Grilled Beef Kofta Kebabs on Flat Skewers

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Juicy, deeply spiced beef koftas that actually stay on the skewer. The trick is grated onion squeezed bone-dry for flavor without water, then kneading the meat until it turns tacky and sticky so it grips flat metal skewers over a hot grill. Char on the outside, tender and loose inside, with a cool sumac yogurt and warm flatbread.

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1.5 lb ground beef, 80/20
• 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1.5 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for brushing

• 1 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 tsp sumac
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

• 4 pita or lavash flatbreads
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp sumac, for sprinkling
• 2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Grate the yellow onion on the large holes of a box grater into a bowl (you want about 3/4 cup of pulp and juice). Scoop the pulp into a clean kitchen towel or several layers of paper towel and squeeze hard over the sink until almost no liquid comes out — you should be left with roughly 1/3 cup of dry, fluffy onion. This is the single most important step: onion water makes kofta steam apart on the grill.
2. Put the squeezed onion, ground beef, grated garlic, parsley, mint, cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne, salt, black pepper, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large bowl.
3. Knead the mixture with one hand, pressing and smearing it against the side of the bowl, for 4 to 5 full minutes. It will go from crumbly to smooth and noticeably tacky — when you press your palm flat onto the surface and lift, the meat should cling to your hand in a sheet. That stickiness is what holds it on the skewer.
4. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Meanwhile, stir together the yogurt, lemon juice, grated garlic, sumac, and salt; refrigerate. Toss the sliced red onion with a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon sumac.
5. Build a hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill to high (about 500°F) with the grates scraped clean and lightly oiled. If cooking indoors, heat a cast-iron grill pan over medium-high for 5 minutes.
6. Divide the chilled meat into 8 equal portions (about 3 oz each). Wet your hands with cold water. Press one portion around the middle of a flat metal skewer, then squeeze and slide your fist along it to form a log 5 to 6 inches long and about 1 inch thick, sealing the ends firmly around the skewer. Repeat with the rest, re-wetting your hands as needed, and lay the skewers on an oiled tray.
7. Brush the koftas lightly with olive oil and lay them on the hot grill. Do not touch them for 3 to 4 minutes — they need to set and release before turning. Turn a quarter turn at a time, 2 to 3 minutes per side, for 8 to 12 minutes total, until well charred and an instant-read thermometer in the center reads 160°F.
8. Warm the flatbreads on the cooler side of the grill for 30 seconds a side. Rest the koftas 3 minutes, then slide them off the skewers (press the meat with the flatbread while pulling the skewer). Serve with sumac yogurt, sumac onions, sliced tomatoes, and lemon wedges.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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