Azerbaijani Ground Beef Kebabs

Note: Traditionally, these are made by patting ground lamb around extra-large, extra-thick skewers and grilling over a grateless grill called “mangal.” I swapped lamb for beef and opted for shaping smaller, thicker “sausages” by hand to fit my American charcoal grill.

Place all the ingredients together in a bowl and knead briefly by hand until well mixed. Shape into “sausages” about 2″ to 2.5″ long and 3/4″ to 1″ thick by rolling small handfuls in your hands. Grill until pleasantly-red (or even slightly charred), turning each “sausage” once.

Serve wrapped in tortillas, pita bread, lavash, or any other kind of flatbread, along with a mixture of sliced onions, sumac, and more chopped herbs, and a yogurt-garlic sauce (1 pressed clove of garlic mixed into 1 cup of plain yogurt). I especially like to serve this with a side of Russian fried potatoes (please see my TK recipe box for the recipe).