Delicious Beef Kafta (Lebanese Grilled Beef Kebabs)

So easy to put together this Beef Kafta  (Lebanese Grilled Beef Kebabs) always comes out so tasty and moist straight from the grill! This is my family’s favorite ground beef skewers to make for summer! Perfect for any day when you fancy a delicious ground meat kebab!

Summertime grilling is now upon us!!! Yay!

Having grown up in the Philippines, on a tiny island called Marinduque – you can imagine how much I love the sun and the warm sunny weather! 🙂

The funny thing is that I didn’t even realize this truth until I lived here in the USA (Michigan) and in the UK previously.

We Filipinos take for granted sunny warm days – after all, we have it practically 300 days out of 365 (and perhaps more!).

But sadly, you don’t often see or feel the sun once you live abroad, especially in a place where you have 4 seasons. Where I am – winter can last up to six months – yes, that long, and while there may be sunny days in winter – they are few and far between. 

And yes, when I am here I don’t hide from the sun or take out my umbrella to avoid it – as we usually do in the Philippines. Armed with some sunscreen, I do bask in its glory!

Anyway, on the topic of grilling, I have long been wanting to make these beef skewers which I have tried and enjoyed in some Mediterranean restaurants in our area.

So I finally made them. Even after the first try, I truly loved them and my husband did too – he had about 4 skewers! 🙂 That’s a win-win in my book!

They shrunk during my first attempt so they weren’t big so after that, I made sure that they were a little longer so they didn’t become too short after grilling.

The photo below shows the second trial, they look much better already. The updated photos showed what they looked like when I made them recently.

Nonetheless, shrunken or not these beef skewers are moist, tasty, and delicious! Enjoy a few of these this Memorial Day Weekend and do enjoy them with some tzatziki sauce on the side!

Ingredients for Beef Kafta (Lebanese Grilled Beef Kebabs)

• 1 lb fresh ground beef, (use ground turkey for a low-fat alternative)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp chili powder, (mild or spicy)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• Salt and Pepper, to taste (about 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 of ground pepper)
• A little oil for brushing grill

Instructions for Beef Kafta (Lebanese Grilled Beef Kebabs)

If you are using wooden skewers, soak them first in water for about 30 minutes to prevent burning while grilling. I used the metallic ones.

Place the ground meat, onion, herbs, spices and seasoning in a large bowl and gently combine.  Transfer the mixture to a food processor and process until everything is mixed and cohesive. You may have to do this in batches if you have a small processor.

Preheat a ridged grilled pan (or whichever grill you want to use) over medium to high heat. Brush the grills with a little oil.

Divide the mixture into 10-12 portions. Using wet hands, shape each meat mixture into sausage links around the skewer. The meat may shrink while grilling so adjust the length accordingly.

Place the skewers on the grill, turning occasionally, for about 10-12 minutes or until nicely browned on all sides and fully cooked through. Serve with rice and some salad greens and cucumber yogurt sauce.

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Last updated on May 22nd, 2024 at 08:48 pm