Recipe
Beef kebab: ready-shaped and homemade
Grill ready-shaped raw kebabs or make your own lula kebabs from beef mince. Chill the homemade mixture for an hour after kneading so it is easier to shape and holds together better.
- for 4 people
- Prep: 1 h 25 min
- Grilling: 15 min
Ingredients
- Homemade version: 800 g beef mince, preferably about 20% fat
- 100 g onion
- 10 g salt
- 1 g ground black pepper
- Alternatively, 800 g ready-shaped raw beef or chicken kebabs instead of the homemade mixture; the number depends on each kebab's weight
Method
- Keep ready-shaped raw kebabs refrigerated until grilling. If supplied on skewers, grill them that way; place unskewered kebabs in a clean hinged grill basket. The following steps are for raw kebabs.
- For homemade kebabs, chop the onion very finely. If it releases a lot of juice, gently squeeze out the excess. Combine the onion, salt and pepper with the cold mince.
- Knead for about 5–7 minutes until sticky and cohesive. Cover and refrigerate for one hour at no more than 4 °C.
- With wet hands, shape eight long kebabs about 2–3 cm thick. Place them in a hinged grill basket without flattening them. Experienced cooks can press the mixture firmly around wide, flat skewers, leaving no air pockets.
- Grill over steady glowing embers without open flames. Turn periodically as the surface sets and browns. Allow roughly 10–15 minutes for this thickness, but use a thermometer to check doneness.
- Insert the probe sideways into the centre of the thickest part without touching metal. Beef kebabs should reach at least 71 °C and chicken kebabs 74 °C. Transfer cooked kebabs to a clean plate.
Tips
- Very lean mince can produce dry kebabs. Check the fat content before starting.
- Finely chop the onion: excess juice from grated onion can make the mixture too wet.
- If the mixture will not stay on a skewer, shape the kebabs and cook them in a hinged grill basket.
- Use separate plates and utensils for raw and cooked kebabs.
