Yogurt Marinated Lamb Kabobs

I think the scent of grilling lamb is one of the best in the food world – and when the taste follows through in chunks of succulent, tender meat it is a complete treat. These skewers of lamb produce that scent, flavor and texture through an overnight marinade of garlicky herbed organic yogurt. If you’ve never used yogurt as a marinade for grilled meat you are going to be amazed at how perfectly it handles the heat and creates an incredible carmelized crust. All that and it tenderizes even a tougher cut of meat like lamb leg.

 

Since Stonyfield Farm first sent me coupons for their new organic Greek yogurt, Oikos , and asked me to please review it, I have made these three times. Not just to refine my recipe, but also because they are quite addictive!  What started as a sample has become a regular weekly buy for me, since I’m also loving a  minted feta yogurt dip  I came up with that goes wonderfully with these shish kabobs and is also great as an appetizer, salad dressing and sandwich spread. Since I can’t seem to get enough, I’m cooking these up again for a Memorial Day BBQ!

Recipe for Herbed  Yogurt Marinated Lamb: (enough for 8 large skewers of lamb)

• 2 pound boneless leg of lamb, well-trimmed and cut into 1 inch chunks
• 5 ounces Oikos organic plain Greek yogurt, or unflavored yogurt of your choice
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano or 2 teaspoons fresh
• 1 teaspoon dried  mint or 2 teaspoons fresh
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 teaspoons fresh
• 2 large cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Several grates of black pepper
• Either metal BBQ skewers, or wooden ones thoroughly soaked

 

Optional: I add pieces of cut and oiled 1 medium red onion to the skewers because they grill up in just the same time as the lamb and are a great flavor addition. 

Combine all of the ingredients, except for lamb and stir well. Add the chunks of lamb, coat evenly with the yogurt mixture. Either cover and place in the refridgerator overnght, stirring once or twice during that time, or place everything into a plastic storage bag and refrigerate overnight. Even if you marinate these for just a few hours they wll be more tender and flavorful than they would be without the marinade, but at least 12 hours is ideal for the leg meat.

 

 

Remove the meat from the marinade, reserving any remaining as a baste and skewer four or five pieces through their center. If you have smaller trim pieces, you can fold them up best you can and add to the skewer. Alternate with pieces of red onion if using. 

Preheat grill to 350 degress, and place the skewers on the rack. After about three minutes, the meat should release from the grill rack easily (if they are sticking, wait a bit longer). Turn the skewers every three minutes or so, closing the lid partially as needed to maintain an overall 250 degrees. It will take about 20 minutes to cook the lamb to medim-rare, but as with all grilling, equipment and temperature variations will dictate exact time. If you don’t have a grill thermometer, just turn the meat as it is cooking to brown on all sides. Baste a couple of times after the first turn with any reserved marinade. 

 

  

Enjoy!  I recommend serving with rice pilaf, some yogurt dip, and a fresh salad. And a big thumbs up for the Oikos Greek organic yogurt – it has the texture and flavor of an excellent yogurt, is great on grilled meat, perfect for dips and while more expensive than store brands – it is not a watered down version of yogurt and worth every cent!

 

Have leftover lamb?  How about a pita pocket sandwich?