Kafta

also called kafta · kefta · kufta · kofta · kafta kabob · kafta kebab · kofte · köfte · lule kebab · minced meat skewers

The table

1 medium(150 g)yellow onionwring the onion drywork the meat 3 min until it is tackychill the mix 30 minpress onto flat skewersgrill 8 min, turning once
1 lb(450 g; 20% fat)ground lamb
1/2 lb(225 g)ground beef
1 cup(chopped fine, packed)flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 tspground allspice
1/2 tspground cinnamon
1 1/2 tspkosher salt
1 tspblack pepper
6flat skewers
Tap anything to cross it off.

What to lay out

Everything the recipe asks for, sitting under the step that eats it. Tick each one as you measure it.10 things to get out.

Pans and tools

1wring the onion dry

2work the meat 3 min until it is tacky

goes in with what step 1 made

4press onto flat skewers

goes in with what step 3 made

Cooking it

Tap a step when it is done; the next one lights up.

The clock

Start to finish
at least 41 mintwo waits that overlap count once
Needs you
11 minof the steps that give a time

2 of the 5 steps never say how long they take, so both numbers are floors. The recipe itself says 1 hr 15 min.

  1. wring the onion dry

    not timedfrom the start

  2. work the meat 3 min until it is tacky

    3 minneeds youfrom the start

  3. chill the mix 30 min

    30 minwalk away3 min in

  4. press onto flat skewers

    not timed33 min in

  5. grill 8 min, turning once

    8 minneeds you33 min in

Drawn to scale, so a long wait really does take up the room it takes. The shortest stretches keep a sliver so they stay visible; their times are printed beside them.

You'll need charcoal grill

Goes with

See how it is written
>> title: Kafta
>> category: Smoked & Grilled
>> tags: lamb, beef, lebanese, skewers, parsley, grill
>> counters: Shawarma Counter
>> aka: kafta, kefta, kufta, kofta, kafta kabob, kafta kebab, kofte, köfte, lule kebab, minced meat skewers
>> pairs-with: pita-bread, sumac-onions, tahini-sauce
>> servings: 4
>> time: 1 hr 15 min
>> step.1: wring the onion dry
>> step.2: work the meat 3 min until it is tacky
>> step.3: chill the mix 30 min
>> step.4: press onto flat skewers
>> step.5: grill 8 min, turning once

Grate @yellow onion{1%medium}(150 g) and wring it out hard in a cloth. Grated onion carries more water than you expect, and a wet mix slides straight off the skewer into the fire — this squeeze is the difference between kafta and a lost dinner.

Work @ground lamb{1%lb}(450 g; 20% fat), @ground beef{1/2%lb}(225 g), @&(~1)wrung onion{}, @flat-leaf parsley{1%cup}(chopped fine, packed), @ground allspice{1 1/2%tsp}, @ground cinnamon{1/2%tsp}, @kosher salt{1 1/2%tsp} and @black pepper{1%tsp} together with your hand ~beat{3%min}, always in one direction, until the mass turns tacky and holds a fingerprint. Lean meat will not do this; the fat is the binder and there is no egg or breadcrumb in a real kafta to cover for it.

Chill @&(~1)kafta mix{} covered ~chill{30%min}. Cold fat grips the metal; room-temperature fat does not.

Press @&(~1)chilled mix{} onto @flat skewers{6} in a handful at a time, squeezing along the length into a finger-thick sausage and pinching ridges every inch so the flame has something to catch. Flat skewers, not round: a round one spins inside the meat and the kafta turns without you.

Grill @&(~1)skewers{} over hot #charcoal grill{} coals ~grill{8%min}, turning once only, until the ridges char and the middle is just cooked through. Move them once and no more — every extra turn is a chance for the meat to let go.