Kabob Koobideh (Ground Meat Kabob) (2024)

Kabob Koobideh are the most juicy and amazingly flavorful ground meat kabobs ever! Using minimal ingredients, these Persian kabobs are the epitome of perfection when it comes to grilling ground meat. Here is a step by step tutorial for making the best koobideh.

What is Koobideh?

Kabob koobideh arePersian grilled meat skewersmade with ground lamb, ground beef or a blend of both, grated onions and spices. From the streets of Iran to the finest of restaurants, these kebabs are immensely popular.

Served with a mound of saffron rice and a cube of butter on top, it is the national dish of Iran, known aschelo kabab. When served with kabab barg (filet mignon kabob) it is known askabob soltani.

With minimal ingredients and a simple but brilliant technique, this classic recipe produces atrue masterpiecethat has been impressing people for centuries and still dominates Persian menus all around the world.

This is my favorite Persian kabob, and I have improved this recipe and the tips after making it for decades. But if you are in a rush and want quick Persian kabobs, then we also have Kotlet and Kabab Tabei (skillet kabobs) for you.

Tips for Perfect Kabobs

• Essentials: Fresh ground meat with optimal fat content and grated onions; adequate kneading of the meat mixture, a charcoal grill and proper grilling technique.
• Technique: The meat is wrapped around wide metal skewers that get heated, so it cooks rapidly from inside and outside. And this quick cooking process makes the kabobs juicy and the high heat browns the meat producing deliciously complex flavors (Maillard reaction).
• Practice well: If you have never made koobideh before, don't worry if it doesn't work out well the very first time. Many peoplewill need to try it a few timesfor best results.

How to Make Koobideh Kabob

Ingredient Notes

• Ground Meat: Typically 80 percent lean meat is used, but 85 percent lean meat can work. I use a blend of ground lamb and beef. Other options are chicken, goat, and veal.
• Ground Beef: When using only beef, I combine finely ground chuck and ground sirloin. Sirloin is more lean (90%) and tender, chuck is more fatty (80%) and beefy in flavor. You can grind the meat twice using a meat grinder; avoid food processor.
• Fat Content: Some recipes use 70 percent lean meat, but that is too fatty. Fat may make it more sticky and help it bind while shaping the kebabs, but while grilling, the fat starts melting and the meat falls off the skewers more easily. Traditional recipes do not add ghee, other fats or eggs to the meat.
• Onions: I use yellow onions. These give flavor, moisture and texture to the kabobs. Squeeze out the juices well, especially if using ground chicken which is very tender. Astrong onion flavoris characteristic for these kabobs.
• Spices: I only use ground black pepper and turmeric or ground saffron. Some non-traditional recipes may add any of the following - grated garlic, sumac, chopped cilantro, ground coriander etc.
• Salt: I use 1 teaspoon per pound ground meat. Make sure to season the kabobs well as we don't use many spices or herbs here.
• Baking Soda: Optional, but a pinch of this may help with quick cooking. I skip it most of the time.
• Basting Mixture: This adds moisture and flavor. I make it with olive oil, lemon juice, onion juice and salt.

Equipment

• Wide Metal Skewers: We need wide 1-inch metal skewers and these are available as Persian kebab skewers, online or at middle eastern stores.
• Thin Skewers: For grilling vegetables, I use ¼-inch metal skewers which are also available from the above sources.

The Directions

Here is a step-by-step overview. Full recipe with measurements is at the end of the post. To keep it authentic, I use traditional ingredients and focus on the technique.

• Prepare Kabob Mixture. Combine the ingredients and knead for five minutes into a smooth paste so that you can easily mold it on skewers. It should be neither too wet nor too dry. When the mixture is ready, you will start seeing a thin film of fat coating the bowl.
• Start the Grill. Do this half hour before cooking. Use charcoal and not briquettes. And if you are a beginner, check this tutorial.Charcoal grill will give authentic and restaurant style results, but you can also use gas grill.

• Shape the Kabobs. Divide the kabob mixture into equal portions and moisten your palms with onion juice or plain water.
• Then shape the koobideh on wide skewers. Eight kabobs of 7 to 8 inches long.

• Mark indentations on the koobideh with your fingers.
• Arrange the skewers on a hot charcoal grill. Watch the video tutorial below.

• Grill Vegetables (optional). Start this before the meat kabobs. Thread the vegetables on the thin skewers, brush with oil and place on grill. When they are half cooked, start with the meat kabobs.

• Grill the Kabobs. Place the skewers on the grill, 3 to 4 inches directly over the glowing coals.Tip: You can use metal pipes or bricks on either side to support the skewers.
• Grill the skewers on both sides for 4 to 5 minutes until nicely brown outside and cooked inside but still tender and juicy. Tip: Arrange the skewers one by one. Starting with the first skewer, flip in the same order.
• Baste the skewers in between to keep them juicy.

Stages of Grilling Koobideh

• In the image above, notice the kabobs at various stages of cooking.
• The first kabob from the bottom, was just placed on the grill. See the difference in color between the first skewer (raw) and the second skewer (slightly cooked). We must flip the first skewer quickly so that the meat cooks on the other side too and binds evenly on both sides.
• The second skewer from the bottom after the initial flip.
• The top two kabobs are fully cooked and ready to be taken off the grill.

How To Serve

• With flatbreads. Wrap a small piece of flatbread around the kabobs and slide them out of the skewers and place on a serving platter lined with more flatbreads such as lavash, barbari bread and sangak.
• With Rice. These kabobs taste amazing with fresh steamed saffron rice or dill rice, grilled vegetables, fresh herbs, salads and doogh (Persian mint-flavored yogurt drink). Sprinkle kabobs with sumac or lemon juice.
• Serve freshly grilled. If there is adelay in serving, preserve the juiciness by placing the kebabs between two flatbreads in a tightly sealed container or keep them warm in the oven.
• Sandwiches, wraps, filled pitas with kabobs, vegetables and condiments.

Kabab koobideh recipe in oven

Broil the kabobs on high setting for about 4 to 5 minutes each side. Be sure to read the skewer flipping instructions in the recipe below. Any juices collected in the broiling pan can be poured over the rice or bread.

Storageand Reheating

• Store in refrigerator for 4 to 5 days in airtight container. Freeze in freezer-safe containers for 2 months. Thaw and reheat.
• Reheating:Sprinkle some water in the bottom of an oven-safe dish, cover tightly, and warm it up preferably in an oven. Alternatively, place the kabobs over rice and reheat them together. The steam from rice will heat up the kabobs without drying them out.

Nutrition Tips

Lamb and beef are agreat source of proteinwith all the essential amino acids. These meats are also agood sourceof some B vitamins (B12, niacin, B6), selenium, zinc and iron. Choosegrass fed meatfor its superior taste and nutrition quality. Also balance it with plenty of cancer preventive herbs and vegetables.

More Persian Recipes

• Ghormeh Sabzi(Persian Herb Stew)
• Fesenjan (Persian Chicken Stew)
• Saffron Chicken and Ricewith Spinach and Prunes
• Lamb Shank Recipe

Full Recipe Video

★DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE COMMENT AND GIVE IT A STAR RATING BELOW!

More Grilled Meat Recipes

• Joojeh Kabob(Chicken Kabobs)
• Shishlik(Lamb Chops Recipe)
• Salmon Kabobs

This post was originally published on The Delicious Crescent in October 2018 and has been updated for your benefit.