Grilled Kofte (Balkan & Turkish Meatballs)
Authentic recipe for kofte meatballs on the grill in the tradition of the Balkans, heavily influenced by Turkish cuisine. Use a beef and pork mixture or for juicier and more flavorful kofte - only pork. Makes 10 to 12 kofta, depending on how large they are shaped.
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Servings: 12
Calories: 313kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef*
- 1 lb ground pork
- 2 slices of dry bread**
- 1 ¼ cup beer such as Czech pilsner divided*** (or ½ cup water and ½ cup yogurt)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda to mix in yogurt if using, otherwise ignore
- 2 eggs
- 5-6 green onions chopped fine
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley or half the amount dried
- 3 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- kosher salt to taste
- 1 clove garlic minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano or summer savory or full tablespoon fresh, chopped
- cooking oil as needed to grease hands and brush over kofte meatballs
Instructions
- In a shallow bowl place the dry bread slices and add half the beer, let soak until liquid is fully absorbed. Alternatively, use ½ cup water (see notes below).
- In a mixing bowl combine the ground meat, crumbled soaked bread, eggs, onions, parsley, cumin, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Also add the remaining beer (or ½ cup yogurt with baking soda). Use your hands to mix and create a homogeneous mixture. Cover with plastic and let refrigerate for a couple of hours.
- Bring to room temperature and start shaping the kofta balls. Dip your hands in a bit of cooking oil first to prevent stickiness. Create uniform balls, about as large as to comfortably fit in the palm of an average sized hand. Arrange the meatballs onto a greased pan and slightly press each one to flatten them a bit.
- Preheat your grill to medium-high and be sure to grease the grates. Place the kofta over direct heat. At first they will stick and after about 2 mins their lower surface will release. Use grill spatula to turn them over. Cook for about 4-5 minutes per side. Internal temperature must be at least 160 F before you take them off the grill.
- Brush with a bit of cooking oil once the kofta are off the grill - this will keep the surface from drying out as you serve them.
Notes
*Select 80/20 beef or if you want really flavorful kofte, skip the beef and double the ground pork.
**You can use 1 cup of bread crumbs instead, soak in beer or water instead of the bread.
***Soak the bread in half the amount of beer and add the rest of it directly to the kofte mixture. Alternatively, you can substitute with ½ cup of cultured yogurt with 1 teaspoon of baking soda mixed into it (this will make the texture wonderfully light, not at all dense). Soak the bread in ½ cup water if using yogurt and add the yogurt directly to the kofta mixture.
It is helpful to allow the kofta mixture to stay refrigerated for a few hours. The flavors come together much better and all liquid ingredients become well absorbed by the meat. When the kofta are grilled later they end up juicier in result.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 313kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 183mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g
