Big Sky Beef Kebabs

Jon Bennion aka @Intermediatechef is an extremely talented home chef and today he's sharing his Big Sky Beef Kebabs recipe.

These Big Sky Beef Kebabs and Jon's contribution to this website are very special to me for a few reasons.

First of all, Jon has incredible style in the kitchen.

Beef kebabs are an example of his use of local ingredients to create something he's excited about making. 

In the past when I've made beef kebabs like these grilled Korean Gochujang kebabs on the Kamado Joe I've also used Montana beef and been inspired by the ingredients I have on hand. But more importantly, what I'm inspired to cook is often as simple as what I'm in the mood for.

If you follow Jon on Instagram, it seems that he also cooks with heart and seemingly what he's in the mood for. His dishes are extremely balanced, and his photography tells a story about what he's creating.

Jon's use of Felton Angus Beef in this recipe is a nod to sourcing local ingredients when available to give the food story more depth and detail. As he mentions below, beef is slightly less traditional in this recipe than lamb. But in my opinion, food tastes better when you buy some of the ingredients from your neighbor.

Read on to get Jon's method for making Big Sky Beef Kebabs.

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I don’t think I can ever get tired of eating a good burger. When done right, it’s satisfying and hits a special spot in your stomach. And it doesn’t always have to be patties and buns. Sometimes it’s fun to throw a culinary curveball. 

That’s how you get this dish – Big Sky Beef Kebabs. These kebabs are often made with lamb on the other side of the world, but when you have beef as good as what comes from places in Montana like the Felton Family Ranch, you don’t hesitate to sub in something special.

What influences Big Sky Beef Kebabs?

With a heavy Turkish influence, this reinvented burger is like a flavorful skewered meatloaf in tubed form like a sausage. 

The hamburger gets mixed with minced onion and garlic, fresh herbs like parsley and cilantro, and well-seasoned with salt, pepper, and cumin.

In places like the Middle East, they often have sword-like skewers with wide surface areas that can hold a lot of the meat on the metal stick. To substitute for that, I doubled up the regular skewers and packed the meat on close until they were hugging those skewers tight.

You should be able to get 3 large skewers or 4 medium skewers from the one-pound recipe. Your grill should be extra hot, where you can cook the skewers a few minutes on each side – about 6-8 minutes total. That kiss of flame goes so well with that cumin in the recipe. 

What do you serve with a beef kebab?

This awesomely grilled kebab is not paired with a bun, but a nice and soft flatbread. I made some of my own, but you can use pita, lavash or even a warmed-up flour tortilla if that is what you have on hand.

On top of the lettuce and tomato, a garlicky lemon and herb white sauce was just the right element to tie this reimagined burger together.  

While this dish has so many elements of a typical burger with the works (beef, bread, tomato, lettuce, onion, sauce), it is anything but typical. You’ll make it a regular part of your meal rotation since it’s so unique and simple. 

 

📖 Recipe