Note: This post is sponsored by Moyer Beef. All opinions are mine alone.
This past weekend, we had my parents over for dinner. I had a hankering for Lamb Kofta, which is a dish of ground lamb with spices formed into meatballs and grilled.
My dad isn’t exactly the most adventurous eater, and doesn’t like lamb, so I instead decided to adapt the spices added to kofta into a marinade for beef kebabs. Kofta can be made with any ground meat, but I had some beautiful Moyer Beef’s Rib Kebab meat on hand, so kebabs it is!
Kofta can be made with quite a range of spices, so this recipe is very adaptable. This version uses fresh parsley as well as dried spices to add a different dimension of flavor. I also served it with some tzatziki for dipping.
Ingredients:
Tzatziki (omit to make dairy free):
- 1 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cucumber, seeded, finely diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- the zest of one lemon
- the juice of one lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Kebab:
- 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 lbs kebab meat (I used Moyer Beef’s Rib Kebab meat)
Start by making your tzatziki. Add all of the tzatziki ingredients to a bowl and mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until ready to use.
To make the kebabs, add the garlic through the black pepper to a food processor. Process until finely chopped.
Add the olive oil and process again to fully combine. It should be a relatively thick paste.
Add the kebab meat to a zip top bag and add in the marinade. Seal and mix around to fully coat the meat in the mixture.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to 8 hours, turning occasionally. Take 4 wooden skewers and soak in water.
When ready to make, remove the marinated meat from the bag and thread on to the four prepared skewers. Preheat your grill to medium high heat.
Add the skewers over direct flame for about 2 minutes per side, or until charred slightly. Move to indirect heat and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until cooked to your liking (I prefer mine medium rare).
Remove from heat and add to a plate with some of the prepared tzatziki.
This can be served as is as an appetizer, or serve with rice or couscous to make a meal.
The spices translated really well into a marinade! I loved the combination of flavors it delivered. Serving this medium rare kept the beef really juicy on the inside with a nice char on the outside.
The creamy and slightly tangy tzatziki was a perfect complement to the spice profile of the kebabs. Definitely a winning recipe!
My dad really enjoyed these, I think even more than he was expecting to. Although there is some prep work (and waiting for the marinade to set), it ended up being a really simple recipe overall.
Other Moyer Beef Posts:
- Grilled New York Strip Steak w/ Honey-Tarragon Blue Cheese Butter & Grilled Tarragon Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos with Chimichurri
- Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
- Grilled T-Bone Steak with Gremolata
- Hashweh (Spiced Ground Beef with Pistachios Over Rice)
- Steak and Eggs Hash
- Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cucumber, seeded, finely diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- the zest of one lemon
- the juice of one lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 lbs kebab meat (I used Moyer Beef's Rib Kebab meat)
Instructions
- Start by making your tzatziki. Add all of the tzatziki ingredients to a bowl and mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until ready to use.
- To make the kebabs, add the garlic through the black pepper to a food processor. Process until finely chopped.
- Add the olive oil and process again to fully combine. It should be a relatively thick paste.
- Add the kebab meat to a zip top bag and add in the marinade. Seal and mix around to fully coat the meat in the mixture.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to 8 hours, turning occasionally. Take 4 wooden skewers and soak in water.
- When ready to make, remove the marinated meat from the bag and thread on to the four prepared skewers. Preheat your grill to medium high heat.
- Add the skewers over direct flame for about 2 minutes per side, or until charred slightly. Move to indirect heat and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until cooked to your liking (I prefer mine medium rare).
- Remove from heat and add to a plate with some of the prepared tzatziki.
What do you think?