Binghamton Spiedie Sandwiches

Spiedies were probably created by Augustine Iacovelli, who immigrated from Abruzzi, Italy, and settled near Binghamton, New York, where he opened a restaurant named Augies. His spiedini, which in his homeland meant, roughly, “little roasted things,” were marinated and heavily seasoned lamb chunks served on Italian bread to hungry laborers who dubbed them “spiedies.”

They are like kebabs but better. It’s nearly impossible to get the exterior of kebabs crisp while keeping the interior red or pink because the cubes are too small. The solution is to cut larger cubes that can be rolled around without a skewer. They get dark and crispy on the outside and still don’t overcook in the center.

The meat is served rare to medium, and the brinerade flavor is almost as strong as the meat flavor. Spiedies are usually served on rolls, but they are just fine rolling around loose on your plate or on top of a pile of rice or couscous or bulgur wheat. Although this recipe is for lamb, you can use the same technique with cubes of pork, beef, or even chicken. For the life of me, I cannot understand why spiedies have not spread beyond upstate New York.

Makes 4 large sandwiches

Takes 20 minutes to make the brinerade, 8 to 24 hours to marinate, 20 to 30 minutes to cook

  • ¾ cup Basic Brinerade (page 161)
  • ¼ cup dry red wine
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 pounds boneless lamb leg or shoulder meat, cut into 1½- to 2-inch cubes
  • 4 (6-inch-long) Italian bread rolls, split lengthwise
  • 2 red, yellow, or green bell peppers, or a mix, seeded, quartered
  • 2 large onions, cut into ½-inch-thick disks and separated into rings

1. Prep. Put the brinerade, wine, garlic, and salt in a large zipper-top bag or a bowl and mix thoroughly. Remove and reserve ¼ cup for later use.

2. Add the lamb cubes to the brinerade, mix well, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours, the longer the better.

3. Fire up. Set up the grill for two-zone cooking but don’t get the hot side all the way up to warp 10 (high). You’ll cook these chunks mostly in the direct zone, lid up, and reserve the indirect zone for holding pieces when they finish.

4. Cook. Toast the rolls on the cut side. Watch carefully so they don’t burn; they can be done in as little as 1 minute. If they blacken a bit, scrape off the char and the bread will be fine. Set aside on a serving platter at room temperature.

5. Grill the peppers on the hot side until they soften but are not limp. Set aside in a serving bowl at room temperature.

6. Put the onion rings into a bowl with the reserved ¼ cup marinade and toss until the rings are well coated. Grill the rings until they are slightly soft. I like them a bit undercooked and crunchy, but if you prefer them softer, cook them longer. Transfer to the bowl with the peppers.

7. Put a colander or strainer in the sink and dump the meat and brinerade into it. Let the meat drain for a few minutes so the liquid will not drip onto the fire when you cook it. Move the meat to the direct-heat side of the grill and separate the chunks so they are not touching. Grill on one side with the lid up. Let the pieces sit untouched so they get grill marks. With small pieces of meat, grill marks are a good thing since the lamb will overcook if you try to get it dark brown all over. Turn the meat over with tongs and cook some more. Test by biting into one. A thermometer won’t be much help because the cubes are small. Don’t overcook.

8. Serve. Put the meat on the rolls and top it with the peppers and onions. Have plenty of napkins on hand.