Koobideh Kabob Persian Ground Beef -1 skewer

Minutes to Prepare: 30
Minutes to Cook: 12

Number of Servings: 8

Ingredients

2lbs or 32 oz Ground beef, extra lean (15% fat) pan broiled (or you can use 1lb ground beef and 1lb ground lamb)1 large Onions, raw 0.5 tsp Spices, Turmeric 1 tsp Salt 0.5 tsp Pepper, black

Directions

Make the Kabob Mixture Peel the onion and grate it using a box grater and squeeze out the juices. Save the juices for later. Combine the ground meat, grated onion, salt, pepper and turmeric in a mixing bowl. Knead the mixture for about 5 minutes into a cohesive pasty dough-like mass that can be molded and will not drop off easily. The kabob mixture should neither be too wet nor too compact. Make sure that the meat has no extra juices before adding to the mixing bowl. Tip: Freshly ground meat works great. Set the kabob mixture aside. Start the Charcoal Grill Start the grill about 30 minutes before grilling. We recommend using hardwood charcoal and not briquettes for optimal flavor. The coals are ready when the flame has subsided, are glowing uniformly and covered with some ash. A portable fan or hair dryer can be helpful. Checkout this tutorial if you are new to charcoal grilling.Tip: Koobideh kabobs can be made on a gas grill but charcoal grill gives you the best results. Shape the Kabobs Divide the kabob mixture into 8 portions. Dampen your hands with the saved onion juice or plain water. Take a portion of the mixture and roll it into an oval sausage shape of 4 to 5 inches. Holding it in one hand, press the thin edge of the sword-like skewer into the lump, simultaneously wrapping the meat around the middle section of the skewer by squeezing it all around. Continue to squeeze the meat gently unto the skewer, gradually spreading and molding it into a 7 to 8 inches long kabob that is snugly and evenly held all around the skewer. The kabob thickness should be about 2/3 inch. Using your thumb and index finger press indentations that are spaced about an inch apart. Alternatively you may use your index and middle fingers and press indentations in a scissor like manner, along the length of the kabob. Place the kabob skewers over a long tray or baking sheet with elevated rims to support the skewers just at the top and bottom. The meat should not touch the base of the pan. It is best to shape these kabobs just before grilling. Sprinkle a few drops of onion juice over the kabobs before placing on the grill. Grilling the Kabobs Arrange the skewers spacing them apart, directly over the grill without the grate, about 3 to 4 inches above the glowing coals.Tip: Depending on your grill, you may place metal pipes on either side to help support the skewers. Bricks are sometimes lined on either side to create a platform for placing the skewers. Make sure that the kabobs do not touch the grill and are cooked with direct heat from the coals.Tip: If you are testing koobideh recipe first time and prefer to keep the grate on the grill, make sure the skewers are a bit elevated and the meat does not touch the grate. So while you are learning, even if the meat drops off, you don't lose the kabobs into the coals completely. Within a few seconds, start flipping the skewers over. This helps cook the meat on the outside and attach it to the skewer. It is important to flip them over before they cook too much on one side, or the meat on the other side will fall off. Once the other side is also cooked lightly, turn them over. A good way to do this is, to arrange the eight skewers one by one and then go back to the first skewer and start flipping it in the same order. The kabobs should be grilled for a total time of 4 to 5 minutes on each side. The meat should have a nice brown sear outside and cooked well inside (not pink). Take them off the grill while they are still juicy and tender. Do not overcook the kabobs or they will dry out. Brush the basting mixture just before taking the kabobs off the grill. Serving the Kabob Koobideh Using a small piece of flat bread gently loosen the kabobs from one end and slide them out to a serving platter that has been lined with flat breads, such as, lavash or sangak. The hot juices from the kabobs soak up the bread. Garnish with a sprinkle of sumac or lemon juice. Keep the kabobs warm by covering with more flat breads. Serve the kabobs fresh off the grill with saffron flavored rice or flat breads, grilled veggies, sumac, fresh herbs and doogh (Persian mint-flavored fizzy yogurt drink). Notes 80 to 85 percent lean meat is generally used for best results. I prefer 85 percent lean and it works perfectly for me. You may also use only lamb or only beef. For beef, a combination of finely ground chuck and ground sirloin would be good. If necessary, you may twice grind beef in a meat grinder, not a food processor. The amazing taste of these kebabs simply relies on good quality ingredients - fresh ground meat with optimal fat content and grated onions; adequate kneading of the meat mixture, a charcoal grill and proper grilling technique. In fact, the trick is more in the technique! The kebabs can also be kept warm in the oven in a container with good seal. Kabab koobideh recipe in oven: Broil the kabobs on high setting for about 4 to 5 minutes each side. Read the skewer flipping instructions in the recipe. Reheating leftovers: Sprinkle some water in the bottom of an oven safe dish with a good seal and warm it up preferably in the oven. Or place the kebabs over rice and reheat them together. The steam will heat up the kebabs without drying them out. The Persian style skewers are available online and at middle eastern stores. Check the full blog post above for more tips.

Serving Size: Makes 8 kabob skewers

Number of Servings: 8

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user FBEEZY.

Servings Per Recipe: 8

Nutritional Info Amount Per Serving