The shish kebab is a popular barbecue dish that can be found in different variants in Levant. For me, the roaster is also a family memory, a memory of sunny days in the open air.

Every family has its own recipe, but the basics are the same. Meat and vegetables can vary, but all regions match preparation: meat must be roasted over fire or grilled. And so that you can prepare your sweet, juicy brochet, in this brochet recipe, you will find the right tips.

Shish kebab: A Culinary Experience of Levante

The name shish kebab comes from Turkish Åiş kebab, which means ‘brochet’ and ‘roasted or grilled meat’. This name says everything. It’s a barbecue with meat, and it goes in my barbecue during the barbecue season.

Of course, the art of sailing and roasting small pieces of meat is practiced around the world. But every region has its peculiarities. Over time, the lamb kebab has evolved in Levante and has taken various regional forms, such as the kebab Adana of Turkey, which uses a mixture of lamb and beef. It’d be a minced meat brochet. But now we’re talking about little pieces of meat.

Choice of meat: lamb or alternatives?

One of the most crucial decisions for your roast is selecting the right meat. A real shish kebab is traditionally made with lamb. The lamb is known for its intense taste. But other types of meat or alternatives to meat can also be tried.

Lamb – The Classic

When the shish kebab is mentioned, many people think immediately about the lamb, and rightly so. The lamb is a classic meat for this barbecue and impresses with its unmistakable taste.

However, to take advantage of the full potential of the lamb, you need the right adobo, which I’ll tell you about later. The quality of the lamb plays a decisive role in the outcome. It is worth paying attention to freshness and origin, and buying meat directly from the butcher.

To highlight all the flavors when roasting it, you must use lamb with fat. This is because fat is a flavor bearer and also keeps the meat on the grill and juicy. So it’s better to order a lamb leg or a lamb palette. My parents used to take some pure lamb fat and put it between the pieces of meat and vegetables. This made the brochet even more juicy.

What kind of meat can I use for shish kebab if I don’t like lamb?

If you don’t like lamb, of course, you can also use other meat. The Shish Kebab is versatile and also offers space for your personal preferences and creative experiments. In addition to lamb, beef or chicken can also be used, each of which brings its own character to the dish. For the chicken buckets, you can try my shish taouk recipe.

You can use a calf ring or an entrecôte. These cuts have a good fat content, so your brochet is juicy.

Vegan Kebab:

A vegetable alternative for those who prefer a vegetarian or vegan diet, there are equally delicious alternatives. Tofu, seitan, or even jackfruit, which offer a texture similar to meat, can be used to make a barbecue bump. You can simply use the marinade and let the tofu or jackfruit marinate all night, for example, or if you make your own seitán, you can mix the spices directly.

Although these plant alternatives are a completely different barbecue experience, they show that the preparation of brochets can be versatile. So everyone can enjoy a juicy shish kebab, regardless of their personal dietary habits, although I would actually call the pincho something else.

Species and adobos: the taste is what counts

As soon as the first brochets are placed on the grill, the flavor show begins. The smell that develops then makes my mouth water. And this is not just because of the flesh, but also because of the spices.

The secret of all shish kebab lies in the wolf. The flavors develop better if you leave the meat in the seasoning sauce all night.

Olive oil, garlic, and spices

Olive oil is always good! Here it serves as a basis for the bumper of the brochets. Not only does it provide flexibility to meat, but it also ensures that spices are evenly distributed.

Then add garlic, lemon, spices, and herbs to make the perfect adobo. If you want something really basic, you really do have the following ingredients. My personal recipe is as follows. Here’s the basics:

• Olive oil
• Garlic teeth
• Lemon juice (you can also use lemon grating)
• Salt and pepper

Species and herbs

Levantine cuisine is characterized by intense but subtle use of spices. The natural flavor of food must be highlighted and not masked. So always pay attention to this when seasons and marines.

The essential thing: the ingredients of the shish kebab

You will need the following ingredients for the brochets:

• Lamb or beef (with a fatty grain)
• Garlic
• Lemon juice
• Species: Powder, cumin, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, juice, chew scales, Jamaica pepper, salt, and pepper.
• Olive oil
• Onions
• optional: coloured peppers

Traditionally, we always serve the grilled brushes with a delicious onion salad with fresh parsley and juice.

For an onion salad, you need

• Big onion
• Flat-leaf parsley
• Sumac

How long should the meat be marinated?

The meat for the shish kebab must be marinated for at least 60 minutes and up to 12 hours. Personally, I always recommend at least 4 hours, but preferably all night in the fridge so that flavors are impregnated in the flesh.

You know what meat and spices are the best for tasty barbecue pinchos. Always pay attention to product quality, as this guarantees you a delicious taste experience.

If you already have metal or wood brochets on hand, you can start preparing them right away.

From grill to plate: preparation and garrisons

The shish kebab is traditionally prepared on metal skewers on an open fire. However, since not everyone can make fire, of course, it is also possible to use a gas grill, a contact grill, or a barbecue to roast, but in my opinion, the best results are certainly achieved on a coal grill.

The steps of preparation of the meat brochets are as follows:

• Cut the meat into dice.
• For the adobo, finely chop garlic and mix it with oil, lemon juice, and spices. Put the meat in the marinade and let it marinate all night or at least 4 hours so that the meat absorbs all the flavors.
• Cut the peppers and onions into dice. Now, put the onion, pepper, and meat in dice in one pan after another.
• As the brochets everywhere, approx. 1-2 minutes each side.
• If you want the meat to be at an average temperature, it is best to work with a thermometer (central temperature of about 58 – 60°C).
• But you can always try a piece of the pinch directly.
• For onion salad, cut onions into fine rings, itch parsley, mix everything well with the juice, and let it infusion.

The preparation and cooking of the recipe is therefore super easy and perfect for any barbecue evening.

My advice for shish kebab

I learned this from my parents: when you’re pacing the meat buckets, you must put aside some fresh flat bread. Then I open the flat bread, put it on my hand as if it were a cloth, and then put the roast brochet on top. This allows me to remove the juices from the meat from the brochets.

The flat bread is aromatized with the adobo and the juices of the meat, and it is the perfect appetizer to accompany the brochet. It combines perfectly with hummus, for example. You can also use flat bread as a very simple source. When I finish roasting the brochets, I put them on a flatbread and I put the meat back on it. This allows bread to absorb the fantastic flavors of the barbecue. Then the flat bread filled with brochets is covered with another flat bread. The meat keeps warm longer and can be served right away.

The perfect accompaniment for tasty barbecue buckets

Although I could eat until I got sick of the bumps, the great garrisons surround everything very well. We always have tabulé or fattoush in our barbecues. These two salads have a great, fresh acidity and offer a good counterpart to the tasty shish kebab meat.

For me, the shish kebab is always accompanied by onion salad with parsley and juice, as well as a good spoonful of hummus and flat bread. Or I’ll rip out a piece of bread and grab a piece of meat from the pinch and a little onion salad, and then I’ll pass it all over creamus hummus, or I’ll make a wrap with the same ingredients.

For the wrap, onto the hummus in the flat bread, I scatter the onion salad and put the brochet in the middle of the bread. Then I just have to get the broth out of the meat, and I can roll the bread. Another great accompaniment of the barbecue brochets is the subtly smoked freekeh salad.

Another classic of the plate is the tzatziki, a creamy Greek yogurt sauce with finely chopped garlic, cucumber, and a white wine vinegar jet. The acid freshness of tzatziki harmonizes wonderfully with the rich flavors of grilled meat. But if you prefer a vegan sauce, of course, hummus or zhug are doing well.

Flat bread is another element that plays a central role in the Levant and must not be missing in the shish kebab; I am not tired of repeating it. As I said, soft and hot bread is very well suited to absorb the delicious meat juices. You can also serve it with pita bread or Turkish flat bread.

Discover culinary diversity: Shish Kebab in the world

The shish kebab is a global phenomenon that has taken its own form in many countries. From the #Šakevapi (made with minced beef or lamb) and the shashlik (with onions and peppers) in southeast Europe to the gyros prepared with pig in Greece and the Iranian shishlik, international variations are, of course, always a reflection of local ingredients and traditions.

I hope you have a good idea now of how to prepare a perfect shish kebab and also how and what to eat with it. I’m really hungry now, are you? Don’t stop trying the meat brushes and leave a comment on what you think. Anyway, I hope you enjoy trying them and enjoy a good advantage!