Winter Is For Grilling – Lamb Kebabs

My thoughts on food are probably different from a caveman’s. I get to decide what I want to eat every night of the week. And living near New York City, I am a relatively short drive from markets selling food from every culture in the world. I am privileged. But that poor caveman (and too many people throughout this country and world) probably mostly thought of putting enough food on his rock or table to keep him and his family alive. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors must have eaten what was available in the season. When blueberries were ripe, they must have eaten a lot of blueberries. When the salmon were swimming upstream on their way to their spawning grounds, it was salmon for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

In winter, it must have been especially difficult. With little to no vegetation to eat, the caveman must have relied on whatever they could hunt. That meant meat. Tidbits of wooly mammoth seared on the fire might have been pretty tasty, but not seven days a week for the entire winter.

Most people think summer is for grilling. While I can’t argue with using the grill to stay out of the kitchen on a hot summer day, I don’t think there is any reason to put the grill away when the weather turns cold. It’s chilly and crisp outside and the grill warms me as I cook. The smell of meat searing on the fire brings me back to the warmer days of summer, and just think how jealous your neighbors will be when the smoke drifts toward their yard.

There are many things to grill in winter, of course, but I am partial to kebabs. I love a good burger and I’m happy to eat a maximum of about one hot dog per year. A grilled steak is a rare treat. And barbeque chicken and Smitty’s Wings are well worth firing up the grill. But these are mostly summer fare. To me, winter grilling is kebabs. Chicken kebabs, steak kebabs, lamb kebabs. Cut into bite-size pieces there is more surface area on the meat than a steak or burger, which means that there are more edges. And of course the scraggly edges get seared to perfection resulting in tasty crispy tips. That’s the advantage of a kebab.

I wonder if my caveman ancestor, sitting by his winter fire pondered the size of the meat as he skewered it on a stick. Did he think that tonight he’d rather a steak, thick cut and perfectly medium-rare in the center? Or did he decide to cut it into bite-size pieces before threading it on a skewer, thinking tonight I want more edges so they will burn ever so slightly for maximum flavor? Maybe my thoughts on food aren’t so different from a caveman’s after all.

Lamb Kebabs

In this recipe I season pieces of lamb with only salt, pepper, and olive oil. I think that’s all it needs. But it would be equally delicious with a little ground rosemary or Aleppo pepper or other dried spice sprinkled in the marinade.

When I cook lamb kebabs, I like to serve them with grilled vegetables, toasted pita brushed with olive oil, salt, and oregano, tzatziki (garlicky cucumber, yogurt dip), and Persian rice with tahdig (a beautiful browned, crispy bottom). I often also cook chicken kebabs at the same time. I always make more than necessary, because your guests will eat more than you think, and the leftovers are delicious topping a salad the next day.

I never skewer meat and vegetables together. While it may look nice, the components all take different amounts of time to cook; by the time the meat is ready, the vegetables are charred black. Instead, I grill each component separately, right on the grill grates; that way I can remove each when it is perfectly done.

If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for at least a half hour before threading them with meat. This will prevent them from burning before the meat is cooked through.

45 minutes plus at least an hour to marinate, serves four

1 boneless, butterflied leg of lamb, about 3 lbs

¼ cup olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. freshly ground pepper

1. Using a very sharp knife, trim the fat from the lamb and cut out the sinewy parts, while cutting the lamb into approximately 1 inch pieces. (Or have your butcher do it for you.) It is impossible to cut the pieces evenly and all the same size, but the slightly different sizes and shapes provide extra surface area to sear and form crispy tips. Put the lamb pieces in a bowl.
2. Mix the olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Pour this mixture over the lamb and stir to coat. Place in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for at least an hour.
3. When you are ready to cook the lamb, light the grill for high heat cooking and allow it to warm up for at least 15 minutes. If using a gas grill, light all burners on high.
4. Remove the lamb from the refrigerator and thread the meat onto the skewers. It is helpful to do this over a sheet pan. It catches drips and you can then carry the kebabs on it right to the grill. Pieces of meat should be snug up against one another on the skewers. That way the outside of the meat has a little more time to sear while the inside cooks slower and stays slightly pink.
5. Clean the grill by carefully running a vegetable oil-soaked paper towel over the grates with a tongs.
6. Place each kebab onto the grill grate so they are not touching each other, and allow them to sit over the high heat and sear without moving for at least a few minutes. (If there is a serious flare up and you need to move them so they don’t burn, then by all means do so.) You know the kebabs are ready to flip when you gently pull up on the skewer and the meat releases from the grate.
7. Flip the kebabs to their uncooked side and allow them to cook without moving for a few minutes until the bottom is slightly charred. It may help the searing process to move the kebabs when you flip them to a new, unused spot on the grill, if it’s available.
8. Continue to cook the kebabs, rotating as needed until they are nicely seared all around, but still slightly pink inside, about 10 to 15 minutes total.
9. Remove the kebabs from the grill and allow them to sit for a full five minutes (covered with a foil tent to retain heat if you want) before serving in order to allow the juices to redistribute.

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