Kabob Kubideh or Grilled Ground Beef on Skewers with Middle Eastern Spices

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 onion, very finely chopped, optional
• 2 T Sadaf Ground Meat Kabob Seasoning
• 1/4 cup water
• Olive oil, for oiling the grill

Directions

1. Set up your food processor with the steel blade, then add the ground beef. Stir 2 T Sadaf Kabob Seasoning into 1/4 cup water, pour that over the meat, and process until the beef is very finely ground.
2. Move the meat to a plastic container with a snap-on top and refrigerate it for 2 hours or as long as all day.
3. Dip a paper towel in olive oil and use it to coat the grill grates, then heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium high heat. At that temperature, you should only be able to keep your hand there for a few seconds.
4. Shape the meat into cylinder shaped patties.
5. Thread the meat onto skewers, or cook it directly on the grill without a skewer. Double skewers work nicely, though Kubideh is traditionally cooked on blade type skewers in the Middle East.
6. For criss-cross grill marks, cook the kabobs about 4 minutes on the first side, then rotate them and grill for 3-4 minutes more.
7. Turn the kabobs carefully and cook the second side, aiming for about 15-18 minutes total on the grill.
8. If you are using an instant-read meat thermometer, the ground beef should reach an internal temperature of 160F.
9. Serve the Kubideh hot, with Tzatziki sauce if desired.