hours. The acid in the lemon does genuinely tenderise these and give you some wiggle room with cooking to medium or more so try to make it ahead. 

Skewer them up, taking care to go through the centre of any fat caps. This will help it to render and baste the meat.

Grill directly over very hot coals if you can. Rendered fat will drip onto the coals, lending that smokiness you get from a decent kebab house.

They're done when they're nicely charred and read at least 48 c internal but to be honest, you'll struggle to undercook these over direct heat and using flat, metal skewers that conduct heat through the centre. 

Towards the end of the cook, place your bread on the skewers to warm through and absorb some of the smokey fat. Be careful not to leave it for very long 10 seconds per side should be enough. 

Use the bread like a mitt the grab the meat and slide it off the skewer.

Dress your kebab and enjoy with a beer or a can of Ting.

Tips for Cooking Directly Over Coal:

  • Use the chimney from your Chimney Topper Kit. Fill it just under half way and suspend your skewers from its circumference. 
  • Build a small coal fire in the bottom of your barbecue with a brick at either side. Prop your skewers on the bricks.
  • Dig out your camping barbecue and use that without the grill. They’re usually about the right size for a decent sized broad skewer.
  • Go to your nearest Turkish supermarket and buy a Mangal for 15 quid.
  • Toss them on the barbecue. Just make sure you have nice clean grates and brush a little extra oil on the 'babs before you slap them down.
Back to Blog