Spice up your dinner routine with this tender and juicy Adana kebab tarifi. Made with either lamb or beef- these Turkish kabobs are a guaranteed hit! Serve them with tangy sumac onions, crisp cucumber slices, and creamy labneh to complete the meal.
What is Adana Kebab?
Adana kebabs feature seasoned ground lamb or beef on skewers grilled over a pit of hot coals as is tradition. The name comes from the city of Adana in southern Turkey, but it’s a famous dish all over Turkey, especially in restaurants.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Lamb: Use one pound of ground lamb to form the kebabs. If you prefer an authentic Adana kebab tarifi, ask the butcher to cut the meat from around the ribs of a grass-fed male lamb or visit a local Middle Eastern grocery store or halal market.
- Spices: Season the ground lamb mixture with kosher salt, ground cumin, Urfa pepper flakes, and ground sumac.
Additions and Substitutions
- Use ground beef, chicken, or turkey instead of ground lamb.
- I recommend using one teaspoon of red pepper flakes and two teaspoons of smoked paprika or ground Aleppo pepper instead of the Urfa pepper flakes. Some recipes for Adana kabob call for a small amount of a red pepper paste called biber salçası.
- Incorporate finely chopped onions or fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro into the ground kebab mixture.
Tools Used to Make This Recipe
To make this easy Adana kebab tarifi, you will need a mixing bowl, wide metal skewers, and a rimmed baking sheet, whether you cook them in the oven or on the grill. You can also use damp wooden skewers if you bake the kebabs in the oven.
It’s my preference, but I love using my stand mixer with the paddle attachment to knead the ground lamb mixture. It’s a complete game-changer! All you need to do is add the meat and a splash of water. Process on medium speed until the mixture starts sticking to the bowl. To be clear, you don’t need a mixer to knead the ground lamb, but it gives the kebabs a perfect sticky texture to secure the meat to the skewers.
How to Make this Adana Kebab Tarifi
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Form the Kebabs:
Step 1: Add ground lamb to a mesh strainer and use your hands to press out any excess water. Then, transfer it to a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Combine sumac, Urfa pepper flakes, salt, and cumin in a small bowl. Reserve one tablespoon of the mixture and set it aside.
Step 3: Pour the rest of the spice mixture over the lamb and knead for about 5 minutes until it is sticky. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Tip: I use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment to knead the ground lamb for the best results.
Step 4: Remove the mixture from the refrigerator. Hold a wide metal skewer with one hand, dip your other hand in the ice water, and form two small palm-sized amounts of ground lamb onto the skewer.
Transfer it to a rimmed baking sheet and repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Tip: Be sure the meat wraps around the entire skewer with no spaces or cracks.
For the Grill:
Step 1: Adjust the burners on your grill to high heat for 10 minutes. Then, use a wooden grill scraper to clean the grates.
Step 2: Set the skewers onto the grill over high heat. Cover and cook for 6 minutes. Flip, and sprinkle the kabobs with some of the reserved mix of spices. Cook for another 6 minutes.
Step 3: Slide the kebabs off the skewers onto a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Expert Tips
- You can knead the mixture by hand, but using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment produces the best results.
- Leave a large bowl of cold water next to the kebab mixture. Dip your hand into the water before forming the kabobs to keep the mixture cool and prevent the meat from sticking to your hand.
- Attach the meat to wide metal skewers using the same amount of meat for each kebab to ensure they cook at the same rate.
- After forming the lamb onto the skewers, line them onto a baking sheet for easy transportation to the grill, or pop them straight into the oven if you are baking them.
- Preheat the grill and clean the grates well if grilling. You don’t want the kebabs to stick!
Serving Suggestions
Serve the ground lamb kebabs on a platter with piping hot rice and a fresh salad like çoban salatasi or Shirazi salad. Tightly roll the kebabs in a warm Turkish lavash or a spinach protein wrap with sumac onions or biwaz for a quick, grab-and-go meal.
Grill the fresh tomatoes, red bell peppers, onions, and green peppers for a smoky side dish to complement the kebabs. If you’re a sauce lover like me, serve the kabobs with a flavorful yogurt dip called haydari, shatta sauce, skhug, tzatziki, or garlicky toum. And finish the meal with ayran, a cooling, yogurt-based drink.
What to do with the Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the leftover kebabs in the an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Let the kabobs cool and transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag. Adana kebabs freeze for 2-3 months.
- Thaw: Defrost the meat in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat: Warm the leftovers in the microwave or on a skillet over medium heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I knead the kebab mixture?
In his book The Food Lab, J. Kenji Lopez Alt explains that kneading ground meat for this adana kebab tarifi helps bind the meat by breaking down the muscle protein.
More Kabob Recipes:
Adana Kebab Tarifi
- Small Bowl
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 2 tablespoons sumac
- 2 tablespoons Urfa pepper flakes (1 teaspoon red pepper flakes and 2 teaspoons smoked paprika)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- Add ground lamb to a mesh strainer and use your hands to press out any excess water. Then, transfer it to a large mixing bowl.
- Combine sumac, Urfa pepper flakes, salt, and cumin in a small bowl. Reserve one tablespoon of the mixture and set it aside.
- Pour the rest of the spice mixture over the lamb and knead for about 5 minutes until it is sticky. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.Tip: I use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment to knead the ground lamb for the best results.
- Remove the mixture from the refrigerator. Hold a wide metal skewer with one hand, dip your other hand in the ice water, and form two small palm-sized amounts of ground lamb onto the skewer.Transfer it to a rimmed baking sheet and repeat with the remaining ingredients.Tip: Be sure the meat wraps around the entire skewer with no spaces or cracks.
For the Oven:
- Preheat the oven to 450℉ (232℃). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set the skewers on it. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the kebabs every 10 minutes to ensure even cooking.
For the Grill:
- Adjust the burners on your grill to high heat for 10 minutes. Then, use a wooden grill scraper to clean the grates.
- Set the skewers onto the grill over high heat. Cover and cook for 6 minutes. Flip, and sprinkle the kabobs with some of the reserved mix of spices. Cook for another 6 minutes.
- Slide the kebabs off the skewers onto a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- You can knead the mixture by hand, but using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment produces the best results.
- Leave a large bowl of cold water next to the kebab mixture. Dip your hand into the water before forming the kabobs to keep the mixture cool and prevent the meat from sticking to your hand.
- Attach the meat to wide metal skewers using the same amount of meat for each kebab to ensure they cook at the same rate.
- After forming the lamb onto the skewers, line them onto a baking sheet for easy transportation to the grill, or pop them straight into the oven if you are baking them.
- Preheat the grill and clean the grates well if grilling. You don’t want the kebabs to stick!
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.