The Best Kabobs EVER – Persian Ground Beef Kabobs – Kabob Koobideh

Persian Ground Beef Kabob or Kabob Koobideh

Kabob in the Iranian culture has a huge significance. Because of this, Iranians and Iranian Americans, are snobs. Kabob Snobs, to be more specific.

We scoff at the mere notion of  Kabobs on a stick. Kabob should be cooked on a metal skewer or “Sikh” . You can use the wood skewer if you are in a jam or don’t have enough metal skewers

What is Kabob Koobideh?

Kabob Koobideh, literally means Kabob that has been grounded/pounded. Koobideh means grounded/pounded, so technically it does not necessarily need to be beef/lamb but you won’t have much luck with another meat.

It is the holy grail of Kabob grilling, if you have a good Koobideh, you are known throughout the lands as the Kabob Master.

Why are Kabobs so important to you and your crazy people?

Kabob is a form of national pride for Iranians & Iranian Americans.

The Xenophobe in me would love to claim that Iranians invented them, but I think Kabobs are really a product of evolution and man. Meat on a stick. It’s great, and it’s hard to mess up.

As an Iranian American and first generation Iranian American, I can attest to the fact that Kabob would bring my family together in the summers growing up. I can vividly remember my Grandma or Mommon Joon, slaving away for hours getting everything ready to be grilled. She would give my Dad a tray of 30 to 40 skewers and have explicit orders to not dry out the meat on the grill. Juiciness in meat is of critical importance to Iranian Chefs/Moms/Crazy People/whatever you want to call them =)

Once everything was done, we would all sit around the table, and enjoy a great meal together. Kabob represents everything that we longed for in America at the time, but couldn’t find. My Parents, Aunt, and Uncles were all immigrants who came after the Revolution. America accepted us with open arms, but in a strange and far away land, food often gives you that brief respite that takes you back home.

So whoever invented it, that doesn’t matter to Iranians. They took the ball and ran with it. I will stack a Iranian Kabob to any other Kabob in the world, when done well, it’s the best. Game. Set. Match.

Okay now that you’ve gotten all Kabob schmaltz on us, can you tell us how to make this F’ing Kabob?

Kabob Koobideh with Tahdig (we’ll discuss Tahdig tomorrow in depth, with a recipe for the one pictured and an easier version)

 

*One note, the gelatin and walnuts are not traditionally put in, they’re used as a binder to give the kabobs a little more spring/juiciness. Typically Folks will just use an egg instead. I got the idea from America’s Test Kitchen, if you don’t have either of those, just use an egg, or nothing at all.

Recipe – Kabob Koobideh

Ingredients (Serves 2 to 4)

For the Kabob

• 1 lb of Ground Beef (80/20 or 70/30)
• 1 lb of Ground Lamb (if possible)
• 4 Cloves of Garlic
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1/8 Cup of Walnuts
• 1 1/2 Tsp of Gelatin (unflavored)
• 1 shredded white onion (excess water pressed out)
• 2 Tsp of Salt
• 1 Tsp of Pepper
• 1 Tsp of Garlic Powder
• 1 Tsp. Onion Powder
• 1 Tsp. Cumin
• 1 Tsp. Coriander
• 1/4 Tsp. Turmeric
• Flat Metal Skewers (can be procured at Persian/Middle Eastern Markets)
• Lavash Bread or Pita Flatbread

Method

In a large mixing bowl, first mix the 2 meats together.

Set aside another small bowl with the cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt, garlic powder, pepper, and onion powder.

Shred an onion, set it aside in a wire mesh colander and push the juice out, set aside.

In a food processor or blender, mix the garlic cloves, walnuts, and olive oil together. Run it so it becomes a fine paste.

First add the spices to your meat blend, work it into the meat for about 5 to 10 minutes with your hands, making sure the spices are mixed well into the meat.

Now add your onions and paste to the meat. Work it into the meat.

Then add your gelatin powder and work it well into the meat.

Put the meat in the fridge for at least an hour or up to 24 hours.

Once your meat is ready, set a tiny cup of oil and some saffron water(if you have it) aside to brush onto your kabobs.

Over a large flat tray that you can lay the kabobs on after your done, take a fist size portion of the mixture into your hand and work it onto your skewers. It’s always better to put less on the skewers than too much. Figure on about 6 to 8 inch long pieces.

Once that’s all done (this will take a good 20-30 minutes),brush the saffron mixture onto the kabobs. If you have room in your fridge place the finished skewer tray in the fridge this will let them set to the skewers preventing them from falling off.

Now once your skewers are ready, fire up your grill.

I prefer charcoal to gas, I think you get a much better flavor and it’s worth it. You need to make sure you get a very hot grill going, without it your meat will fall of the skewer. Inevitably some will always fall, but if your grill is not hot enough a larger portion will fall off.

To avoid that problem use this, it’s a grill chimney, it compacts all the charcoal into a tight space so it heats faster. You can pour it into your grill when it’s right and hot.

 

Thanks, Amazon

So your grill is nice and hot, what next? You can use two methods, the photo below shows the first method:

 

 

 

The other method is to use two heat safe items to lift up the skewers so they don’t touch the actual grill. This allows for optimal flipping and prevents the meat from falling off.

 

 

Continue grilling the Kabob, making sure not to dry out the meat, juiciness actually is critical (haha).

Depending on the quality of your meat (stop giggling EVERYONE! hehehehhe) You can prepare the meat to any level of doneness. If it’s your standard grocery store mix, I would say go at least medium well, you don’t want a evening with the porcelain mistress ruining your feast. If it’s a higher quality mix, I’d say only go as low as a medium, don’t even dip your toes in the rare spectrum.

 

 

Once you are ready, you can pull the meat off the grill.

 

 

 

Use the pita bread to put a layer underneath the meat and a layer above. Let it sit there for about 2 minutes, if you do it immediately you’ll lose some of the good juices from the meat. Use the bread as a pseudo glove to pull it off the skewer. The bread below is a delicacy in Iran as it soaks up a lot of the great Artery clogging goodness that we call fat.

 

After that it’s time to chow down, preferably with some rice and yogurt (plain, full fat, and Greek or Middle Eastern) and if you’re a true blue a nice raw onion wedge on the side. Yeah ladies, that’s right Iranian men all across the globe eat their kabob with a raw onion. Iranian Men, disgusting women everywhere since 500 B.C.