Souvlaki Sausage Experiment

[mitchamus]

Hi guys,
Wasn't sure whether to post this in the beginners section, but here goes anyway.

My friend really want's to make a Souvlaki sausage (read kebab/doner)

Having read the massive doner thread on here -
I've just decided to wing it, and am thinking of trying the following recipe:

Souvlaki Sausages

75 % Lamb (with visual 20% fat)
7.5% Breadcrumbs
14% Ice water
1% Olive Oil
2.5% Spice

for the spice mix:
salt (60%)
black pepper (7%)
garlic powder (8%)
onion powder (10%)
oregano (10%)
grated lemon zest (5%)

Can anyone see any massive problems or issues with it?

cheers,
Mitch.

[NCPaul]

That looks to be a great starting point. Grind twice to get a very fine texture.

[saucisson]

Keep us posted on your search for the Holy Grail

Dave

[mitchamus]

Ok - I made a test batch of these last night with some lamb mince from the super market.

They tasted great!

I just made them into small skinless sausages and fried them in a pan on the stove top.

We had them in some flat bread with hommus & salad - delicious!

[Snags]

I would use Sumac ,it will give you the citrus taste without too much moisture or acid.

[mitchamus]

hi guys,

These turned out great - made a 5kg batch on the weekend.

little bit of weeping moisture when cooked.

more fat & more mixing next time.

cheers,
Mitch.

[mitchamus]

ok - so I've been eating these every other night for the last week and a half...

and I'm still not sick of them!

the best way to enjoy them is how we had some skewered meat at a Persian restaurant once.

Cook about 1/2 a cup per person of Basmati rice.

Cut a tomato in half per person an put under the grill, cut side up.

Serve the rice, and put a generous knob of butter on top, and then the grilled tomato halves on top of the butter.

to eat - mash the grilled tomato into the rice, and season with salt and pepper.

The taste of the lamb sausage with the tomato rice is amazing!

[grisell]

That recipe seems great! I've made something similar several times, and I think the Turks refer to them as köfte.
I sometimes use lean lamb and replace the fat with pork lard, since I think pork fat tastes much better than lamb fat does. This is often practiced in non-muslim countries.