We love our grill. And we love shawarma. So, can we make a good (almost) shawarma at home, without too much effort?

It turns out that we can get really close to the shawarma we’ve experienced in big cities. Shawarma is a popular dish originating from the Middle East. It’s a popular street food that is traditionally made in the form of spiced meats that are stacked on a vertical rotisserie with thin slices shaved off as it rotates. In fact, the word is derived from an Arabic word meaning to rotating or turning. There is also a direct relationship between shawarma and kebab (called doner kebab).

And here’s something weird and wonderful from the foodie culture we didn’t know until we were researching shawarma – In Mexico, tacos al pastor, which features sliced pork cooked on the same vertical rotisserie, was brought there by Lebanese immigrants who introduced the region to classic shawarma: roast lamb served on a flour tortilla.

In our (almost) shawarma recipe, we use chunks of lamb on skewers, rotating the skewers often to get a nice caramelization on the meat while keeping it moist and tender.

Close to the Real Thing Shawarma Recipe

You can easily substitute beef or chicken in this recipe

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Total Time 6 30

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

1 jar Serious Foodie Moroccan Grill Spice Blend
1 teaspoon Fine sea salt Plus more to taste
2 tablespoons rice wine or apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 cloves fresh garlic peeled, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1.5 to 2 pounds lamb cut into 1 inch cubes (boneless leg is the best)
1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
1 bottle Serious Foodie Mediterranean Pomegranate Grill Sauce
Pita bread or rice Optional
pickled vegetables carrots, raddishes, onions all work well
sliced cucumbers
sliced cherry tomatoes
lemon slices
10 Fresh mint leaves

Instructions

Make the marinade. In a large container with a tight-fitting lid, combine the 4 tablespoons of the Moroccan Grill spice blend 1 teaspoon salt, vinegar, 1/4 cup lemon juice, olive oil, and half of the minced garlic. Marinate the meat for a minimum of 6 hours, or overnight.
Make the shawarma sauce by combining the remaining lemon juice with the Greek yogurt, 2 teaspoons of the Moroccan Grill Spice Blend, the remaining chopped garlic, and 2 tablespoons of the Serious Foodie Mediterranean Pomegranate Grill Sauce. Mix thoroughly, and refrigerate until serving. Can be made a day ahead.
Soak bamboo sticks for 15 to 30 minutes (or use metal skewers), then tightly skewer the meat onto the sticks. Preheat grill to medium high heat. Place marinated skewers on grill and cook. The key to getting this right is to turn the meat often. Near the end of cooking, brush the meat liberally with the Serious Foodie Mediterranean Pomegranate Grill Sauce.
Serve with pitas or rice, the shawarma sauce, pickled veggies, sliced cucumbers, cucumbers, fresh mint, and tomatoes