Koobideh - Persian BBQ Ground Beef Kabab
I hope you enjoy this as much as we do. Serve the kebabs with warm pita bread, homemade hummus, Salad-e Shirazi (a tomato, cucumber, and onion salad), and Maast o Khimar (a cucumber dill yogurt sauce; see the recipe below).
Equipment
- grater or food processor fitted with small/medium grater
- large mixing bowl
- bowl of water
- koobideh skewers (traditional Persian large flat stainless steel skewers)
- Tongs
- maple or plum charcoal (optional)
- charcoal or gas grill
Ingredients
Koobideh
- 3 lbs ground beef (super lean beef will not stick together over the fire) (preferably 60/40, but 70/30 grind will substitute)
- 1 whole onion, white, grated small, and drained (save the onion juice to for Barb Kebab or to baste over the Koobideh)
- 1 ½ tsp salt, kosher, or sea
- 1 ½ tsp pepper, black coarse grind
- 1 tsp turmeric, ground
- 1 ½ tsp saffron water To make saffron water, crush a pinch of saffron threads and soak them in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes until the water turns a rich golden color. Strain the mixture to remove the saffron threads, and your saffron water is ready to use.
- 1 whole egg (The egg will help the 70/30 ground beef stick together.)
Garnish
- 1 whole tomato, grilled
- 1 whole pepper, cored, seeded, and grilled
- ½ whole onion, cored and grilled
- 1 whole eggplant, cut into large pieces, and grilled
- 1 whole lemon halved and grilled
- 1 cup Persian yogurt sauce (Maast-o khiar or Persian Tzatziki Sauce)
- 1 cup rice, cooked
Maast o khimar Persian yogurt/cucumber sauce recipe
- 2 cup yogurt, plain greek style preferably
- 1 whole cucumber, English, quartered and sliced
- 1 whole garlic, crushed and finely minced
- 1 whole shallot, peeled, cored, and finely minced
- 1½ tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- 1 whole lemon, juiced
- To taste salt and pepper
- 1 tsp sumac, ground, sprinkled on top
Instructions
Prep the Onion
- Using a hand grater or food processor with a grating disc, grate one cored whole onion.
- Place the grated onion in a cheesecloth and squeeze out the onion juice. Reserve the onion juice for basting the koobideh while grilling.
Prep the Beef
- Add the 60/40 or 70/30 ground beef to a large mixing bowl. (Super lean ground beef will not stick together when it cooks over an open fire.) Add the onion and mix thoroughly with your hands to combine.
- Add the egg, salt, coarse-ground black pepper, ground turmeric, and saffron water to the meat mixture. Using your hands, mix the beef mixture until well incorporated.
- Cover the bowl with the meat mixture tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight for 8-12 hours. (Letting the meat mixture rest will allow the flavors to develop fully.) Reserve.
Preparing the Koobideh Skewers
- Start the fire using Maple or Plum charcoal with a chimney starter or preferred method. Once the charcoal is ready, spread it evenly over the center of the grill. Leave a small gap at the top and bottom of the grilling area. (You only need lit charcoal under the space where the meat will cook.) When cooking over a live charcoal fire, check to ensure your skewers are long enough to rest over the width of the grill before lighting the fire. Alternatively, set up a gas grill by removing the grates and setting the heat on medium to medium-high.Either way, arrange the heat for a low-heat area, a medium- to high-heat area, and a no-heat or holding space. Additionally, this technique allows you to adjust the heat by relocating the skewers to the desired zones as needed.(If you have to use a grill grate, make sure it is very well oiled before adding the meat so that it won't stick.)
- Pour clean water (or more onion juice) into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Dip your hand in the water to prevent the marinated ground beef from sticking to it. Have this bowl next to the beef mixture bowl for easy access.
- While holding the Koobideh skewer with one hand, start loading the ground beef mixture onto the skewers. First, make sure the meat mixture wraps around the skewer on all sides. Next, dip your meat hand in water before adding more ground meat. Repeat this process until the skewer is loaded up (2 large handfuls). Leave approximately 3-4 inches of the lead and the bottom of the skewer free from the meat mixture.
- Using a combination of your thumb and forefinger, leave light indentations in the beef. Rotate and do the same on the opposite side. This technique will help even out the meat mixture over the skewer. Repeat the process. Reserve.
Grilling
- Place the skewer over a gas grill or a wood charcoal grill, 2-3 inches above the source of heat. Cook over medium until the underside becomes golden brown (4-5 minutes). Turn the skewer over and cook the second side (4-5 minutes).Test the top of the meat by poking with your finger. The seasoned ground beef should feel just firm to the touch. Avoid over-cooking and drying out the kebabs. If you have an instant-read thermometer, the kebabs should read 155°F (68 °C).
- To remove the meat from the skewer, use a fork or tongs. Push on the top or leading edge of the kabab to loosen the koobideh. Once loosened, glide the meat off the skewer. Hold onto a warm serving platter.
Serving
- Serve the Koobideh with a mixture of grilled vegetables, rice, and lemon wedges. Maast or Khair, also known as Persian yogurt sauce (Recipe above), is also essential.