Kebabs with Fire-Charred Eggplant & Yogurt
When I first picked up Stephen Raichlen’s Barbecue Bible back in 1998, I am fairly certain I skipped over the chapter on ground meat. Back then, my tastes were big, but hardly exotic. I was more curious about steaks, and ribs, and why I wanted to stick a chicken on a beer can. His book was, and still is, a wonderful "grillinary" journey.
With the passage of time, my appetite remains the same, but my tastes have gone around the world, literally. If I wanted to grill a kebab in my younger days, it would have been full of cubed meat and vegetables. I would have never thought of grilling ground meat. Not today, ground lamb is the meat du jour and the delight of eating it off a skewer is a treat in itself. Add in an eggplant yogurt puree and those steaks, ribs, and chicken are a distant reminder…well not too distant. I still need to eat this weekend.
Kebabs with Fire-Charred Eggplant & Yogurt
Adapted from my stained & dog-eared copy of Stephen Raichlen’s Barbecue Bible
Kebabs
1 pound ground lamb
3 T minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t fresh dill, chopped
1 t salt
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t freshly ground pepper
Eggplant Puree
2 eggplants, about 10 ounces each
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 1-1/4 cups whole milk yogurt
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 t salt
1/2 t freshly ground pepper
In a bowl, mix together the lamb, onion, garlic, dill, salt, cumin, & pepper with your hands. Continue to knead for several minutes.
On a baking sheet, divide the meat into four equal portions. Mold each portion into a long cylinder and then pierce with a skewer. Alternately, form the meat around the skewer. Either way, meat should have a diameter of approximately one inch and be uniform in size.
Cover the kebabs with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours. This allows them to set-up.
Grill the eggplants over direct high heat for approximately 20 to 30 minutes, rotating every 5 minutes, so all sides are charred. Remove from the grill and allow to cool.
Removed the charred skin. Chop the eggplant into chunks and add to a food processor. Process until pureed.
Transfer to a bowl and stir in the garlic, 1 cup of yogurt, the lemon juice, salt and pepper.
The puree should be loose, but if too loose, add more yogurt. Think applesauce consistency.
Kebabs are grilled “grateless,” or rather they are grilled above the grates.
This is the precise reason I love my Weber Elevations Tiered Cooking System. The rack for my Summit allows the kebabs to be suspended directly over the grates without touching. It is a perfect kebab cooker.
If you are not using Elevations, two bricks wrapped in foil will accomplish the same feat. Just balance the skewers across the bricks so they do not touch the grates. You could grill directly on the grates, but the grates would have to be incredibly clean and the kebabs well oiled to make it work.
Grill the kebabs for approximately 3-4 minutes a side 6-8 minutes total.
During the last few minutes, add the puree to one side of the grill to heat up.
While kebabs can be served with pitas, I prefer them bread-less. Removed from the skewer, cut into pieces, and dunked in the eggplant puree make this a simple, yet exotic meal.
Sure, I could have a steak, but there is something to be said about rich and savory lamb followed by the garlic tang of the eggplant puree.
