Episode 13: Lamb Kebab [Discussion]

[jackierulesall]

Enough of the vegetables, this week we are making you a gorgeous Lamb Kebab! None of the greasy, unhealthy stuff you get on a night out, this kebab is lovely and healthy and incredibly easy to prepare! Also we show you how to save money by preparing a chicken in your own home!

Watch or download now! (http://revision3.com/foodmob/lambkebab)

[tokenuser]

Lamb can be hard to come by in the US, and tends to be super expensive.
So, an alternative is to use ground/minced lamb, and add the herbs/spices Niall recommended as a marinade, mix together, and form into sausage/link shaped logs. Grill them like a burger. A little pink is OK with lamb.

Technically this would probably be called a kofta, and is usually formed around a skewer and grilled, but works perfectly with the rest of what Niall prepared.

[coldv]

This is an awesome episode! Even better than the duck episode! Everyone in the show seems to be more relaxed about speaking their minds and make small talk (still food related) so it feels more homely and natural than ever. Aaron is such a smart arse! Love it! Keep it up!

This is a bit advanced for a tip segment. Hope our beginner cooks don't find it too difficult. I have a tip: In case some people haven't noticed, when removing the breast, Niall used only the weight of his knife and ran it along the bone several times instead of sawing at it (which I imagine may potentially be a beginners mistake)

[guytheninja]

IDK what it is like in the UK, but Costco has a Rotisserie Chicken for $5. You can feed at least four people with it. My parents can't buy that roasted chicken often enough.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Costco-Rotisserie-Chicken/166379400260

[antimatterchopstick]

Favourite show so far. Enjoyed the banter. You guys should shoot hungover and tired all the time!

The equivalent of Kebabs in the U.S. is Gyros, where it's a Greek thing. In Ireland and the U.K. it's seen as a Turkish thing. The Turkish-style version is usually spicey.

[solodini]

I'd say that cumin and turmeric are entirely necessary for humous. They're the core flavour of humous; the garlic is pretty central but the lemon juice is more additional.

Also, the yoghurt and cucumber sauce would be called tzatziki, moreso if it had mint leaves in there, as well.

[tokenuser]

I'd say that cumin and turmeric are entirely necessary for humous. They're the core flavour of humous; the garlic is pretty central but the lemon juice is more additional.

Also, the yoghurt and cucumber sauce would be called tzatziki, moreso if it had mint leaves in there, as well.

Tumeric? In hummus? Since when is hummus orange? Maybe a little olive oil and sumac, but not tumeric, if it was being used as a dip.

[hellslinger12]

Anything with Lamb is a godly meal.

[ronaldo]

Wheres Rob, he cant still be on holiday?


I don't mind. He always looked like he was half-asleep. Lauren has a pretty smile and brings more energy to the show.

[masherscf]

What I think is entirely necessary for Hummus is tahini.


BTW, I'll tell you the secret of growing basil. Basil is an annual herb, not a perennial. The plant will keep growing until it's flowers bloom. If a basil plant is allowed to blossom are develop seeds, it will stop producing leaves and the flavor of the existing leaves will diminish. The picture that Niall showed of the plant that guy was bragging on has fully developed blossoms...which is exactly what to avoid. You should pinch off the top of your basil plants when they reach 6" in height to prevent them from flowering.

[chefniall]

Wow thanks for all the messages saying it was a great show! we all sat down afterwards and were like "wow that was a load of crap"!! Funny how it can feel different than it looks, guess it is just like somebody here said in that it is just more relexaed when we are hungover!

[antimatterchopstick]

The whole yoghurt conversation was a highlight for me. :)

[masherscf]

The whole yoghurt conversation was a highlight for me. :)

I was like "WFT, Aaron, of course we have Yogurt."

[psychomike]

Just bought some lamb for making Kebabs on the weekend. Thought I'd add a few notes on lamb pricing and availability.

I bought my lamb at Whole Foods. Boneless Leg of Lamb was on sale for $5.99/lb, so I bought that(bone-in was ~$6.70). It ended up costing $22.58, but that's a lot of lamb. I'll portion enough to make kebabs, then freeze the rest.

In terms of availability, Whole Foods has ground lamb, lamb chops, leg of lamb, boneless leg of lamb, and that was just behind the meat counter.

I also checked Albertson's, they had ground lamb, rack of lamb, lamb chops, and lamb stew meat, but not behind the counter, over in the meat section.

I have also purchased leg of lamb from Costco, and I'm pretty sure Trader Joes carries vacu-packed lamb meat.

Hope this helps anyone who was curious.

[praxis1970]

The first sauce was Tzatziki? If so, where is the "dill", garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and the Greek yogurt (aka just strained yogurt)?

The Greek yogurt gives that thick consistency and the dill will give it's distinctive flavor.

[masherscf]

The first sauce was Tzatziki? If so, where is the "dill", garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and the Greek yogurt (aka just strained yogurt)?

The Greek yogurt gives that thick consistency and the dill will give it's distinctive flavor.

I think it was more of a yogurt/cucumber dressing inspired by Tzatziki. It is also very similar to a yogurt based dressing from India called Riata. But, it would also be missing a few ingredients.

[frankiethewaffle]

I don't mind. He always looked like he was half-asleep. Lauren has a pretty smile and brings more energy to the show.

I agree. Lauren is cute. I would follow her on Twitter but the judge has ordered me otherwise.
"Don't follow her anymore!", His honor said.

I liked this show. I am afraid of lamb as it is easily screwed up as well as a lack of source of good quality. I guess I have to do the work to try it and try a better source. Lotta good info came in as to finding Lamb in the US. None of them apply to my area, but close enough to look around.

Apprehensions do drop when one is tired or hung over. Not that changes were needed, but drop the self doubt and you are gold.

[psychomike]

Made the lamb kebabs tonight. I confess I used my own hummus and tzatziki recipe. But I marinated the lamb using the exact same foodmob recipe.

I BBQ'd the lamb on a skewer over charcoals:
http://revision3.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1422&stc=1&d=127944163

I then sliced the lamb and assembled the pita with tzatziki, hummus, lettuce, tomato, & onion. Delicious!

http://revision3.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1423&stc=1&d=1279441789

I cooked the lamb to 160F, but next time I think I'd go a little more rare... 150-155. Either way, it was very tender and delicious. As mentioned in previous post, I used cubes of meat from a leg of lamb.

Loved the recipe and looking forward to next weeks episode!

[antimatterchopstick]

^

That looks great. Making me hungry!

I used to get kebabs from a place near me and they were good for a while but then their meat started getting greasier and greasier. When I realised there was as much fat and gristle as meat I stopped going there. Shame, it was good for a while.

[shoki]

Great show but I get audio dropouts watching foodmob on roku. I do not get the drop out on any other rev 3 shows that I watch. Is this show encoded in some special way?

[kaos13]

Would that marinate work with a steak?

[frankiethewaffle]

^

That looks great. Making me hungry!

I used to get kebabs from a place near me and they were good for a while but then their meat started getting greasier and greasier. When I realised there was as much fat and gristle as meat I stopped going there. Shame, it was good for a while.

That happens a lot. Some places are great when opening, some just happen to be good when you start going. Then they fall off. That has happened so much recently, most all of my Family refuses to go out to eat at all anymore.

Good thing there are resources to teach us how to cook.

[ronaldo]

Great show but I get audio dropouts watching foodmob on roku. I do not get the drop out on any other rev 3 shows that I watch. Is this show encoded in some special way?

Same here. The shows are getting harder and harder to watch because the audio is so bad.

[masherscf]

Would that marinate work with a steak?

I think that would depend on the cut and the application.

[tokenuser]

Would that marinate work with a steak?Its not much of a marinade ... but in the case of the lamb brings a lot of typical kebab/gyro/schwarma flavours to the party.

The lemon acts as the acid, but citrus and steaks aren't real common unless you are doing a latin type of food. Better off using a different type of acid ... maybe a balsamic or sherry vinegar (maybe a red wine vinegar, but avoid white or cider vinegar). Beer or red wine (not red wine vinegar) are also good. For herbage, Niall used rosemary, which is a classic with lamb ... it works well with steak, but for steak, I'd go more for something like thyme, sage, or garlic (not a herb but good in a marinade).

A quick marinade I use for steaks is balsamic (acid), garlic (bite), ketchup (sweet, tomato), worchestershire (salt), seeded mustard (bite), and a little brown sugar. Take out the balsamic and mustard and its great for raw shrimp too (maybe add some chili sauce for heat). Eithewrway, put is all in a ziptop bag, and let the steak (or shrimp) sit in the fridge for a couple of hours (or overnight). Grill. All good.

[kaos13]

Thanks for the advice tokenuser. Will give it a try this weekend

[solodini]

The first sauce was Tzatziki? If so, where is the "dill", garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and the Greek yogurt (aka just strained yogurt)?

The Greek yogurt gives that thick consistency and the dill will give it's distinctive flavor.

As Masterscf said, it was kind of a tzatziki inspired sauce but Niall does seem to do simplified variations of things, anyway. There's lots of cases of minimised use of herbs, spices et c in Food Mob.