Beef Kafta (Lebanese Meatballs on a Stick)

Meatballs on a stick, what could be more simple and delicious.  Whether you are looking for an easy recipe for entertaining or something fun for camping, Beef Kafta is the perfect solution!

I was looking for something a little different to BBQ last weekend and I came up with this version of the popular Lebanese dish, Beef Kafta.  If your gang loves beef and a little heat, this recipe is going to do it for you.  The fun part of cooking meatballs on a stick are all the delicious sides and dips you can create.   It’s just a fun and yummy way to eat, that can look pretty fancy too.  Think yogurt and hummus dips for the grown ups (ketchup and mustard for kids), grilled potatoes, salad and warm pita.  Oh and don’t forget a nice bottle of wine for the adults.  Delicious!

You’re going to love this recipe, there’s a ton of reason why:

• it’s BBQ season
• you now know what you’re serving for Father’s Day dinner
• its are SUPER easy to make
• it looks amazing on a plate and you’ll feel like Martha Stewart
• camping, yes these meatballs are perfect to roast over a campfire.  
• who doesn’t love beef?  am I right?
• wine, they taste really good with wine.
• kid approved! 

What is Beef Kafta

So what the heck is Beef Kafta anyway?  It’s simply meatballs on a stick.  Easy enough, right?  The difference with Beef Kafta and just plain old meatballs are the spices and in this Lebanese dish, the meatballs are an oval shape.

What you need to make Beef Kafta

You’ll need:

1 lb. of medium/lean ground beef

1/2 a medium onion, minced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup of Italian parsley, chopped fine (regular parsley is fine)

1 Tablespoon of Turkish chili flakes (regular chili flakes work)

Pinch of salt and pepper

Steel skewers

Note:  I used extra lean ground beef for a batch of meatballs and although they were tasty, they were too dry.  So I would stick with either a medium ground or lean ground (if you must), but medium would work the best for juicy Kafta.

Here’s how you make it

Preheat the BBQ to 425 degrees.

Start by break apart the ground beef into a glass mixing bowl.

Mince the onion and garlic into the bowl.

Add the chopped parsley.

Add all the spices.

Mix it all together with a spoon (or hands).

Make each meatball oval and about the size of the palm of your hand, in length.  

Place two meatballs on to each skewer.

Place on the grill diagonal to get the pretty grill marks.

Cook for 8 minutes and turn the skewers over.

Continue to cook another 8 minutes (or until juices run clear). 

Remove the meatballs from the grill and off the sticks.

Place them onto a plate for serving (or let the kids eat them from the stick).

Enjoy!

You will want to serve the meatballs with a variety of flavourful sides.  I made grilled potatoes right on my stovetop and a Greek salad.  You could also serve this Quinoa Feta Salad as a side and skip the potatoes and salad.  For dips, as I mentioned earlier, I spooned yogurt and hummus into small bowls, sided with some warm pita bread off the barby.  Yum yum!  For the kids, I offered ketchup, mustard and garlic dill dip (get the recipe here).