Seekh Kebab
Hand-pressed, coal-kissed, unmistakable.
- Marinade
- 1 hour minimum chilled
- Prep + cook
- 35 + 12 min
- Safe temp
- 71°C
- Yield
- 1 kg raw, serves 4
Minced beef or lamb with enough fat to stay juicy, worked with onion, herbs and spice until sticky, then pressed by hand onto wide skewers. Done right it holds firm, smokes beautifully and snaps with juice.
Method
- 1
Squeeze the grated onion in a cloth until no more liquid comes out. Wet onion is the main reason seekh fall off the skewer.
- 2
Combine mince with every ingredient except the ghee. Knead hard for 5 to 8 minutes until tacky and it stretches.
- 3
Chill at least 1 hour; cold fat binds.
- 4
With wet hands, press about 90 to 100 g around each wide skewer into a 2 to 2.5 cm thick cylinder, pinching ridges with your fingers.
- 5
Grill over high coals, rotating every 2 minutes, for 8 to 12 minutes.
- 6
Brush with ghee near the end. Probe through the side into the middle: pull at 71°C.
71°C
Safe internal temperature
Minced beef or lamb must reach 71°C in the centre. Minced chicken must reach 74°C. Times above are estimates; a probe thermometer is the only reliable check.
USDA safe temperature chartPitmaster notes
- Lean mince crumbles. Ask your butcher for 20 percent fat or add chopped lamb fat.
- Rest skewers across two bricks so the kebab never touches the grate.
On the table
- Paratha or naan
- Raw onion and lemon
- Mint raita
Keep the grill going
Goes well with
Naan for tikka and kebabs
Explore naan to serve alongside your BBQ on our sister site, doubleroti.si.