These Moroccan ground beef kebabs are as easy as 1-2-3. Combine the ingredients together, skewer them, and grill them to perfection. Minced beef kebabs cook fairly quickly, so these take barely 5 to 6 minutes on the grill. Serve them with flavored rice or pita bread and tahini. Don’t forget to serve some homemade hummus and aromatic salads for that full Middle-Eastern experience.
A stack of kebabs made with beef on a tray served with tahini, pita and hummus.
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl Glass
- Stovetop Grill
- Cutting boards
- Kitchen Knife
Ingredients
- lb (500 g) Ground beef 25% fat or 75% lean
- 1 cup Onion finely chopped
- 4 large Garlic cloves finely minced
- 3 inch Fresh Ginger grated
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- 1 tsp Cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp Paprika or cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 cup Parsley, cilantro, mint chopped use all three ingredients or any two  will work
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp Black pepper
- 2 tbsp Dry breadcrumbs /optional
- Plus
- 10 bamboo Skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes
- ¼ cup cooking oil for grilling
Adjustable Servings:Â Makes 8 to 10 skewers
Directions
- Combine – In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients.
- Pro tip – We combine all the ingredients before processing to prevent overprocessing.
- 1 lb. Ground beef,1 cup Onion,4 large Garlic cloves, 3-inch Fresh Ginger, ¼ tsp Turmeric powder,1 tsp Cumin powder,1 tsp Cinnamon powder,1 tsp Paprika,2 tbsp Lemon juice,1 tbsp Olive oil,1 cup Parsley, cilantro, mint, ½ tsp Kosher salt, ½ tsp Black pepper,2 tbsp Dry breadcrumbs
- Process – Transfer the mixture to the food processor and pulse no more then 8 to 10 times.
- Pro tip – processing in the food processor makes the mixture slightly stick by distributing the fat. This helps the meat and marinade hold together.
- Marinate – Transfer the meat back to the bow and leave to marinate for 15 minutes on the counter top or keep overnight in the fridge.
- Pro tip – Alternatively, you can thread the meat on the skewers and leave in the fridge until ready to grill.
Thread/shape kebabs – shaping these can be tricky so pay attention
- Take about 1/3 cup amount of beef mixture and make a ball then shape it into a long sausage.
- Thread the skewer through the sausage.
- Now using your fingers press them around the meat as if you are making a fist pressing the meat to the skewer.
- Be gentle not to break the sausage but firm enough so it adheres to the skewers
- Pro tip – dipping your hands in water will make the meat less sticky. Gloves do not help much.
- Hot grill – Heat a grill or cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat. Brush the grill with cooking oil.
- Pro tip – The grill must be very hot but not smoking hot otherwise the meat will stick to the grill.
- Grill – Place the skewers on the grill and let cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Brush them with oil to keep them moist. The char marks can be controlled by raising and lowing the heat under the grill.
- Pro tip – do not try to move the kebabs for the first 3 minutes as they will be stuck to the grill. otherwise, you will break them. After 3 minutes they should release on their own.
- Serve immediately with rice or pita topped with tahini sauce or yogurt sauce and a side salad.
Oven bake kebabs
To bake these in the oven instead of the grill.
– Preheat the oven to 400 F/200 C or Gas Mark 6
– Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and brush with oil to prevent sticking.
– Place the skewers on the tray and brush with oil.
– Bake in the oven on the top rack for 10 to 13 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat on an instant-read meat thermometer reaches 145F for medium doneness.
Pro tip – these will continue to cook on the hot tray even after you take them out of the oven so do not over-cook in the oven.
Tips & Tricks
Always use good quality ground meat with a good fat of at least 25%. This fat later helps bind the meat together when kneading.
When buying beef for kebabs use either lean sirloin (75%) or chuck which is 80% lean. Any leaner than that means there is no fat to hold the meat together.
If possible, use metal skewers as this cook the meat from the inside as well. But you can use bamboo skewers too as you can see in the pictures.
Soak the bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes. When soaked the wet wood prevents them from burning.
Knead the meat well so the mixture sticks to each other (like glue) this holds & binds the meat together during grilling.
Kebabs are always best served fresh off the grill. If you make them early, keep them covered in a container to catch all the juices and to keep them warm.
To reheat the kebabs ,place them on a plate and cover them with a wet paper towel. The moisture created by the steam from the paper towel keeps the kebabs moist
Pro Tip
Serve them with your own choice of drinks, and enjoy the hot kebabs, never cold with tahini sauce or yogurt.
Enjoy!Â
