Persian koobideh kebabs over CHARBLOX
Koobideh is ground meat, onion and salt pressed onto wide, flat skewers and cooked fast over hot coals. It asks a lot of the fire: high, even heat right under the meat so it sets before it can slip. That is what a tight bed of CHARBLOX gives you.
A long, tight bed. Wide skewers across, close to the heat.
Mangal style: one tight bed of logs down a long trough, with the flat skewers bridging the walls about 3 inches above the fire. No mangal? Set two rows of bricks on a kettle’s charcoal grate with the logs between them, and rest the skewers on the bricks.
- T−35mLight
- T0Skewers on
- T+1mFirst turn
- T+6mSaffron butter
- T+8mOff the heat
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01Food
Make the mixture
Grate the onion, wrap it in a towel and squeeze out as much juice as you can. In a large bowl, combine the lamb, beef, onion, salt, pepper, turmeric and sumac. Knead hard for 5 minutes, until the mixture turns tacky and sticks to your hand. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
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02Fire
Light six logs
Stand six Classic Hardwood logs loosely in the chimney over one natural firestarter. No lighter fluid. Leave it until the top logs are grey at the edges.
Why CHARBLOXDense fuel lights slower than lump, so start about 35 minutes before you grill. Use the time to shape the kebabs.
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03Food
Bloom the saffron
Stir the ground saffron into the hot water and let it steep for 10 minutes, then stir in the melted butter.
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04Food
Shape the kebabs
Wet your hands. Take a handful of the mixture, about ⅓ cup, and squeeze it along a flat skewer into a long, even kebab about ½ inch thick. Pinch ridges into it with your fingertips every inch so it holds its grip. Thread the tomatoes onto their own skewer.
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05Fire
Build a tight bed
Pour the logs into the mangal, or between two rows of bricks on a kettle, and nest the flat faces together into one tight bed. The skewers should rest about 3 inches above the logs.
Why CHARBLOXHex logs lock into a bed with no gaps, so the heat is even all the way along each skewer. No cool patch where the meat can sag.
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06Food
Grill, turning right away
Lay the skewers across the heat and turn them within the first 30–60 seconds, before the bottom sets and the top starts to droop. Then keep turning every minute or so. Cook 6–8 minutes in total, until browned and 160°F inside. Grill the tomatoes alongside until blistered.
Why CHARBLOXThis is the moment the fire matters most. High, steady heat from a tight CHARBLOX bed sets the outside fast, which is what keeps koobideh on the skewer.
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07Food
Baste and slide off
Brush the kebabs with saffron butter as they come off the heat. Lay a sheet of lavash over them, press, and pull the skewers out so the kebabs slide onto the bread.
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08Food
Serve
Dust with sumac and serve with the grilled tomatoes, herbs, red onion and rice.
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09Fire
Save the rest
Lift the unburned logs into an airtight metal can and close the lid. They go out and keep their shape.
Why CHARBLOXCHARBLOX is reusable. Partly burned logs light faster than new ones, so tonight’s leftovers start the next fire.
| Meat | Done at |
|---|---|
| Ground lamb or beef | 160°F |
“By far the best option I've found for cooking on my Kamado Joe, particularly for anything requiring a lengthy cooking time… I also love Charblox for achieving high temps.”
Terri, verified purchaser, Costco
- If the kebabs slide off, the mixture was too wet or not kneaded long enough. Squeeze the onion harder and knead until it is properly sticky.
- All lamb or all beef works too; keep the fat around 20% so the kebabs stay juicy.
- Make joojeh on the same fire: chicken thighs marinated overnight in yogurt, lemon, onion and saffron, threaded onto skewers.
The fuel is part of the recipe.
A tight bed of dense logs gives the high, steady heat koobideh needs to grip the skewer.
Uniform hex logs burn evenly along the whole length of the skewer.
Pressed from recycled hardwood sawdust: real wood-fire flavor with no binders or chemicals.
Put out what is left in an airtight can; it lights first next time.
CHARBLOX Classic Hardwood ships in boxes from Los Angeles.
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