Make shawarma without a spit
You can make the tasty Middle Eastern dish at home by seasoning and slow-roasting lamb or other meat
Abook called The Middle Eastern Kitchen describes shawarma as a common type of kebab made in Arab countries that’s now enjoyed around the world.
It’s similar to the Turkish döner and Greek gyros, and is defined as a kebab because the meat used to make it is skewered. But when it’s cooked, you end up with something that looks more like a giant roast that will serve many, not just one. The Middle Eastern Kitchen says shawarma is made by threading mounds of sliced, seasoned lamb on a vertical spit, sometimes alternated with sheep fat, onions and peppers. Other meats are also used to make shawarma, such as sliced chicken or beef.
Once on the spit, the meat spins in front of a heat source and slowly roasts until cooked.
In a restaurant, some of the meat is thinly sliced off, put on a plate or on flat bread, such as pita, and served or topped with such things as cucumber, onion, tomato, herbs and tahini sauce.
Shawarma can be absolutely delicious.
But how can you make it at home if you don’t have a giant vertical spit to cook the meat on?
I discovered a tasty way while watching an episode of the Food Network show Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.
On that show an eatery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, called Street Food 360 was showing host Guy Fieri how they made their popular lamb shawarma.
The lamb was not cooked on a vertical spit. It was seasoned with spices, slowly roasted until falling-apart tender, pulled into pieces and then served as described above.
It looked so tasty that I had to come up with my own version.
My recipe yields enough lamb to fill eight pitas, or maybe even more, depending how many other items you put in with the meat.
If that’s too many servings for you, once the lamb you have not eaten has cooled, freeze it for another time, to thaw and reheat when you need a quick meal.
Shawarma-style Lamb
I call this Shawarma-style lamb because it’s slowly cooked in the oven, not on a spinning, vertical spit. When cooked, the meat is pulled into shreds, not unlike pulled pork, and stuffed in pita bread with your choice of items. Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus marinating time Cooking time: Three hours, 45 minutes Makes: Eight servings 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 4 large garlic cloves, minced 2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp paprika 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper 1 (2 3/4 lb/1.25 kg) leg of lamb butt portion roast (see Note 1) • salt to taste 1 medium to large onion, halved and sliced 2 Tbsp tomato paste 8 or more Greek-style pita bread, warmed (see Note 2) • toppings to taste, such as cubed English cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, shredded lettuce, fresh mint, sliced onion, tahini sauce, and/or thick yogurt or tzatziki
Place the oil, cilantro, garlic, cumin, paprika, cinnamon and cayenne pepper in a sided dish that’s just large enough to hold the lamb. Add the lamb and turn to coat. Cover, refrigerate and marinate the lamb four to eight hours, turning occasionally. Preheat oven to 325 F. Place the onions in a 13-bynine-inch casserole.
Add the tomato paste and toss to coat the onions with it. Spread the onions in the casserole. Set the marinated lamb on the onions.
Spread any marinade left in this dish on the lamb, then season with salt. Add water to the pan to a depth of half an inch.
Cover the casserole with foil and roast lamb two and three quarter hours.
Remove the foil, turn the lamb over and roast, uncovered, for another hour, or until the lamb is very tender.
Set the lamb in a heatproof bowl, cover with foil and let rest 15 minutes. Meanwhile, put the onions and liquid in the casserole into a narrow pot and set aside for a moment.
When the lamb has rested, skim the fat from the top of the onion mixture in the pot, then set over low heat. Uncover lamb and with two forks, pull the meat into thick shreds and remove any bones. When that is done, pour the onion mixture over the lamb and mix to combine.
Serve the lamb on the pita bread, topped with your other items. Fold or roll the pita and dig in.
Note 1: A leg of lamb butt portion roast is a bone-in roast cut from upper, meatier part of the leg. It’s sold at some supermarkets and butcher shops. It’s best to call ahead to see if where you shop sells it or can cut one for you. I bought one at Thrifty Foods.
Note 2: Greek-style, pocket-less pita is sold in the deli section of most supermarkets. You can warm the pita by setting it on a hot grill for 30 seconds or so per side. You could also wrap them in foil and warm them a few minutes in the oven once the lamb is cooked.