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Fresh kabob koobideh off of the grill is ready to be served.

Koobideh Kabob

Tressa Jamil
Flavored with onion, salt, pepper, and that's about it, koobideh kabob or a Persian beef kabob cooked over open flame is truly a labor of love.
5 from 5 votes
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Marinating Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Persian
Servings 8 kabobs, 6-inches
Calories 208 kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
  
For the Koobideh Kabob:
  • 2 pounds ground beef, 80/20
  • 1 ½ medium white onion, grated, juice reserved
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper, coarse ground
For the Saffron Butter:
  • ¼ teaspoon saffron stems, broken down
  • 4 tablespoons hot water
  • 1 stick butter, unsalted
  • ½- 1 cup onion juice (reserved from the grated onions)
  • 1 lemon, juiced
Instructions
 

For the Kabobs:

  • Use a grater or food processor to grate one medium onion into a small bowl. Place the onion into a sieve or cheesecloth. Press or squeeze the onion to release all the fluid; reserve the onion juice and grated onion separately. 
  • Stir salt and pepper into the grated onion mixture. Then, add the beef and grated onion to a mixing bowl. Use your hands to combine until well incorporated; knead for about 5 minutes. Then, form a ball. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
  • Hold the metal skewer with one hand and form a fist-size amount of beef onto the skewer using your other hand; be sure the meat wraps around the entire skewer with no spaces or cracks.
    Dip your hand in ice water and repeat with another handful of beef on the same skewer. Repeat with the remaining ingredients until all the skewers are loaded.
  • Use your thumb and forefinger to create indentations in the beef.
  • Remove the grates from your gas grill and set them aside. Adjust the burners to high heat for 10 minutes to preheat the grill before adding the kabobs.
  • Set the skewers on the grill over high heat; cover and cook for 1 minute. Flip the kabob, and cook for another minute. Check the meat every 30 seconds for the first several minutes and flip the kabob if it looks like the beef will separate.
  • After the first minute, lightly coat the kabobs with the saffron butter using a pastry brush; cover and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Flip and coat the other side of the kabob with Saffron Butter. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Allow the kabobs to rest for 5 minutes, then slide them off the skewer onto a serving platter. Serve kabob koobideh with saffron rice, and enjoy!

For the Saffron Butter:

  • Add saffron stems to a mortar and pestle or small bowl, and use the back of a spoon to break the saffron stems into smaller pieces. Add them to a small bowl with boiling water. Stir and let it stand for at least 5 minutes. 
  • Warm butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then add the reserved onion juice and saffron water. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
  • Remove from heat, add the juice of 1 lemon, and stir to combine. Set the saffron marinade next to the grill with a pastry brush for easy access during the grilling process.
Notes
Grilling Tips: 
  • You can knead the meat with a food processor, but I prefer to do it by hand, making it easy to spot the large onion pieces in the mixture. Large onion pieces left in the ground beef will cause it to pull away from the skewer while grilling.
  • Use flat kabob skewers and not round ones for Kabob Koobideh; they provide a greater surface area for the meat to adhere to and cook from the inside out. 
  • Pour ice water into a bowl and leave it next to the beef mixture. Dip your hand into the ice water to prevent the meat from sticking to your hand. 
  • After forming the beef onto the skewers, line them onto a baking sheet for easy transportation. When the temperature outside is warm, I encourage you to refrigerate the skewers before adding them to the grill.
  • If you decide to leave the grates on your gas grill, be sure they are well-oiled and cleaned using them; you don't want the kabobs to stick! 
 
Nutrition Disclosure:
  • The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 Kabob | Calories: 208 kcal | Carbohydrates: 2 g | Protein: 31 g | Fat: 12 g | Saturated Fat: 5 g | Cholesterol: 71 mg | Sodium: 362 mg | Potassium: 1 mg | Sugar: 1 g | Vitamin A: 1 IU | Vitamin C: 2 mg | Iron: 15 mg
Did you make this recipe? Let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and follow @thejamilghar or tag #thejamilghar on Instagram!