Caribou Kofta Kebabs, Middle-Eastern Spiced Meatballs
This recipe evolved from trying to find more ways to pack flavor into ground meat and do something outside the box. The desire was to have a tender burst of flavor with each bite. The kebab also works great as a drinking food item. Form little meatballs with side tzatziki to complement a crisp pilsner.
There is a common theme in most recipes on Chasing Food Club. You'll notice all my recipes are very wild-game-grind-centric. I love ground meat because it's versatile and easier on digestion.
Good to knows...
Ingredients Prep
Use a box grater to grate half a medium-size onion that should yield about 1/3 of a cup of onion, set aside. If you have a garlic press, press 6 cloves of garlic and mince it further with your knife; the finer, the better, set aside.
Regarding how much parsley equals 2 tablespoons, I would use about 4 branches to start. For mint, 1 tablespoon is about two twigs. Mince the parsley and mint leafy parts only, throw away the tough stems. The herbs are a vital part; the more, the merrier!
Making juicy sausage with lean wild meat
As for the meat, I would recommend 50% wild game and 50% ground pork to give it extra fat for flavor and a sausage-like texture. I've tried to cut the wild game with ground beef and the kebabs turned out dry and crumbly. Alternatively, you could use 70% wild game and 30% pure pork fat.
Forming kebabs on skewers
Kebabs are traditionally shaped on long flat metal skewers and cooked over a coal fire for that smokey taste. But those are tricky to find, and getting the meat to stick to the skewers takes practice. Therefore, shaping them into meatballs, flat patties, or torpedo-like cylinders is a much easier method to enjoy them.
Cooking Methods
Stove Top - If you're cooking them on the stove, I prefer to shape them into burger-like patties. This will allow you the most surface area for browning, the crusty formation on the outside is all flavor. Use a cast iron pan and get it smoking hot, add oil, and throw in your pattie. The key here is to press it down and let it get brown before flipping it over.
You can eat it like a burger. Add a melty cheese and tzatziki to a soft potato bun and slide one of these thin crispy patties on top.
Oven - Preheat to 425F and bake the kebabs in a cast iron pan or sheet pan for about 10 to 15 minutes; this really depends on the shape you choose. Ensure your oven is hot to get some browning, but I find it's hard to achieve in the oven. If time allows, I sear the kebabs on the stovetop before putting the pan in the oven to finish.
Barbeque - This is the best method, even better if you have a charcoal bbq! I recently bought the kebabs formed as meatballs to a tailgate, with a gas BBQ. Threw them on the hot grill and pressed each meatball down for a faster cooking time, and had the guests biting into these juicy morsels of meat in about 10 minutes.
Suggested Sides to Serve with the Kebabs
Traditionally these are served with rice and salad or stuffed into a pita. If you're all about simplicity like myself, go to an Eastern-Mediterranean grocery store and look in their fresh food section for shallot yogurt, tzatziki, and hummus to dip the kebabs in. Serve alongside a chopped salad of olives, peppers, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, and parsley.
Storage
For entertaining, make the kebab meat mixture in advance, and so the day of the event, quickly shape them and throw them on the bbq or oven. You can freeze extra kebabs and cook from frozen in a 425F oven. To store cooked kebabs, keep them in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for 5 to 6 days.
Caribou Kofta Kebabs, Middle-Eastern Spiced Meatballs
Ingredients
Instructions
- Add all ingredients, except the ground caribou and pork meat, into one large mixing bowl, and mix. Then add in the 1lb of caribou and 1lb of pork and mix well.
- Scoop about a generous tablespoon of meat mixture and roll into meatballs (or your shape of choice).
- Regardless of the cooking method you choose, the essential tip is to not overcook them. You want the kebab just cooked through. For the fastest way, use a barbeque. Throw the kebabs down on a hot grill and pressed each meatball down slightly for more surface to get crispy and brown. Cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side.
Happy cooking,
Jenny Ly
