With the days warming up and summer fast approaching, there is an irresistible urge to cook outside. Although we bbq year-round in this household, the challenge of cooking a perfect bbq with strong winds and freezing temperatures is not something we enjoy. So, summertime is BBQ-time, all the time for us. This year, we were especially blessed with the most amazing, local, grass-fed beef supplied to us by Ciardullo Ranch. Ciardullo ranch is operated by a small Colorado family in Wellington, Colorado and they are devoted to raising cattle that are grass-fed, pasture-raised with sustainable pasture management and regenerative agriculture that is good for the earth as well as humans. Not to mention that the angus beef is absolutely delicious, melt-in-your mouth goodness!
Beef kebabs is basically a party on your table. You start out with great quality beef and with a few tips and tricks, cook it to perfection. Pile it high onto some homemade herb-garlic naan, my favorite recipe is from a local Colorado blogger @halfbakedharvest .
Just don’t forget the toppings: eggplant Baba Ghanoush, zesty marinated onion slices, cucumber crema, and roasted bell pepper. The recipe for Baba Ghanoush has been shared with me by a dear family friend, Larisa. She is the epitome of a traditional Middle Eastern mother/grandmother whose kitchen is brimming with the most fantastic foods, door and heart wide open in traditional Middle Eastern hospitality.
This is the kind of food that is begged to be shared with family/friends over great conversation.
- 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
- Prepare the beef by trimming off excess fat, gristle. Cut into large chunks about 1" by 2". Pat dry with a paper towel.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- NOTE: Using a bbq briquettes chimney starter makes it easier to start your charcoal.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Rotate the kebabs every 2-3 mins on medium-high heat.
- 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.
- If you can hold your hand for more than 7 seconds, then your heat is too low.
- 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.
- 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.
- The outside of the kebab should have a sear with a tender juicy inside.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
- The charred roasted pepper you saw earlier on the coals: we just peeled off the charred skin and sliced up as a topping.
- 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.
- Smokey, spicy Baba Ghanoush.
- 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.
- Fresh sliced green onions. Perfection in a wrap.
- 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!
Prepare the beef by trimming off excess fat, gristle. Cut into large chunks about 1″ by 2″. Pat dry with a paper towel.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
NOTE: Using a bbq briquettes chimney starter makes it easier to start your charcoal.
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.)
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.
- 1 medium eggplant
- 1 medium tomato (or 1 cup cherry tomatoes)
- ½ lemon
- 2-4 garlic cloves
- salt, pepper to taste
- 1-2 teaspoons fermented chili peppers
- Optional: 1-2 tablespoons tahini
- Char the eggplant and tomato until blackened.
- Remove from hot coals. Cover 5-10 minutes and let cool.
- With the help of a paper towel, remove most of the char from the veggies.
- Puree in a blender or a food processor (or mash if you prefer a chunkier sauce) along with a few cloves of minced garlic, to your taste, half the juice of a lemon, salt and pepper.
- Also for a spicier version we added a teaspoon of fermented chili peppers. (Trader Joe's has a great one!)
- For a creamier consistency, add 1-2 tablespoons of tahini.
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, per-soak them for about 1 hour before placing the meat on them.
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.
Rotate the kebabs every 2-3 mins on medium-high heat.
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.
If you can hold your hand for more than 7 seconds, then your heat is too low.
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.
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.
The outside of the kebab should have a sear with a tender juicy inside.
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.
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.
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:
The charred roasted pepper you saw earlier on the coals: we just peeled off the charred skin and sliced up as a topping.
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.
Smokey, spicy Baba Ghanoush.
To balance all the smokey, spicy flavors: Cucumber-green onion crema- Puree 1/2 cup peeled cucumber with 1/4 cup green onions. Add 3/4 cup sourcream and 1/4 cup heavy cream to thin it out to a drizzling consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Fresh sliced green onions. Perfection in a wrap.
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!
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