You Don’t Eat No Meat?

That’s OK, I make lamb!
Can you guess what movie that’s from? The best line from My Big Fat Greek Wedding and a pretty accurate summation of My Small Yet Crazy Russian Life.

You see, I was born in Kiev but we lived in Baku where lamb was a dinner staple much like chicken here in the USA.  Whether marinated, ground, grilled or skewered, it’s in every Azerbaijani home, on every restaurant menu, and probably the first solid food I tried.  No surprise then that I love it especially, my father’s famous shish kebab and lulya kebab…

After BBQing 2 Flintstone sized racks of ribs the night before…

We got to take a break from cooking when my father took to the grill on Memorial Day Monday.  On the menu, his special lamb kebabs that he had been marinating for almost 1 week…

and lulya kebabs that I convinced him to grill as lamb burgers. 
I need to get his recipe for both but this lulya one comes pretty close.

Skill Level: Intermediate
You will need:
1lb of ground lamb (beef or pork is acceptable as well but don’t even think about it) 😐
100g of lamb fat( pork fat will work too)
1 onion
pinch of salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of coriander
cilantro
lemon
The most authentic and probably the best way to prepare the meat is to grind it yourself, (if you have one of these then you get extra points),

or chop it with a really sharp knife, as it will preserve most of the meat juices.
You have to mince a piece of fat into the tiniest little cubes that you can make. Same goes for cilantro.
Next is the very important step. It will make or break your lulya kebab. You have to combine your ground meat, fat, cilantro, add coriander, cumin, salt and pepper to taste. You have to keep mixing by hand for about 7 minutes. Once you are done, shape it into a ball, and start throwing hard at the cutting board or the bottom of your mixing dish for about 5-10 minutes or so.
This will start a chemical reaction that will in later steps keep your kebab attached to skewers and prevent it from falling apart and falling into charcoal, so just be patient and follow directions.  Tired yet?
Here’s where you get to take a break and a shot.
Once you are done, cover your dish with foil, cut a few holes in it, and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Slice some onions, add 1/4 cup of vinegar to it, and a little bit of dill or basil.
Fire up your grill, or preheat your oven to 375 F.  If you have the special grill, called “mangal”, which is specifically designed to make kebabs, more points for you!

Got stainless steel skewers to go with it, I crown you the Kebab Master.
If you are using a regular grill, you can purchase some kebab accessories for it, to make sure that your kebab doesn’t touch the grill grate, otherwise it will stick to it and you won’t be able to flip it over.
We don’t have the “right grill” so my father searched the neighborhood for just the right branches and stones to avoid this from happening…it’s serious business I tell you but look how happy it makes him!

Prepare charcoal, when it’s all lit up red and has some white ashes over it, it is time to grill.
To shape lulya kebab, make a tennis ball size round meat patty, and put it on the skewer, while holding the ball with one hand, start turning skewer with the other hand clockwise, squeezing the meat gently and spreading it over the skewer. Make sure there are no holes left and everything looks uniformed, seal the ends to prevent any juices from ripping your kebabs apart.
All right, it is time to put it on the grill. If you are using the oven well, just don’t but if you must you can skip these steps.  Just spray your oven dish before putting it in and cook for 15- 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Make sure to flip it over a few times.
Keep turning it often, do not let it burn. The fat that is in it, will make it nice and juicy, but can also start grill flare ups, so keep an eye on it, and move it out of fire spots .
It usually takes 10-12 minutes to get it fully cooked.
Once done, tray it up, cover with some vinegar drenched onions and some pomegranate seeds and dive in!

Na Zdarovya!

Alya