Grilled Minced Meat Kebabs Recipe

For meat lovers, the smell and taste of grilled meat evokes some primal need. Kebabs are one of those world cuisine dishes that can fill that need.

There are two types of kebabs and numerous ways to make them. The first type of kebab consists of skewers of cubed of meat - originally lamb, but now anything goes - sometimes alternated with large chunks of vegetables including onions, green or red bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, zucchini and more.

The second type, which I’m focusing on, consists of a skewer of minced meat formed into a tube or torpedo. In fact, the skewer is optional. However, traditionally, the skewers simply made it easy to hang the meat over a fire or in special clay ovens.

Today, all you need is the minced meat, spices, and either a frying pan, oven, or even one of those health grills, if you’re worried about excessive fats. While you could buy lean ground meat, it tends to dry out fast when formed into patties or kebabs.

The recipe is quite easy to follow, and uses a minimum of ingredients. While the text below describes larger, meal-sized kebabs, you could also make them into finger foods for party snacks. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 lb (~1/2 kg) of ground meat, preferably lamb. Lamb is more expensive than other meats such as beef, pork, or chicken. Alternately, I like to use chicken or a mixture of beef and pork. Chicken does cook faster, however, so factor this in when following the instructions below.
• 1 small onion, finely diced.
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, finely minced.
• 1 egg.
• 1/4 cup of bread crumbs or crumbled non-wheat crackers. You may need to add a bit more if the ingredients don’t bind well during mixture.
• 1 tsp ground or whole cumin, depending on whether you are used to the taste of whole cumin.
• Sprinkle Italian seasoning (any combination of dry parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano). You can also add roughly chopped cilantro or parsley.
• Salt and pepper, to taste.
• 1 tbsp soya sauce or worcestershire sauce. This will ensure that the kebabs cook evenly and remain juicy.
• Crushed red pepper flake [optional].
• 1 tbsp mild, medium or hot curry powder [optional].
• 1/4 cup grated zucchinni [optional], squeezed slightly through a cheesecloth or paper towel to remove excess moisture. This adds both texture, flavour, fibre and moisture.
• 2-3 tbsp of cooking oil (vegetable or canola), but only if you are using a frying pan. If you are using the oven or a health or barbeque grill, just rub each kebab with a bit of oil.
• 1 medium onion, peeled and cut into disks.

Preparation

• In a large mixing bowl, hand mix all of the ingredients above except the last two. Don’t overwork the mixture.
• Form the mixture into tubes or torpedos of about 4-6 inches. If you are using a frying pan, keep in mind that you’d probably like to fry several in batches. So size the kebabs accordingly. For party snacks, you can make them about 2-3 inches. Any smaller and they’ll be a nuisance to form properly. Remember that if you are not using skewers, the kebabs will never be perfectly round. If you do want to use skewers, you’ll have to cook the kebabs in the oven, on a health grill, or on a regular barbeque grill.
• Choose your cooking implement. Here are instructions for each type.

• Cast iron frying pan - Heat the pan on high, with cooking oil, then reduce to med high. Fry the kebabs in batches, about 3 minutes per side. (They’re cylindrical, so keep rotating until all 4 “sides” are cooked.) You can finish these in an oven pre-heated to 350 F (make sure you have an oven-safe handle), or reduce the stove to medium and partially cover for an extra 3-5 minutes. During this time, you can add the onion disks over the kebabs, making sure to check that they don’t burn.
• Non-stick frying pan - Essentially the same instructions, but these pans don’t hold heat all that well, so reduce heat to medium and cover with a lid and the beginning of the cooking process. Remove the lid only to rotate the kebabs. Add the onion disks in the last three minutes of cooking for each batch of kebabs.
• Professional stainless steel frying pan with oven-safe handle - Use a pan like this to sear all of the outside of each kebab, then finish in an oven pre-heated to 350 F. You’ll have to check the kebabs with a fork or knife, but 20 minutes should do be enough.
• Oven - Pre-heat an oven to 350 F. Coat a cookie sheet with a thin layer of cooking oil. Coat the kebabs as well. Cover with the onion disks. Place in the oven for 25 minutes. Check with a fork or knife, and cook for another 5 minutes if necessary.
• Health grill - These tend to be non-stick. Follow the instructions above for a non-stick frying pan. If you don’t have a “lid” for your grill, cooking time may be much longer. Watch that the kebabs don’t dry out.
• Barbeque grill - If you’re using this, you already know what to do You can coat the kebabs later with some barbeque sauce.

Presentation
Serve with a rice and salad, or in a smaller version as finger snacks.

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