Adana Kebab on the Grill: Aysegul Sanford’s Recipe

Savory Adana kebab served on wooden plate with fresh greens, tomatoes, and flatbread.

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This recipe is adapted from Aysegul Sanford’s Adana Kebab Recipe on Foolproof Living. Sanford writes that she grew up in Turkiye and calls Adana kebab a dish she grew up eating. Her post is a home-cook version of the original, and she flags each place where it departs from tradition. We do the same below.

What Adana kebab is, and what a home version changes

Sanford describes Adana kebab as Turkey’s most iconic grilled lamb skewer, from the city of Adana. In her account the authentic recipe sticks to a short list of core ingredients: finely ground lamb, tail fat, a Turkish red pepper called kapya, Urfa chili flakes (or Aleppo pepper), salt and black pepper. The meat is traditionally hand-chopped with a curved knife called a zirh, pressed onto wide metal skewers and cooked over charcoal.

Her home version makes three swaps, and says so. Ground lamb replaces hand-chopped shoulder and tail fat, red Fresno chilies or red bell pepper stand in for kapya, and paprika adds sweetness and smokiness. She also notes that many online versions add onion, garlic and cumin, but the traditional recipe does not.

Saveur’s editors publish a different take. Their Adana Kebabs add grated onion, parsley, cumin, garlic, sumac and a pinch of cinnamon, with optional Turkish red pepper paste, and grill 6 to 8 minutes. Sanford’s is the one that keeps to the short ingredient list she describes as the original.

Ingredients

These are the amounts on Sanford’s recipe card, for 6 servings.

Kebab

  • 2 red peppers (red Fresno chilies, or 1/2 red bell pepper)
  • 2 pounds ground lamb, or 1 pound ground lamb plus 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Urfa chili flakes (or Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes)
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • Water, for wetting your hands

Sumac onions and serving

  • 1 medium red onion, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon sumac, 1/4 teaspoon Urfa chili flakes
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 6 lavash or pita breads

Method

  1. Seed and finely chop the peppers, then drain them in a colander so the mixture does not turn wet.
  2. Mix the peppers with the lamb, paprika, chili flakes, salt and black pepper by hand. Sanford recommends chilling the mixture, and says up to 24 hours helps flavors settle.
  3. Divide the meat by the number of skewers. Shape one portion into a ball, push a wide metal skewer through the center, and press the meat down the skewer with damp hands. She found thin bamboo skewers hard to work with and used 1-inch-wide metal ones.
  4. Press the ends firmly against the skewer so the meat does not fall off, then pinch shallow ridges every couple of inches on both sides.
  5. Heat a gas grill to 400 to 425°F (204 to 218°C) and oil the grates. Grill 10 to 12 minutes, turning often. On charcoal, she waits until the coals are covered in thin white ash and gives similar timing.
  6. Cover loosely with foil and rest 5 to 10 minutes. Toss the onion with the oil, lemon juice, salt, sumac and chili flakes, massage until slightly soft, add parsley, and serve on lavash.

Fat, salt and flare-ups

Fat is what holds this kebab together. Sanford explains that it helps the meat cling to the skewer and keeps it juicy, so if you use beef, look for a fatty grind, ideally a 60/40 ratio as she puts it, or ask a butcher to add beef fat trimmings. Expect flare-ups and stay close to the grill, turning the skewers to avoid burning.

The salt amount looks high, at one tablespoon for two pounds of meat, but she says it helps the mixture bind. That figure assumes Diamond Crystal; with Morton’s she suggests starting at half and adjusting.

Cooking temperature

Sanford gives timing and appearance cues but no internal temperature. Ground lamb and beef are ground meat, and USDA sets 160°F (71.1°C) as the minimum for ground meats. GOV.UK’s food hygiene guidance says products made from minced meat, including kebabs, must be cooked until steaming hot all the way through with no pink, and gives 70°C (158°F) for 2 minutes as the standard core temperature. So push an instant-read thermometer into the center of the thickest kebab before you pull them.

Serving the Turkish way

Sanford says Adana kebab is traditionally served with lavash, and that restaurants in Turkiye often bring ayran, a cold yogurt drink, with it. Sides she lists include ezme, shepherd’s salad and bulgur or vermicelli rice, and grilled tomatoes or green peppers are common alongside. A yogurt sauce, she notes, is not traditional.

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