If like me, you are living down under then you are starting to enjoy warmer weather and looking forward to lighting the BBQ a little more with friends. These grilled lamb kebabs are exactly the kinda thing I like to grill with friends. Skewer up some delicious lamb, pack up the veggies and whether it's over gas or charcoal these delicious grilled lamb kebabs will be perfect for your mates!
sponsored by Mollydooker Wines, Mclaren Vale
Why I Love This Recipe
- flavourtown
- feeds an army
- quick to cook
Lamb is one of my favourite meats to cook. Often I will slow cook a lamb shoulder - which is epic btw! But, when time isn't on your side then you need something that's going to offer you a great combo of flavour and speed. These grilled lamb kebabs do just that. You can whip them up in about 20 minutes (incl the sides) and then grill them in less than 10 minutes too. What's even better is you can make up a TON of kebabs and feed the whole street with them 😉
Making Your Lamb Kebabs
To make grilled lamb kebabs I recommend using lamb leg. The leg has a good balance of fat to meat ratio so you will be left with juicy, tender lamb kebabs that will melt in your mouth.
Step 1 - get all the ingredients ready. For this, I have used lamb leg, capsicums & red onion
Step 2 - cut the lamb and vegetables into even-sized pieces. This is key. If your lamb pieces are unevenly cut then you will have some pieces that are overcooked and/or undercooked.
Step 3 - season and oil them. Sometimes I like to add a rub to my kebabs but we are going to make a nice yoghurt dressing you really only need salt and oil. Be generous with the salt.
Step 4 - grill them! You want your BBQ real hot. The key to cooking lamb kebabs or any kebab is hot and fast. This means crank up the BBQ as you are preparing the lamb. Brush it clean and then grill them so you get a nice char!
What To Serve With Grilled Lamb
There are many routes you can take with this one. A simple tossed salad is a classic. Light, fresh and done right has loads of flavour. Try this delicious Cos heart salad by Between 2 Kitchens out! Or maybe even this cracking Pak choy salad by The Devil Wears Salad. Or even simply wrapped in a pita. Homemade or shop-bought there is something delicious about a warmed pita and grilled meats.
For me, I'm a fan of loaded quinoa. So, for this lamb dish, I've gone a little middle eastern and made some delicious tabbouleh. Well, my Australian version of it at least.
Tabbouleh is a Lebanese dish made from tons of chopped parsley, tomatoes, onion, mint and bulgur. All mixed together with the addition of citrus, olive oil and seasoning. From start to finish it takes about 20 minutes and is great with any and all grilled meat/vegetables.
It will last for 3-4 days in the fridge so also a great work salad too. For my version, I have used quinoa instead of bulgur, added some cucumber and avocado. It wouldn't be Aussie without some avo now, would it?
Whip this up and a delicious citrus & herbed yoghurt and your grilled lamb kebabs are a spread that everyone will be tucking into
Lamb & Cabernet Sauvignon
Lamb and Cabernet are a classic. Whether the lamb is grilled, fried or slow-cooked you can't beat a great bottle of Cabernet with it. This week and other weeks of the year to I am enjoying the Maitre'D Cabernet Sauvignon from Mollydooker. Before I start, I should mention we did manage to polish off two bottles of this when eating the kebabs so there was definitely no complaints on that front 😉
Mollydooker, Aussie for left-handed is a Mclaren Vale winery that has a wide range of great wines. I have been fortunate enough to taste through many of them and create recipes for them too and love them! So much so I stocked up on a few extras! The Maitre'D is part of their "lefties series" and was named so as Sparky one of the original owners put himself through college as a waiter - a left-handed one at that.
The wine is described as vibrant and generous. Personally, if it was in a 1-litre bottle I'd find it a little more generous but boy is it definitely vibrant! Tons of red and black fruit, with some lovely notes of baking spices and gingerbread too. A hint of milk chocolate, leather and delicious tannins. The acidity is gentle with what I can only describe as a prickly lengthy finish. What does that even mean?? It's drinking well now but I can see it improving over the next few years. At $30 a bottle, it's worth getting a few, making some grilled lamb kebabs and enjoying the wine whilst a few others relax comfortably in the cellar!
Alternative Lamb Dishes
Inspired by these grilled lamb kebabs and want more lamb in your life? Then, check out some more recipes on my site below and others by fellow food lovers.
Lamb Mince Ragu by Yours Truly
Greek Lamb Salad w/ Tzatziki by Andrea Geddes of 'The Cooking Collective'
Slow-Cooked Moroccan Lamb by Yours Truly
Slow Cooker Lamb Shoulder by Sarah Brooks of 'Aussie Homecook'
Smoked Lamb Shanks by Yours Truly
Happy Cooking and Happy Eating Friends!!
Ingredients
Kebabs
- 600 g butterflied lamb leg
- 1 red onion
- 2 capsicums
- olive oil
- salt
Tabbouleh
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1 avocado
- 2 tomatoes
- 1/2 red onion small onion
- 75 g parsley
- 10 g mint
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 50 g cucumber
- salt
Yoghurt Dressing
- 250 g Greek yoghurt
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 5 mint
- 100 cucumber
- 1 clove garlic
- salt
Essential Tools
- Chef Knives
- Chopping board
- BBQ skewers
- BBQ or grill pan
- grater
- mixing bowl x 2
- saucepan & lid
- measuring/weighing utensils
Instructions
Tabbouleh
- Cook the quinoa according to the packet
- Chop the parsley & mint finely or use a food processor to do it quicker
- Dice the cucumber, onion, avocado & tomatoes into small pieces (see attached photo)
- Once the quinoa has cooked allow to cool for 10 minutes and toss all the ingredients together
- Store in the fridge until ready to use
Lamb Kebabs
- Cut the lamb leg into bite-sized pieces (approx. 2-3cm)
- Cut the onion & capsicums into similar sized pieces
- Place all the pieces onto BBQ skewers, oil & season them
- Cook the skewers on direct heat on the BBQ @200c for 6-8 minutes, turning every 2 minutes for even cooking
- Allow to rest for 2-3 minutes before serving *see tips*
Yoghurt Dressing
- Grate the cucumber using the smallest edge on a box grater
- Dice the mint finely and crush the garlic
- Mix all ingredients together (incl any cucumber juice) and store in the fridge until ready to use!
Notes
Tip/Tricks
- one of the best thing about this dish is you can prepare every component in advance so come dinner time all you need to do is cook the skewers – making it perfect for dinner parties!
- use lamb leg NOT shoulder as the shoulder is tougher and will leave you with chewier meat
- ALWAYS rest your meat before serving it – this allows the juices to redistribute giving you a juicer piece of meat
Great lamb skewers recipe, right on time for BBQ season!
Best time of the year 😉
That looks Yum, my kind of BBQ!