Kabob Koobideh (Persian Ground Beef Kabob)

Kabob Koobideh (کباب کوبیده) is a favorite Persian dish made from ground lamb or ground beef or a combination of the two. It is typically prepared on skewers and grilled over fire, but you can also make it in the oven, the stove or in an air fryer! Find more of my Persian kabob recipes.

I come from a family that loves to make Persian Koobideh Kabob, minced meat kebabs. My grandmother would make perfect kebabs hunched over her little grill sitting on her patio. My daii, my uncle, continues the family tradition today on his own grill.

It’s just meat on a skewer, what’s the big deal? It sounds easy, but it’s actually an art form. If the mixture is off by an ingredient, the whole thing falls off the skewer and into the hot coals. It was my mother-in-law who broke down the steps and demystified the kabob making process to me.

And I have passed all this great knowledge so you, too, can recreate this fabulous recipe at home.

Persian kabob is pretty special. There are many varieties available, from beef to chicken to lamb. Koobideh kabob is made with minced meat. It can be just ground beef or a mixture of ground lamb and beef, depending on personal taste.

Koobideh does not have a long list of ingredients, but don’t let that fool you. The flavor is incredible. Like most home cooks, both my mother-in-law and my grandmother did not work in exact measurements. They always measured their food by sight and feel.

But when I was learning how to make this dish over 20 years ago, I would run to the measuring spoons and kitchen scale to make sure everything I had exact measurements so everyone could recreate this recipe.

My readers and I have been making this recipe for 15+ years and it is always a hit. The meat does not fall off the skewers and the flavor and texture is perfect.

Ingredients you need

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• Ground meat: We use 80-85% ground beef. Do not use super lean meat if you are going to skewer and grill the kabob. If your meat does not have enough fat on it, it will fall off the skewers as it cooks. The extra fat also adds tremendous flavor. You can also use ground lamb or a 50/50 combination of beef and lamb.
• Onions: You will use regular brown onions. One medium onion for every pound of meat.
• Salt: Traditionally, Persian koobideh is only seasoned with salt. For additional flavor, you can black pepper, garlic powder and/or parsley.
• Sumac: You won’t need this make the koobideh, but when you eat it. Kebab can be served over basmati rice or in a sandwich using lavash bread. We season it with the tangy and delicious spice, ground sumac.

How to make koobideh mixture

1. Purée the onions. Peel and quarter the onions and place in the bowl a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process until puréed and smooth. My mother-in-law then adds this onion mixture to the blender to purée it even more. I usually skip this step because, well, I’m lazy!

2. Drain the onions. Pour onion purée through a strainer placed over a bowl and drain the juice. If your meat has too much moisture on it, it will fall off the skewers. Reserve the onion juice. Do not discard it!

3. Process the meat. Using the food processor again, add layers of ground beef, strained onions and salt. Do not over stuff the food processor bowl. The mixture needs room to move and mix so you might have to break this into batches.

4. Knead by hand. Once all of the kabob mix is processed and transferred, begin kneading it like bread dough, dipping your hands into the onion water to keep the meat from sticking to your fingers.

The more you knead the kabob mix, the lighter the kabob. Texture should be airy and fluffy, and not a heavy, dense mass like in a hamburger. Kabob mix shouldn’t be sticking to your hands especially with them wet with onion water. This should take about 20 minutes.

5. Chill mixture. Allow the meat to marinate in a refrigerator in a covered bowl for 2-4 hours.

How to grill koobideh kabob

1. Add to skewers. You will form the meat onto flat metal skewers. Do not use thin bamboo skewers otherwise your kabab koobideh will spin around on a thin skewer.
2. Form a ball. Start with a softball size amount of koobideh mix and pierce it down to the center of your skewer. Use one hand to squeeze it and massage it onto the skewer. The center of the skewer will be filled with the koobideh mix.
3. Form onto center of skewer. You need to leave several inches off the ends of the skewers open so it can sit properly on your grill. Knowing how big your grill opening is also decides how long you can make your kebab.
4. Wrap meat. Your meat mix should wrap around the skewer, but not be bulky. Using two fingers to mimic scissors (the forefinger and index finger), “scissor” the meat down the skewer to make the bumps you normally see in koobideh kabob.
5. Seal the ends. The ends of the koobideh mix should not be open. Use your fingers to pinch the ends, sealing it shut to the skewer. All the while as you work, dip your hands in the reserved onion juice or regular water to keep the meat from sticking to your hand.

6. Prep the coals. You do not need a fancy grill for Persian kabob. As you saw at the top of my post, my grandmother would prepare kabob for the whole family with her little hibachi-style charcoal grill. You know your coals are ready when you hold your hand over the grill for 3 seconds and your hand feel too hot to remain there. The coals should be gray and covered with ash.

7. Cook and rotate the kabob. Place the kabob skewers on your grill, leaving space in between to allow for hot air to flow. Once you arrange the skewers, you will start turning the them over so each side will cook evenly. If you do not rotate the skewers every minute, one side will cook faster than the other, causing the meat to constrict on one side and your kabob will fall off the skewer.
8. Flare ups. While the kebab cooks, grease will fall and you will have flashes of fire so be prepared for flare ups. Depending on how hot your fire is, it can take up to 15-20 minutes for the meat to cook.
9. Baste the kabob. If your fire is very hot, it will cook faster. Then you will have to stay on top of turning the skewers and the edges could get crispy. Some people like to baste the kabobs while they cook with melted butter. This is optional.
10. Remove from skewers. As kabobs are done, you can remove the meat from the skewers by grabbing it with a sheet of flat bread like lavash or sangaak and sliding it down the skewer. Place the kabob on a serving dish and cover with another sheet of lavash to keep the meat warm.

My kids really enjoy hanging out by the grill and sharing small bites of kabob and bread fresh off the grill, while waiting for dinner to be ready. The grill master is always popular as they dole out those bites of deliciousness.

Serving tips

Traditionally kebab is served served with Persian rice and a platter of fresh herbs, or sabzi khordan. Many Persians like to add a raw egg yolk in the middle of the rice. You mix the yolk in with the rice for a creamier texture.

My family also loves serving kabob with my lubia polo, Persian green bean rice. Besides rice, we also serve either mast o khiar (Persian yogurt with cucumbers) or Shirazi salad. Many people love kabob with homemade torshi (pickled vegetables).

Although koobideh is not a hamburger, the mix certainly makes a great burger! When we are not in the mood to deal with the skewers, we make koobideh burgers. It really makes an awesome Persian kabab burger!

And here is another kabob fusion food inspired by our favorite dish. We make this koobideh kabab inspired ground beef jerky ALL THE TIME. My kids love jerky and it makes a delicious (and super easy) protein rich snack for the whole family.

If you are a camper or backpacker, the ground beef jerky makes a fabulous backpacking meal.

Bake in the oven

You can cook koobideh in the oven, when you do not have a grill. My American dad has perfected this technique and cooks koobideh this way all the time. You do not need skewers if you cooking your kabob in the oven. You will need a broiler pans like this one to place the kabob on.

Form the meat into elongated fat hot dog shaped kabobs, about 1-inch thick and 6-inches long. Place each kabob on the top pan.

You want to use both pans, so that the drippings will fall below the kabob. Leave at least 1-inch between each kabob. You don’t want to over crowd the pan.

Heat the oven on broil for at least 10 minutes so your oven is piping hot. You also want the oven rack to be place on the top level. Once your oven is hot, place your pan full of koobideh kabob in the oven and cook for about 10 minutes, then turn kabob over and continue cooking for 10 more minutes or until juices run clear.

Cook in a pan

You can also prepare koobideh kabob in a pan on the stove. This version is called kabobi deeg, or kabob from a pot. I mix the koobideh as I would for skewering, form the kabobs like you do for the oven, but smaller, maybe 4-inches long.

Then heat a pan, add some olive oil or melt some butter and brown your kabob on every side until done. Easy peasy, kabob in a flash!

And finally, you can also prepare kabob koobideh in the air fryer! So many ways to enjoy this delicious meal!

Kabob Koobideh (Persian Ground Beef Kabob)

Laura Bashar | Family Spice

Kabob Koobideh (کباب کوبیده) is a favorite Persian dish made from ground lamb or ground beef or a combination of the two. It is typically prepared on skewers and grilled over fire, but you can also make it in the oven, the stove or in an air fryer!

4.71 from 48 votes

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Additional Time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Persian

Servings 6

Calories 406 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 medium-sized onions
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 lb 85% lean ground beef
• 2 lavash bread

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Instructions

 

• Grate onions using a food processor.
• Place the onion mixture into a blender and puree until smooth, about 2 minutes.*
• Place the onion mixture in a strainer over a bowl and drain the juice. Kabob will not hold its shape if mixture has too much water. Reserve the onion juice.
• Using the food processor again, but with the chopping blade, place meat and salt in alternating layers with the onion mixture.
• Add onion juice little by little if mixture is dry. Meat-onion mix should have elasticity and stretch to it.
• Put kabob mix into big bowl and knead like dough. The more you knead the kabob mix, the lighter the kabob. Texture should be airy, not a solid mass like in a hamburger. Kabob mix shouldn’t be sticking to your hands.
• Allow kabob to marinate in a refrigerator in a covered bowl for 2-4 hours.
• Remove kabob mixture from the refrigerator and start your charcoal at least 30 minutes prior to grilling.
• The amount of meat you use, depends on the size of skewers you have. Long flat skewers work best with ground beef kabob as it holds the meat better than a thin round skewer. For our skewers we started with a baseball-size ball of kabob mix.
• Gently pierce the meat patty with your skewer and slide it down to the middle of the skewer. Use reserved onion juice or water to keep your hands moist and to keep them from sticking to the meat.
• Softly squeeze the meat flat as you position the meat onto the skewer. Make sure you leave room on either ends of the skewer as it rests over your grill.
• Using two fingers to mimic scissors, pinch both ends of the kabob meat, cutting off any excess. Also using two fingers softly squeeze down the skewer leaving ridges.
• You know your grill is ready when you hold your hand over the grill for 3 seconds and your hand feel too hot to remain there. Place the kabob skewers on your grill, leaving space in between to allow for hot air to flow. The meat should not touch any grill plates. Instead the skewers should be propped up over your coals or flame.
• Once you arrange the skewers, you will start turning the them over so each side will cook evenly. If you do not rotate the skewers every minute, one side will cook faster than the other, causing the meat to constrict on one side and your kabob will fall off the skewer. Cook until done, approximately 15-20 minutes.
• As kabobs are done, remove from grill and remove meat from skewers by grabbing it with a sheet of lavash bread and sliding it down the skewer.
• Place the kabob on a serving dish and cover with another sheet of lavash to keep the meat warm.

Notes

* This step can be skipped. The secret to great ground beef kabob is to make sure your onions are pureed very smoothly. You don’t want to taste the onion pieces, as you would in a hamburger. The texture is very different.

Serving Suggestions: Serve with basmati rice or lavash bread. Other side dishes include mast o khiar (Persian yogurt with cucumbers), Shirazi salad, homemade torshi (pickled vegetables), a platter of fresh herbs, or sabzi khordan. Many Persians like to add a raw egg yolk in the middle of the rice. You mix the yolk in with the rice for a creamier texture.

This can also be made with a mixture of beef and lamb. But for practicality purposes, we primarily use ground beef.

Cooking Tips: The ingredients are simple, but the technique is key. You want the meat mixture to be sticky enough to stay on the skewers and not fall off during the grilling process. Long flat skewers work best with this kabob.

To cook in the oven: Form kabob mix into desired shape and place onto a broiler pan coated with non-stick spray. Broil in the oven on the top-most shelf until kabob starts to brown, about 5-7 mins. Turn kabob over & broil for 5 more mins or until cooked through. You can also prepare kabob koobideh in the air fryer! So many ways to enjoy this delicious meal!

TO STORE: Store any leftover kabob in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

TO FREEZE: You can also freeze leftovers. Transfer to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 4 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 5ozCalories: 406kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 31gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 976mgPotassium: 500mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 4mg

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Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

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This post has been updated with new photos and more information. It was first published January 8th, 2009.