Grilled Adana-Style Kebabs
By Matthew FairmanPublished on February 22, 2023
Time
1¾ hours, plus 1 hour chilling
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Kebabs
30 (12-inch) bamboo skewers 1 cup coarsely chopped onion 4 garlic cloves, chopped3 tablespoons mild biber salçası 2 teaspoons kosher salt 2 teaspoons paprika 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground sumac 1 teaspoon pepper ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1½ pounds ground lamb 3 large rectangular lavashes, halved crosswiseSalad
3 plum tomatoes, cored and chopped2 small red onions, thinly sliced (2 cups)1 cup chopped fresh parsley ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil ¼ cup lemon juice (2 lemons)2 tablespoons ground sumac 1½ teaspoons kosher saltBefore You Begin
You will need thirty 12-inch bamboo skewers for this recipe. Jarred biber salçası (Turkish red pepper paste) can be found in Middle Eastern grocery stores or online. Be sure to use the mild variety; if it's unavailable, you can substitute 3 tablespoons of tomato paste and increase the amount of paprika to 4 teaspoons. You can substitute 80 percent lean ground beef for the lamb, if desired. Pita can be substituted for the lavash. If you're using pita or smaller lavashes, you may want to use more than three. Serve with yogurt or tzatziki sauce, if desired.
Instructions
- Place 12 by 13-inch-long sheet of aluminum foil on counter with long side parallel to edge of counter. Place 5 skewers together (parallel to edge of counter) about one-third of way up sheet of foil. Fold bottom third of foil up over skewers and press foil down firmly to hold skewers in place. Fold skewers up and over themselves to wrap tightly in foil, pressing foil down firmly with each fold until you have a single 1-inch wide, flat skewer. Fold ends of foil over top and bottom of skewer and pinch firmly to seal. Repeat with remaining bamboo skewers and 5 additional pieces of foil to create 6 wide skewers; set aside.
- Pulse onion and garlic in food processor until very finely chopped but not pureed, 15 to 20 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer to large bowl. Stir in biber salçası, salt, paprika, cumin, sumac, pepper, and cayenne. Add lamb to bowl with onion mixture and knead with your hands until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute.
- With your moistened hands, divide lamb mixture into 6 equal balls (about 5 ounces each). Working with 1 ball and 1 skewer at a time, press ball of lamb around middle of skewer. Squeeze lamb mixture to cover skewer and press into flat, 9-inch long kebab, moistening your hands periodically if mixture begins to stick. Use your thumb and forefinger to press ridges evenly across entire length of kebab. (If lamb mixture becomes too warm to work with easily and shape onto skewers, transfer to freezer for 15 to 30 minutes to firm it up.) Transfer kebabs to lightly greased baking sheet. Cover kebabs with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter mounded with charcoal briquettes (7 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high; cover; and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
- Clean cooking grate, then repeatedly brush grate with well-oiled paper towels until grate is black and glossy, 5 to 10 times. Cover grill and heat about 5 minutes longer. Uncover and wipe grate twice more with well-oiled paper towels.
- Arrange lavash on large serving platter. Place kebabs on grill at 45-degree angle to grate. Cook, covered, until well browned and meat easily releases from grill, 3 to 4 minutes per side. (If kebabs stick to grill grates, use thin metal spatula to gently loosen before flipping with tongs). Top lavash with kebabs, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toss all ingredients together in large bowl.
- To remove kebabs from skewers, pinch piece of lavash around base of kebab and pull out skewer. Serve kebabs with salad and lavash.
for the kebabs
for the salad
Time
1¾ hours, plus 1 hour chillingYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Kebabs
Salad
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Kebabs
Salad
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Kebabs
Salad
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
In the Turkish city of Adana, the signature kebab is made from hand-minced, fatty lamb spiced with red pepper. The minced lamb is pressed onto a long, flat skewer before being grilled over coals. For a version practical enough to make at home on our backyard grill, we began with ground lamb, kneading in a heady blend of chopped onion, garlic, biber salçası (Turkish pepper paste), cumin, paprika, sumac, and cayenne pepper. To shape the kebabs correctly, we created makeshift shishes by wrapping aluminum foil around a plank made from five wooden skewers. Thoroughly chilling the lamb skewers ensured that they weren't too fragile for grilling, while repeatedly oiling the grill grates kept the kebabs from sticking. Resting the kebabs on lavash let their juices seep into the flatbreads and allowed time to toss together the vibrant, superfresh salad.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
You will need thirty 12-inch bamboo skewers for this recipe. Jarred biber salçası (Turkish red pepper paste) can be found in Middle Eastern grocery stores or online. Be sure to use the mild variety; if it's unavailable, you can substitute 3 tablespoons of tomato paste and increase the amount of paprika to 4 teaspoons. You can substitute 80 percent lean ground beef for the lamb, if desired. Pita can be substituted for the lavash. If you're using pita or smaller lavashes, you may want to use more than three. Serve with yogurt or tzatziki sauce, if desired.
Instructions
- Place 12 by 13-inch-long sheet of aluminum foil on counter with long side parallel to edge of counter. Place 5 skewers together (parallel to edge of counter) about one-third of way up sheet of foil. Fold bottom third of foil up over skewers and press foil down firmly to hold skewers in place. Fold skewers up and over themselves to wrap tightly in foil, pressing foil down firmly with each fold until you have a single 1-inch wide, flat skewer. Fold ends of foil over top and bottom of skewer and pinch firmly to seal. Repeat with remaining bamboo skewers and 5 additional pieces of foil to create 6 wide skewers; set aside.
- Pulse onion and garlic in food processor until very finely chopped but not pureed, 15 to 20 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer to large bowl. Stir in biber salçası, salt, paprika, cumin, sumac, pepper, and cayenne. Add lamb to bowl with onion mixture and knead with your hands until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute.
- With your moistened hands, divide lamb mixture into 6 equal balls (about 5 ounces each). Working with 1 ball and 1 skewer at a time, press ball of lamb around middle of skewer. Squeeze lamb mixture to cover skewer and press into flat, 9-inch long kebab, moistening your hands periodically if mixture begins to stick. Use your thumb and forefinger to press ridges evenly across entire length of kebab. (If lamb mixture becomes too warm to work with easily and shape onto skewers, transfer to freezer for 15 to 30 minutes to firm it up.) Transfer kebabs to lightly greased baking sheet. Cover kebabs with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter mounded with charcoal briquettes (7 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high; cover; and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
- Clean cooking grate, then repeatedly brush grate with well-oiled paper towels until grate is black and glossy, 5 to 10 times. Cover grill and heat about 5 minutes longer. Uncover and wipe grate twice more with well-oiled paper towels.
- Arrange lavash on large serving platter. Place kebabs on grill at 45-degree angle to grate. Cook, covered, until well browned and meat easily releases from grill, 3 to 4 minutes per side. (If kebabs stick to grill grates, use thin metal spatula to gently loosen before flipping with tongs). Top lavash with kebabs, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toss all ingredients together in large bowl.
- To remove kebabs from skewers, pinch piece of lavash around base of kebab and pull out skewer. Serve kebabs with salad and lavash.
for the kebabs
for the salad
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