Make this tender and juicy Turkish Adana kebab tarifi to impress your guests and shake up your dinner rotation. Serve the lamb or beef kabobs with a tangy pickled red onion side dish called sumac onions, sliced cucumbers, and labneh.
What is Adana Kebab?
Adana kebab is a Turkish meal of 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 Turkish restaurants.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Lamb: Use one pound of ground lamb meat to form the kebabs. For the most authentic Adana kebab tarifi (Grilled Turkish Kebab), ask a butcher to chop the meat from around the ribs of a grass-fed male lamb. You can also 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 tangy sumac. Sumac is a popular spice found online and in health stores. The ground sumac berries provide a bright, almost lemony flavor.
Additions and Substitutions
- Replace the lamb with ground beef or chicken, turkey, elk, or bison for a low-calorie option.
- Turkish spices can be difficult to come by here in the U.S. (depending on where you live). You can use one teaspoon of red pepper flakes and two teaspoons of smoked paprika or ground Aleppo pepper instead of Urfa pepper flakes for a similar flavor. Some recipes for Adana kabob call for a small amount of red pepper paste called biber salçası instead of pepper flakes. However, there isn’t a good substitute for sumac. It has a one-of-a-kind flavor.
- Include finely chopped onions or fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro in the ground kebab mixture.
Tools Used to Make This Recipe
You will need a mixing bowl, wide metal skewers, and a rimmed baking sheet to make this easy Adana kebab tarifi, whether you make them in the oven or on a gas grill or charcoal grill. You can also use damp wooden skewers if you bake the kebabs in the oven.
I also prefer using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to knead the ground lamb mixture, but I recommend adding a splash of water if you choose to do so. Process until the mixture starts sticking to the bowl. Using a mixer isn’t necessary, 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.
Step 1: Add the 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 the sumac, pepper flakes, salt, and ground cumin in a small bowl. Reserve a tablespoon of the mixture and set it aside.
Then, pour the spice mixture over the lamb and knead to combine for about 5 minutes until the mixture is sticky. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Remove the ground lamb 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.
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 (if using them).
Step 2: Set the skewers on the grill over high heat. Cover and cook for 6 minutes. Flip, sprinkle the kabobs with some of the reserved mix of spices, and cook for another 6 minutes.
Step 3: Slide the kebabs off the skewers onto the cutting board to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Expert Tips
- Knead the meat mixture in a food processor or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. You can also knead the mixture by hand.
- Leave a large bowl of cold water next to the kebab meat. Dip your hand into the water before forming the kebabs to keep the mixture cool and prevent the meat from sticking to your hand.
- Adhere the meat to wide metal skewers using the same amount of meat for each kebab to ensure they all 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.
- Preheat the grill and clean the grates well before grilling. You don’t want the kebabs to stick!
If you enjoy this recipe, try one of these Mediterranean favorites!
Serving Suggestions
The ground lamb kebabs are usually served on a platter with piping hot rice and a fresh salad like çoban salatasi, or you can tightly roll the kebab in a Turkish lavash or a spinach protein wrap with sumac onions or biwaz for a quick, grab-and-go meal. Finish the meal with down ayran, a cooling, yogurt-based drink.
You can grill fresh tomatoes, red bell peppers, onions, and green chile peppers to serve alongside the kebabs for a smoky side dish. I am a sucker for sauces and love serving them with kabobs. Try haydari, fermented shatta sauce, spicy skhug, tzatziki sauce, or a zesty garlic yogurt sauce called toum.
What to do with the Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the leftover kebabs in the an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Once the kabobs cool, 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
Can I use other ground meat?
The most common replacement for ground lamb is ground beef or a combination of both types of meat. Try ground turkey, chicken, elk, or bison to make the Adana kebab tarifi if you prefer a low-calorie meal. When using ground chicken or turkey, it is best to use ground dark meat as it has more fat and flavor than ground breast meat.
Why should I knead the kebab mixture?
In his book The Food Lab, J. Kenji Lopez Alt explains that kneading ground meat for kebabs helps bind the protein by breaking down the muscle protein in the meat; this is why I love the texture of using a stand mixer to knead the lamb.
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 the 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 the sumac, pepper flakes, salt, and ground cumin in a small bowl. Reserve a tablespoon of the mixture and set it aside. Then, pour the spice mixture over the lamb and knead to combine for about 5 minutes until the mixture is sticky. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Remove the ground lamb 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.
- Slide the kebabs off the skewers onto the cutting board to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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 (if using them).
- Set the skewers on the grill over high heat. Cover and cook for 6 minutes. Flip, sprinkle the kabobs with some of the reserved mix of spices, and cook for another 6 minutes.
- Slide the kebabs off the skewers onto the cutting board to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.