Köfte recipe - Turkish minced meat skewers on the mangal
Deel
Köfte on the BBQ is Turkey's most common grilled dish — and one of the most delicious. Lamb mince mixed with grated onion, cumin, and black pepper, shaped onto flat skewers and grilled over high direct heat. Served with sumac onion and yogurt. Ready in 30 minutes.
Ingredients for Turkish Köfte on the BBQ
For the köfte (serves 4):
- 600 g lamb mince (or half lamb, half beef)
- 1 small onion, very finely grated (squeezed)
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1.5 tsp cumin, ground
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 0.5 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper) or cayenne
- 1 tsp salt
- Flat metal skewers
For the sumac onion:
- 2 red onions, thinly sliced
- 1.5 tsp sumac
- 0.5 tsp salt
- Handful of fresh parsley
For the yogurt sauce:
- 200 g Greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Turkish köfte and Moroccan kofta are similar but taste different. Köfte is more savory — more cumin, fewer fresh herbs. Kofta is more herbaceous — fresh cilantro and parsley dominate. Compare both in the Kofta recipe.
How to make köfte step-by-step?
Finely grate the onion and squeeze out all the liquid — use a tea towel or paper towel. Onion liquid in the mince makes the köfte too wet, and they will fall off the skewer. This is the most common mistake when making köfte at home.
Mix the lamb mince with the squeezed onion, parsley, cumin, pul biber, pepper, and salt. Knead thoroughly for at least 4 minutes — the mince should become a smooth, homogeneous mass that feels slightly sticky. The more you knead, the better the köfte will stick to the skewer.
Cover the mixture and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Cold fat binds better — köfte grilled immediately after mixing are more likely to fall off the skewer.
Take a handful of mince (approx. 80 g) and firmly press it around a flat metal skewer. Form an elongated roll of approx. 12–15 cm. Press along the skewer regularly to distribute the köfte evenly.
Grill the köfte over high direct heat for 5–6 minutes per side. Wait until they spontaneously release from the grates before turning. The outside should be slightly charred, and the inside of lamb should still be slightly pink.
Mix the red onion rings with sumac and salt — lightly squeeze with your hands to release the liquid. Add parsley. Serve the köfte immediately with the sumac onion, yogurt sauce, and Turkish flatbread or pita.
Which rub pairs well with köfte?
The spice tradition of Turkish köfte — cumin, Urfa pepper, garlic — directly overlaps with the Middle Eastern spice base of our Shawarma BBQ Rub. Use 1.5 tbsp Shawarma Rub per 600 g of lamb mince as a substitute for the individual spices. Add squeezed onion and parsley — and the köfte is ready.
More about the Turkish grilling tradition: Turkish Grilling — Mangal, Köfte and Adana Kebab. And for the complete spice overview: BBQ Spices by Country.
The taste of the mangal on your grill
Cumin, sumac, and Middle Eastern warmth — discover the Shawarma BBQ Rub as a köfte base.
Shawarma BBQ RubStarter Pack · 3 flavors