Middle Eastern Beef Kebabs
 
Cook time
Total time
 
Fresh ground black pepper and coriander seeds intensify the flavor of Angus beef and cooking over open coals produces the best smoke for these kebabs.
Author:
Recipe type: BBQ
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients
  • 5 pounds Beef (pick cuts from the tenderloin, sirloin steak or ribmeat. Avoid roasts)
  • 5 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons black peppercorns, whole
  • 2 tablespoons coriander seeds, whole
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • ½-1 teaspoon Chipotle powder or smoked paprika for a less spicy option
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 medium onion, pureed
Instructions
  1. Prepare the beef by trimming off excess fat, gristle. Cut into large chunks about 1" by 2". Pat dry with a paper towel.
  2. Prepare the spices by heating up the peppercorns and coriander seeds just until aromatic and seeds start popping. Grind with the salt in a mortar and pestle or spice/coffee grinder. I prefer a mortar and pestle to get a coarse grind.
  3. Puree the onion. Combine the spices, lime juice, and pureed onion with the beef chunks. Let marinate either 1-2 hours room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
  4. Heat the BBQ Grill. We are using a traditional Mangal BBQ, but a standard charcoal BBQ grill like a Weber Kettle would work just as well.
  5. NOTE: Using a bbq briquettes chimney starter makes it easier to start your charcoal.
  6. Place the coals in the center of the BBQ grill and wait until they are covered with a gray/white ash. You can use BBQ briquettes or Hardwood charcoal.
  7. Charcoal placement: Place more charcoal around the perimeter of your grill with less charcoal in the center for the kebabs to cook evenly. The heat from the charcoals at the perimeter of the grill will also cook the kebab in the middle. If more charcoal is placed in the middle of the grill then your kebabs will cook unevenly, with the edges being undercook or the middle over-cooked.
  8. Fire Roast your vegetables while we are waiting for the coals to be covered with gray/white ash. The bell pepper will be used as a topping. Eggplant and tomatoes will be used in Baba Ghanoush. Use large whole tomatoes if possible. (We didn't have any on hand at the time.)
  9. Blacken the peppers and the eggplant about 3-5 min on each side. Bury them in the hot coals to get a better roast. Give the tomatoes a little char about 1 -2 mins.
  10. Skewer the meat pieces onto BBQ skewers. Wide skewers work well because the meat does not rotate on them. If you are using bamboo skewers then per-soak them for about 1 hour before placing the meat on them.
  11. For skewers that are not wide, like bamboo skewers, use two skewers for each kebab to prevent the meat from spinning on you as you rotate it on the grill.
  12. Rotate the kebabs every 2-3 mins on medium-high heat.
  13. Pro TIP: If you place your hand above the charcoal, where your kebabs are, and can tolerate the heat for about 3-5 seconds then you're at the correct temperature.
  14. If you can hold your hand for more than 7 seconds, then your heat is too low.
  15. As you cook the kebabs the rendered fat and juices will drip onto the hot grill and the charcoal to create smoke, which will add to the flavor of your kebabs.
  16. Your total cook time should be about 10-15 mins or until the kebabs are done to your likeness. You can always cut a piece off the end for a taste-test.
  17. The outside of the kebab should have a sear with a tender juicy inside.
  18. About 3 mins before the kebabs are done place the flatbread on top of the kebabs to add some of the smoke flavor to the bread and to warm the bread.
  19. Serve the kebabs on top of the flatbread so that the flatbread will soak up any of the flavor-full juices running off the meat.
  20. Follow the recipe and instructions on halfbakedharvest.com We found it helpful to use a pasta roller to roll out uniform strips of dough, then portion them into squares. The herb and garlic butter is a must!
TOPPINGS:
  1. The charred roasted pepper you saw earlier on the coals: we just peeled off the charred skin and sliced up as a topping.
  2. We also love topping our BBQ with thin sliced onion mixed with about 1:1 ratio apple cider vinegar to cold water, salt and black pepper and fresh herbs like cilantro and basil.
  3. Smokey, spicy Baba Ghanoush.
  4. To balance all the smokey, spicy flavors: Cucumber-green onion crema- Puree ½ cup peeled cucumber with ¼ cup green onions. Add ¾ cup sourcream and ¼ cup heavy cream to thin it out to a drizzling consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Fresh sliced green onions. Perfection in a wrap.
  6. Let the meat rest, covered for 5-10 minutes before taking off the skewers and slicing up. Top with desired toppings and enjoy! This is one wrap you won't easily forget the taste of!
Recipe by Welcome 2 Our Table at https://www.welcome2ourtable.com/middle-eastern-beef-kebabs/