What’s on the Grill #76

Mega Donner Kabobs!  Ever since our trip across the pond in 2006, I have had this thing for Donner Kabobs.  Donner Kabobs are basically Gyros.  After a night on the town in the states, you head to Denny’s or Waffle House.  On the Isle of Wight, you head to a kabob house.  Some time in the last year, I remembered seeing a recipe for gyros.  However, I could not figure out where I saw it.  It was not until I went through all of my grill books, twice, that I realized I didn’t see it in a book.  I saw it on TV.  It was from an episode of Good Eats.

So, armed with recipe in hand, I set out to recreate this delicious treat.  The first problem I ran into last week was the availability of ground lamb.  None of our butchers, or local groceries, had it in stock.  It was not until I was not looking for it that I found it at Meijer, no less.

The recipe is straightforward.  You blend the ingredients together, shape the meat mass into a log, and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.

No problems there, although our food processor barely fit 2 pounds of ground lamb.  I was a little bit more worried about grill day.  As I have now come to realize, kabobs are basically meatloaf on a stick.  I was not too sure how a mass of lambloaf was going to take a rotisserie spit, let alone a lazy spin on the grill.  So, the moment of truth came and surprisingly, the lambloaf held fairly well.

I marched my prize to the grill, set it up on the 650 over a drip pan, and started the spin.  The meat starts out on high for 15 minutes and then backs down to medium for another 20 minutes.  I used the rotisserie burner for the first 5 minutes of the initial high period.  I was still worried that the meat would fall off, and I figured the sooner the outside was browned the better off I would be.

A quick opening of the hood, reminded me of the smells in the kabob house on the island.  In fact, the experience was incredibly similar, minus the Greek>English>American language barrier.

With the loaf topped out at 175 degrees Fahrenheit, I popped it off the rotisserie.  I sliced it about as thin as I could, but was unable to get the small slices I really wanted.  If you think “Mom’s Meatloaf”, you can imagine what it was like.  (Ed. Note: By “Mom’s”, I don’t mean my Mom….just a generic version of what a Mom’s Meatloaf might be like)

Although my finish product was more of an “Adequate Donner Kabob” than a “Mega Donner Kabob”, it still hit the spot when served in a pita with tzatziki sauce.  I’m sure I will try it again.