Lebanese Kofta Recipe | Grilling

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated August 09, 2018
Lebanese kofta on a grill

Serious Eats

Each week Joshua Bousel of The Meatwave drops by with a recipe for you to grill over the weekend. Fire it up, Joshua!

My enthusiasm for lamb is not mutual in my relationship, so it's always a treat when I cook it up at home--it doesn't happen all that often. Last weekend was one of those sporadic times when lamb graced my grill, and it was extra special since these Lebanese kofta skewers were some of the best lamb creations I've ever made.

It started with fatty pieces of lamb shoulder, which I finely ground, combined with parsley, onion, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt and pepper. The lamb mixture was then formed around skewers and grilled. The spices were subtle against the distinct flavor of lamb, but there was just enough to give the meat a complexity behind its deceptively simple looks. With an under-oiled grate, a couple of the skewers fell apart when I tried to turn them, but despite the fallback, thankfully no meat was lost. They grilled up and were gladly eaten all the same.

Recipe Details

Lebanese Kofta Recipe | Grilling

Prep 60 mins
Cook 10 mins
Total 70 mins
Serves 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 pounds finely ground lamb

  • 1 bunch of parsley, washed and coarsely chopped

  • 1 large red onion, coarsely chopped

  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves

  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

  1. Soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes prior to use.

    Pulse onion and parsley in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and add the ground lamb, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined.

  2. Form lamb mixture into 1 1/2" meat balls. Thread one meatball on a skewer, then form meat into a log shape around the skewer. Repeat until all lamb is used.

  3. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread coals out evenly over the charcoal grate. Clean and oil your grilling grate.

  4. Grill skewers over high heat until browned on all sides and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and serve.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
411Calories
28gFat
2gCarbs
36gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories411
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 28g36%
Saturated Fat 12g58%
Cholesterol 137mg46%
Sodium 701mg30%
Total Carbohydrate 2g1%
Dietary Fiber 1g2%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 36g
Vitamin C 10mg50%
Calcium 46mg4%
Iron 3mg17%
Potassium 547mg12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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