Bulgarian Kebabs

Serves 8

Ground kebabs are my favorites. They let you control the fat content of the meat—super-important when you’re cooking over the extreme heat of live charcoal. A proper ratio of fat to meat (somewhere in the 20- to 30-percent range) results in a juicy and unctuous kebab. Ground kebabs also provide an opportunity to flavor the meat from the inside. Onion and parsley are pretty standard, and Arabic kebabs often turn green from so many herbs. The flavor profile of Bulgarian kebabs is pretty basic: Made with beef or a mix of lamb and beef, they’re all about the meat. A spicy version made with hot paprika is always formed in patties, to distinguish it from the mild, rounder version.

Unlike hamburgers, where you want to keep the patties as loose as possible so that the meat remains tender, kebabs need to be packed fairly tightly so they’ll stay on the skewer during cooking. Our skewers are long, flat, and wide, excellent for keeping the meat off the coals. Working with very cold meat and letting it rest in the refrigerator before cooking helps solidify the fat, making a juicy kebab that won’t drop onto the charcoal below. Savta Mati, my Bulgarian grandmother, always added club soda to lighten her kebab mix. I use a bit of baking soda, which causes the kebabs to puff a little over the heat, resulting in a springy but still tender kebab.

Combine the beef, lamb, onion, parsley, Aleppo pepper, cumin, black pepper, salt, sugar, smoked paprika, and baking soda in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until well blended. Form into meatballs about 2 inches in diameter and thread onto skewers. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Grill directly over hot coals until the exterior is lightly charred and the middle is cooked through, 3 to 7 minutes per side. Serve hot off the grill.