Persian Kebabs

Persian lamb kebabs are a study in simplicity that pays off big at the grill. The marinade is just oil, fresh lemon juice, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, and whole bay leaves. No yogurt, no spice paste, nothing flashy. The acid from the lemon does the tenderizing while the bay leaves slowly perfume the oil with their savory backbone.

Four to five hours of refrigerated marinating is the sweet spot. Less and the lemon hasn’t penetrated the meat; longer and the citric acid starts to mush the surface. Threading the bay leaves between meat cubes alongside tomato, eggplant, and green pepper keeps that herbal flavor running through every bite. The vegetables release a little moisture during grilling that bastes the meat next to them.

A hot grill is the move here. Five minutes per side over high heat builds the char and crust before the lamb has time to overcook into chewy. Broiling for 3 minutes per side works just as well indoors.

Pro Tips

• Use shoulder or leg lamb. Both have enough fat to stay juicy on a quick-cooking skewer.
• Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes before threading. Dry skewers will char and snap.
• Leave a small gap between cubes. Touching pieces steam each other instead of charring.
• Brush with leftover marinade only in the first half of cooking, never at the end.

Variations

• Add a teaspoon of ground sumac to the marinade for a bright Persian-style tang.
• Swap lamb for chicken thighs and reduce the marinade time to 2 hours.
• Serve over saffron rice with grilled tomatoes and a yogurt-mint sauce on the side.