Ground Lamb, Venison, or Beef Kebab (Kubideh)

I bought My Charming Companion some birthday kebab skewers - they are Persian style skewers that are 1" thick and VERY long, which assists in better cooking in the wood stove. The wide skewers are really useful to make Kubideh - or ground meat kebabs. I've never had them before, but the recipe in A Taste of Persia was enticing, and the photos are beautiful. It's almost like sausage - because really, it is spiced meat, but the spicing is so different, and the meat is much more lean, so it also isn't like sausage at all. I found that the kubideh mostly reminded me of gyro's - I think because of the texture, but also some similar spicing. *Note: you can also make this as meatballs and just saute them in a skillet. Super easy and delicious, without the fire!

I tried the kubideh with both venison and lamb. They were both delicious, but I found that the venison stuck much better to the skewer. You kind of need the wide skewer so that the meat has something to stick to - and even so, the lamb was falling off! I did a little research, and I think that using a food processor to make the mixture as paste-like as possible will really help (versus twice grinding it, then kneading it by hand for 15 minutes). I cannot wait for summer to have this dish with tomatoes (also roasted on the grill). I also think a mix of beef or venison with lamb would be excellent.

For meat:
1 large onion, peeled
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 pounds lean beef, venison, lamb
2 t salt
1 t freshly ground pepper
1 T fresh lime juice
1/2 t baking soda

For basting:
2 T melted butter
1/2 t fresh lime juice
1/4 t salt

*Before you start preparing the food, get your fire started/charcoal going so that everything is burned down to nice coals to cook on.
1. Puree onion and garlic in a food processor. In a large bowl, mix meat with onion puree. Add other spices, lime juice, and baking soda (this is to help tenderize the meat).
2. Working in 2-3 batches, put the meat mix in the food processor and process until a thick paste. Once all the meat has been processed, cover the paste and set aside for 15 minutes at room temperature.(If you are making meatballs, skip this step and just combine all the ingredients and shape into balls, then brown on medium-high heat on all sides.)
3. With damp hands, divide the meat paste into 12 equal sized lumps. Form each lump into a sausage shape about 5" long and mold it firmly around a flat skewer. (I watched a youtube video with a fancy technique to sort of scallop the meat on the skewer. Watch at 7:20 for that demo - he is using larger pieces of meat and is clearly quite skilled at this.)
4. For basting, combine the butter, lime juice, and salt in a small saucepan. Keep warm over very low heat.
5. When the coals are glowing, arrange the skewers 3" above the coals. You do not want the ground meat to touch the grill (though if you have a grill, this would prevent you from losing any meat should it come off the skewer). Let the kebabs cook a few seconds, just until they change color; then turn the skewers gently to color the other side of the meat. This keeps the meat from falling apart. Then turn gently one more to brown each side.

This is what I will strive for mine to look like!

6. Grill the meat for 3-5 minutes on each side, and brush it with basting mixture just before removing it from the grill (or in my case, just after taking it out of the wood stove). The total cooking time should be 6-10 minutes, and the meat should be seared on the outside, but pink on the inside. If it gets overcooked, it will become a bit rubbery, like a sausage. That is not the effect you  are going for!
7. Slide the meat off the skewers onto a plate with a fork. Sprinkle with lime juice to taste. Traditionally this is served with grilled tomatoes, saffron rice and lavash bread, but I ate it with a tahini sauce (tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, water, and salt). Any grilled veggies would be great.