Thinking about summertime grilling, outdoor gatherings, and gourmet camping cuisine? We have two words for you: Lamb kebobs. Is your mouth watering yet?
Kebobs are considered to have originated in Turkey when soldiers used to grill chunks of freshly hunted animals skewed on swords on open-field fires. In Arabia, shish kebob or lahm mishwy (grilled meat) is essentially a part of traditional food. True shish kebobs are made with pieces of marinated lamb that are attached to a bladed metal skewer that is four-sided and flat to grill.
Looking for the best local lamb kebob? The search ends here. Behind our counter, we are using the best ingredients in our handcrafted sausages, kebobs, Italian meatballs, and other creations. Our house-made kebobs are always flavor-packed fun. Lamb is not just a spring holiday dish anymore. Our lamb skewers are one of the most popular items in our meat department. We grind Umpqua Valley lamb from Oregon, mix in sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, garlic, rosemary, and other herbs that work perfectly with the earthiness of the lamb. And then, we form it around a double-pronged bamboo skewer, which holds it beautifully when grilled.
If you’re new to kebobs (or the grill) follow our step-by-step guide below for how to maximize their big flavor while cooking.
- Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to high.
- Grill lamb, turning every 1-2 minutes until lamb is cooked to desired doneness, 7-8 minutes for medium-rare to medium.
- Remove skewers from heat and let lamb rest for 5 minutes.
After you’ve mastered the grill, we suggest dipping your tasty kebobs in tzatziki sauce, a Greek concoction of yogurt, cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, dill, and garlic. Fortunately, tzatziki is super easy to whip together. The only trick is to properly drain the cucumber before mixing it into the yogurt. Otherwise, cucumber waters down the sauce too much. The easiest and most efficient way to get rid of the excess moisture is to lightly squeeze the grated cucumber over the sink. Read on for the full recipe:
Ingredients
2 cups grated cucumber
1-1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint and/or dill
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 medium clove garlic, pressed or minced
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
- Working with one big handful at a time, lightly squeeze the grated cucumber between your palms over the sink to remove excess moisture. Transfer the squeezed cucumber to a serving bowl, and repeat with the remaining cucumber.
- Add the yogurt, olive oil, herbs, lemon juice, garlic, and salt to the bowl, and stir to blend. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
- Taste and add additional chopped fresh herbs, lemon juice, and/or salt, as necessary.
- Serve tzatziki immediately or chill for later.
