Destination
Antalya
The story
Adana kebab is the pride of the city of Adana in southern Turkey and one of the most celebrated meat dishes in the whole Ottoman-Turkish kebab tradition. The dish is a specifically hand-minced (never machine-ground) mixture of fatty lamb shoulder and tail fat, pounded on a wooden board with a heavy zırh (a curved two-handled cleaver) together with red pepper paste, cumin, sumac, dried Turkish red pepper flakes (pul biber) and salt. The minced mixture is then pressed by hand onto flat metal skewers about 60cm long, grilled over hot charcoal for a few minutes each side, and served on a large flatbread with grilled tomatoes, green peppers, sliced red onion tossed in sumac, and a generous scatter of chopped flat-leaf parsley.
Method
Cut the lamb and fat into small pieces. On a large wooden chopping board, chop with a heavy cleaver in both hands (or a large chef's knife) for 15 minutes until the mixture is very fine and slightly sticky. Do not use a food processor. Do not use a meat grinder.
Transfer the minced meat to a large bowl. Add grated onion, garlic, red pepper paste, Aleppo pepper, cumin, sumac, salt, black pepper and isot if using. Knead by hand for 5 minutes until the mixture is smooth, sticky, and holds its shape when pinched.
Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes to 4 hours. The rest firms up the mixture and lets the flavours integrate.
Wet your hands. Divide the mixture into 8 portions. Take one portion and press it onto a flat metal skewer, working it into a long even sausage that clings tightly to the metal. Cover the middle 40cm of the skewer. Repeat with the rest of the skewers.
Heat a charcoal grill until the coals are white ashy and screaming hot. A heavy cast-iron ridged pan on the highest heat is the practical indoor substitute.
Brush the tomato halves and long peppers with olive oil. Grill 5 minutes total, turning, until charred at the edges. Reserve.
Lay the skewers on the hot grill. Cook 3 minutes on the first side without moving. Flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes on the second side. The meat should be dark charred outside and just cooked inside.
Warm the lavash briefly on the grill edge. Set on a wooden board or large platter. Slide the kebabs off the skewers onto the bread. Top with grilled tomatoes and peppers, the sumac onion salad, and a heavy scatter of parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and cold ayran. Diners tear off pieces of bread, wrap around a piece of kebab with onion and parsley, and eat with hands.
Tips
- Hand-mince, not machine-grind. A meat grinder over-processes the fibres and gives you sausage-meat texture. Hand chopping is the whole point of Adana kebab.
- Flat metal skewers. Round skewers let the meat spin as it cooks and fall off. Flat wide skewers grip the meat and let you turn cleanly. Any Turkish grocer sells them.
- Fat matters. Adana kebab needs 20 percent fat minimum. Very lean lamb gives you dry kebabs; the tail fat is what makes them juicy.
- Charcoal only, if possible. Gas grills work but the smoky charcoal char is the classical Adana finish.
- Sumac onion salad is essential. Not optional. The sharp red-purple onion cuts the richness of the meat.
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