Grilled minced-meat kebabs on flatbread with charred tomato, green pepper and sumac onions

Last updated: 18 October 2026

Adana-Style Lamb Skewers

Name: Adana-Style Lamb Skewers
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: ¾ lb Lamb shoulder (boneless), sinew removed, kept very cold; 2 oz Fat (sheep tail), kept very cold; 1 tsp (2 g) Pepper (red, ground), hot or mild to preference; ¾ tsp (5 g) Table salt (fine) for the meat mixture; 2 Tomatoes, halved; 4 Peppers (green, long); 4 Flatbreads (wheat, thin), ready cooked; 1 Onion, thinly sliced; 2 ½ tbsp (10 g) Parsley leaves, roughly chopped; 1 tsp Sumac (ground); 1 Lemon, cut into wedges

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Adana usulü kebap

Hand-chopped lamb and tail fat grilled on flat skewers, with warm flatbread, charred vegetables and sumac onions.

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 15 min
Rest: 30 min
Total: 1 hr 10 min
Servings: 4

Ingredients

¾ lb Lamb shoulder (boneless), sinew removed, kept very cold
2 oz Fat (sheep tail), kept very cold
1 tsp (2 g) Pepper (red, ground), hot or mild to preference
¾ tsp (5 g) Table salt (fine) for the meat mixture
2 Tomatoes, halved
4 Peppers (green, long)
4 Flatbreads (wheat, thin), ready cooked
1 Onion, thinly sliced
2 ½ tbsp (10 g) Parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1 tsp Sumac (ground)
1 Lemon, cut into wedges

Equipment

Use wide, flat metal kebab skewers, an outdoor charcoal or gas grill with a cooler area, and a thin-tip food thermometer. Narrow round skewers make this mixture harder to support.

Method

On a clean board, finely chop the cold lamb and tail fat with a sharp heavy knife until the pieces form a coarse, even mince. Keep the mixture cold; return it to the refrigerator if the fat softens. Wash hands and clean the knife and board before preparing vegetables.
Püf noktası · Kitchen tip
- Preparation & Knife Skills
  Hand-mincing meat with a zırh
  Use the curved blade of a zırh to cut cold meat into an even mince while keeping distinct pieces.
Mix the chopped meat and fat with the ground red pepper and salt until the mixture becomes cohesive. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Do not taste the raw mixture.
While the meat chills, toss the sliced onion with parsley and sumac. Keep the lemon wedges ready for serving. Prepare an outdoor grill with an even bed of glowing charcoal and no flames, or preheat a gas grill. Keep a cooler area available for flare-ups. Grill the tomatoes and green peppers, turning until softened and lightly charred; transfer to a clean plate.
Divide the cold mixture into equal portions, one skewer per selected serving. With lightly dampened hands, press each portion around a wide, flat metal skewer in an even strip 8 inches long and ⅜ inch thick. Seal the ends against the metal. Keep the skewers chilled until the grill is ready. Loose mixture should be chilled and pressed again rather than stretched thinner.
Grill the skewers over steady heat, turning carefully once the first side has set, then as needed for even cooking. Begin checking after 8 minutes; thickness and grill heat determine when they finish. Insert a thin-tip thermometer sideways into the thickest meat without touching the metal: every skewer must reach at least 160°F. Move to the cooler area if dripping fat causes flames. Warm the flatbreads on a clean part of the grill.
The kebabs hold together and are browned, with a measured center temperature of at least 160°F; color alone does not establish doneness.
Use clean utensils to slide the cooked kebabs onto the warm flatbreads. Serve with the grilled tomatoes and peppers, sumac onions and lemon wedges.

Cooking guidance

Tail fat is a specific ingredient. Do not silently replace it with butter or vegetable oil; they will behave differently. Ask a butcher for suitable sheep tail fat and trimmed lamb.

Keep the meat cold and use the same strip thickness when scaling. Make additional skewers and batches rather than increasing their thickness.

The served flatbread contains wheat. Check purchased bread for additional allergens.

Storage & serving

Keep raw minced meat at 40°F or below and use within 1–2 days, or freeze. Chill cooked leftovers promptly; keep the meat separate from bread and salad, use within 3–4 days, and reheat meat to 165°F.