Spiced Ground Meat Skewers Recipe (2024)

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DRC PGH

Before adding the grated onion, squeeze the moisture from it first. A lot of liquid will be released. Makes for a better textured kebab.

Glen I

I made Adana kebabs last weekend. Traditionally (in Turkey) they are served on lavash with quick-pickled red onions, and a garlic-mint yogurt sauce like you describe. This is how I ate them, although I substituted flour tortillas for the lavash. It came out great. Delicious! Refika's Kitchen on YouTube has a great video on making these (and many other great Turkish dishes).https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3-Hp4Al5vk&pp=sAQA

MSH

Instead of mincing the herbs/garlic, etc., I chopped everything in a mini-chopper, and used an herb mixture of fresh mint, cilantro, and basil. Also used more garlic and shallot (instead of onion). Made a sauce with plain yogurt, lemon juice, and minced garlic to serve with the meat. Yum. Served with an orzo salad with tomatoes, cukes, red onion, red peppers, and feta, along with tons of fresh minced herbs (cilantro, mint, basil) and tossed with a shallot vinaigrette.

Kristen Berry

Would a dipping sauce be good to serve with these kabobs? Maybe drizzle some yogurt mixed with garlic, mint or dill? Or a green sauce? They sound delicious!

Cathy

Very good but next time I would double the spices going into the meat (I used ground turkey). I made a sauce with greek yogurt, zatar and the ground sumac. I might add in some alleppo pepper next time too. It's a good make ahead recipe.

Cordau

Za'atar normally contains sumac, but the other components of za'atar are strongly flavored herbs like oregano, thyme, marjoram and sesame seeds. If you don't mind adding those herb/sesame flavors to your kebabs, I'd say go for it and use za'atar in place of the sumac. If, after trying the za'atar, you don't care for the herbal flavors, you can always either buy some sumac or, as Michael suggests, use lemon zest. Sumac is a tart, tangy flavor, and that's why lemon zest is a good sub.

Mia

Very tasty. Grilling at 400 makes for a singed, crispy exterior. I made veggie skewers (zucchini, red onion, sweet peppers, grape tomatoes) and garlic minted yogurt to go with. Rice would have been good as well. I used half lamb and half turkey, lemon zest for sumac, and red pepper flakes for Urfa/Aleppo pepper.

Michael

Yes and no. Za'atar is in the right regional flavor palette, but will have a different taste than sumac. The tip above about using lemon zest is a good idea.

Jefe

I used ground lamb and substituted parsley/onion/garlic with Caribbean style green Sofrito. Served on pita with cucumber and plain yogurt. Turned out great.

Rachel

This was really good. Made with ground lamb. Used parsley over cilantro since it was on hand. Added a bit of cardamom, nutmeg and allspice. Skipped the peppers so my kids might eat them…they did not. Served with a minty cumin lime yogurt sauce and cucumbers and some rice. Next time I’ll add some charred red onion and tomato on the side, maybe some flatbread.

tamarind paste substitute

Huge hit! Added a Tbs of chickpea flour to absorb some of moisture from mixture. Delicious.

SC

So, I need some help with this recipe. Absolutely love the flavor, can’t get them to stay on the skewer. Made as written with 80/20 beef, the first time they were too loose for me to even try putting on a skewer so I cooked them in a skillet.The second time I tried draining the onions, and that helped somewhat. Got them on the skewers but they came off during the flip on the grill.I’ll still make these, but would love to know how to actually make skewers out of them.

Shoowoo

Excellent! I lacked the time to make kebabs, and simply fried everything. I bought some delicious flatbread from a nearby Persian grocery store, so we tore the bread up and spooned the delicious mixture on top, alongside with garlic yogurt, herbs, and chopped veggies. Like many others, I doubled the spice mix. A keeper.

dahmedtx1

Made recipe as is but doubled for leftovers and roasted in the oven at 400 for 15 minutes, then broiled for 10 minutes. Delicious flavors!! Whipped up some quick Tzatziki and paired it with a tomato/cucumber/red vinegar salad. Yum!!

Shoowoo

Delicious! I used ground lamb, but did not feel like fussing with kebabs, so simply fried the mixture and served with fresh pita for stuffing. Like many others, I also made a yogurt sauce, and had pickled onions, a variety of herbs, and diced cucumbers to include with stuffing. An easy crowd pleaser.

Henry in Tahuya

Grilling on a roaring hot gas grill caramelized the outer layer of meat and kept the inside juicy. Wonderful, exotic flavors from ground beef! Fresh pickled sliced yellow onions, chopped tomatoes and diced cukes layered with these skewers on warm pita bread made me feel like I was in a middle eastern bazaar. An easy dressing of 1 C Greek yogurt, 1 tsp lemon juice and 2 or 3 minced garlic cloves brought it all together. One of the best things I've eaten in months. (OK, I don't get out much.)

Diane

Good but should have waited to use a fattier ground beef unlike unlike the lean I had on hand. We almost froze them before grilling quickly on high flame to try to get them to stay together. Added some spice, more herbs, & served with quick pickled onions, homemade tzatziki, rice and grilled veg. It will be repeated but maybe as meatballs or sliders as the meat still fell off the skewers even with use of lots of oil and a grilling pan with holes. Maybe some roasted whole cumin next time?

Susan

Excellent. I used ground lamb and added chopped mint, basil and cilantro. Served with grilled veggies and balsamic rice.

Kathy in NH

Delicious with salad and grilled pita!

Corrie

We love this recipe. For a special occasion try wrapping the meat mixture around soaked cinnamon sticks (Fiesta brand sells really affordable packages of cinnamon sticks). The added flavor is amazing. Serve with a standard white sauce or tzatziki and warm pita/flatbread.

Leanne

Super easy, quick to make (not counting the fridge time) and really tasty. My teenager gave them the thumbs up. This one's a keeper.

rilamo

Doubled everything (I’m a maniac!) except the meat & the onion - and loved it! I made a lemon tahini dressing & served with a garbozo bean, artichoke, olive, bell pepper salad (garnished with scallions). New favorite!

andreagoxman

Really good! Made homemade yogurt and added lemon, mint and cucumber and middle eastern spices. Liked by all including mars but left herbs out of the kafta

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Spiced Ground Meat Skewers Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you get ground meat to stick to skewers? ›

The trick to getting a pleasing, springy texture is to knead the meat and seasonings until the mixture feels sticky. Keep everything cold, and then wet your hands when you form the meat around the skewers.

What is the best way to skewer meat? ›

All you've got to do is use that half onion (or lemon, or potato, or whatever you've got lying around) as a backstop. Place a piece of meat on top of the onion, then stab through it with the skewer. You can stab quickly, forcefully, and efficiently, without any worries.

What are the best meat cuts for skewers? ›

Relatively tender, without a need for extensive marinating, Sirloin (from top to tip) is lean and fits into a balanced diet — plus, it's budget-friendly . Other good beef choices for kabobs are Flat Iron or Strip Steak and even Tenderloin.

What is the best binder for kebabs? ›

Kebab Binding Tip: If the meat is not sticking together and falling apart, add a whisked egg or 1-2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs to bind the mixture well.

Why do you soak skewers before using? ›

Bamboo skewers, like the ones you can buy in bulk at the grocery store, are inherently flammable — they are wood, after all! The dry and brittle wood easily burns on a hot grill, unless you take preventative action. The best way to keep wooden skewers from burning is to soak them in water before firing up the grill.

Why is my meat not sticking to the skewers? ›

Make Sure The Meat (and Your Hands) Are Always Cold

Stick the meat in the fridge to cool for at least 1 hour before you start the skewering process. It is also important to always grease your hands before you start as well. You can use a bit of oil or water.

What is the difference between a skewer and a kebab? ›

However, kebab is not synonymous with "skewered food", and many kebab dishes such as chapli kebab are not cooked on skewers. On the other hand, English speakers may sometimes use the word kebab to refer to any food on a skewer.

How do you keep meat from skewers from falling off? ›

Easy, stick half a raw onion onto the end of the skewer.

What is a good meat substitute for skewers? ›

Most vegan kabobs contain vegetables, mushrooms, marinated tofu, tempeh and of course bamboo skewers. What is a good meat substitute for kebabs? Try marinated tofu or tempeh!

How thick to cut meat for skewers? ›

Choosing Meat for Kabobs

I usually cube my kabobs into 1" cubes, so I'm looking for a piece of meat cut at least 1" tall. Making sure you have uniform size cubes ensures that all pieces of meat on the skewer will be done at the same time. Don't Lean.

What is meat on a skewer called? ›

In English, kebab, or in North America also kabob, often occurring as shish kebab, is now a culinary term for small pieces of meat cooked on a skewer.

Should I wrap my kebabs in foil? ›

My top tip for making these kabobs is to use Reynolds Wrap® Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil. It makes prepping, grilling, and clean-up so much easier, while keeping the kabobs flavorful and juicy. There's no need to have to stand by the grill to watch them which means I can spend more time with my family.

Do you put oil on skewers? ›

Once everything has marinated, it's time to thread the kabobs. If you choose not to marinate, season the meat, shrimp or veggies with salt and pepper, and brush them with olive oil. If you're making shrimp kabobs, it's recommended to use 2 skewers side by side, per kabob, to prevent the shrimp from spinning.

How do you make ground beef stick better? ›

Add 1 egg yolk per pound of hamburger. It won't add appreciably to the fat content and will bind the meat beautifully. The other thing you can do is add canned, drained, crushed black beans or chickpeas to the hamburger. The starch from the beans will bind the meat together and add an exciting taste.

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