Adana Kebab – Traditional Turkish Ground Meat Skewer Kebab

Preparation

1. 01

   Step 01

   Grate the onion and squeeze out the juice into a bowl. Set aside the onion juice for use in the ground meat.

2. 02

   Step 02

   Place the ground lamb in a wide bowl. Add the finely chopped tail fat, red pepper flakes, salt, and onion juice. Knead all the ingredients by hand for at least 10 minutes. Continue kneading until the meat reaches a paste-like consistency and begins to stick to your hands.

3. 03

   resting in the refrigerator

   Cover the kneaded meat with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. This resting time helps the meat adhere better to the skewers.

4. 04

   Step 04

   Take egg-sized portions of the meat and place them along the length of wide, flat metal skewers (Adana skewers). Press with your thumb to spread the meat thinly and evenly along the skewer. Prepare approximately 4 skewers, using about 150–175 g of meat per skewer.

5. 05

   grilling over high heat

   Heat a grill or cast-iron grill over high heat. Place the skewers over the coals. Cook on each side for approximately 4-5 minutes, turning, until lightly charred on the outside and juicy on the inside.

6. 06

   Step 06

   Prepare the sumac onion garnish by rubbing thinly sliced half-moon onions with sumac.

7. 07

   Charring

   While the kebabs are cooking, place the tomatoes and peppers over the coals and grill on both sides. Peel and transfer to a serving plate.

8. 08

   Step 08

   Lightly warm the lavash bread. Slide the meat off the kebab skewers onto the lavash, or serve with the skewers. Serve hot with sumac onions, grilled tomatoes, and peppers.