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    Home » MAINS » MEAT & POULTRY

    Lamb Shashlik | Central Asian Lamb Skewer Recipe

    Published: June 30, 2021 · Updated: June 4, 2022 by Ieva · This post may contain affiliate links · 14 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    Lamb Shashlik is a Caucasian cousin of Turkish Shish Kebab, and for us, it is a must-cook BBQ item! The meat is cut into thin slices and then left to marinade in a light water-based marinade for hours to create wonderfully juicy and tender meat. The lamb is threaded on metal skewers and cooked on high heat on a BBQ grill! Perfect served with spicy tomato relish, especially Georgian or Armenian Adjika!

    Take Me To:
    • BBQ Season
    • What Meat To Use For Shashlik?
    • Lamb Shashlik Marinade
    • Cooking Lamb Shashlik
    • What To Serve Shashlik With?
    • Other Summer BBQ Recipes
    • Recipe Card

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    BBQ Season

    BBQ season is officially open for us! Yes, we have finally got round to barbequing some meat, and some vegetables and have it all with a glass of wine in the sun in our garden! It felt amazing! Being in the sun, and feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin was always among my TOP 5 biggest pleasures in life. But after a year of lockdown, and only being outside when walking our dog, it felt extra special.

    Shashlik used to mark the beginning of summer when I was growing up. Whilst other families had burgers and hotdogs, we always had shashlik as a summer bbq. We had a small portable grill that we’d pack up and drive to the nearest lake to have a family BBQ party by the water.

    Using a fork, cooked lamb is being taken off the metal skewers.

    What Meat To Use For Shashlik?

    There are many versions of these delicious succulent lamb skewers across Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia. Georgian Shashlik is typically made with pork shoulder. Armenian Shashlik often uses various cuts of lamb. Ukrainian, Lithuanian and Russian Shashlik recipes vary with most calling for pork or chicken thighs. We used a boneless leg of lamb for this recipe, but beef and pork work well too (pork cooks quicker though).

    Lamb Shashlik cooking on a bbq grill.

    Lamb Shashlik Marinade

    Bone the leg of lamb, and cut off any large bits of fat and any sinew. Cut the lamb into thin (approx. 1cm thick) pieces, the size of about 4x4cm. Place the lamb pieces in a bowl. Add the salt and pepper, oil and juice of a lemon. Then mix well, ideally with your hands massaging the meat as you go.

    Lemon juice being squeezed onto the lamb and onions.
    Thinly sliced lamb and onions with marinade in a tuppaware box.

    Add the quartered red onion and bay leaf, and mix to distribute. Then pop everything in an airtight box, pour 100ml of water over and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

    Cooking Lamb Shashlik

    When ready to cook, get the coals hot on your BBQ. Skewer the pieces of lamb snuggly, alternating with a piece of onion every couple of pieces of lamb.

    Place the skewers of lamb on a BBQ and cook for 15-20 minutes, turning often. The meat should be lightly charred and the meat fully cooked. Take the skewers off of the heat and leave them to rest for a few minutes.

    Thinly sliced lamb being threaded onto metal skewers.
    Skewered lamb shashlik cooking on a traditional BBQ.

    What To Serve Shashlik With?

    Serve Lamb Shashlik with your favourite BBQ side dishes: slaw, potato salad, and greens will all work brilliantly! We like these lamb skewers with:

    • Grilled Baby Potatoes
    • Spicy Carrot Slaw
    • Korean Cucumber Salad
    • Georgian or Armenian tomato relish, Adjika.

    Other Summer BBQ Recipes

    For other BBQ ideas, visit our Summer Recipes section, where you will find a variety of summer BBQ meat, side dish and summer salad recipes, including:

    • Grilled Chicken and Peach Salad
    • BBQ Pork Fillet
    • Grilled Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
    • Vietnamese Burger Banh Mi Style

    Recipe Card

    Lamb Shashlik on a large wite sqaure plate with side dishes in the backgorund.

    Lamb Shashlik | Central Asian Lamb Skewer Recipe

    Lamb Shashlik is a Caucasian cousin of Turkish Shish Kebab, and for us, it is a must-cook BBQ item! The meat is cut into thin slices then left to marinade in a light water-based marinade for hours to create a wonderfully juicy and tender result. The meat is threaded on metal skewers and cooked on high heat on a BBQ grill! Perfect served with spicy tomato relish, especially Georgian or Armenian Adjika!
    4.89 from 9 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Marinading Time: 6 hours hrs
    Total Time 6 hours hrs 35 minutes mins
    Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
    Cuisine Armenian, Caucasian, Central Asian, Georgian
    Servings 4 skewers
    Calories 303 kcal

    Equipment

    • BBQ Grill
    • Metal Skewers x 4

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 500 g lamb leg
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 1 red onion
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    • 100 ml water
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 lemon juice only

    Instructions
     

    • Bone the leg of lamb, cut off any large bits of fat and any sinew.
    • Cut the lamb into thin (approx. 1cm thick) pieces, the size of about 4x4cm.
    • Place the lamb in a bowl. Add the salt and pepper, oil and juice of a lemon. Then mix well, ideally with your hands massaging the meat as you go.
    • Add the quartered red onion and bay leaf, and mix to distribute. Then pop everything in an airtight box, pour 100ml of water over and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
    • When ready to cook, get the coals hot on your BBQ. Skewer the pieces of lamb snuggly, alternating with a piece of onion every 2-3 pieces of lamb.
    • Place the skewers of lamb on a BBQ and cook for 15-20 minutes, turning often. The meat should be lightly charred and the meat fully cooked through. Take the skewers of the heat and leave to rest for a few minutes.
    • Serve with your favourite BBQ side dishes.

    Notes

    ** For an extra boost of flavour, spray the lamb with some beer towards the end of the cooking. The coal will start smoking giving the shashlik an even smokier aroma and a mild hint of beer.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 303kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 34gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 685mgPotassium: 617mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 19IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 3mg
    Keyword BBQ Lamb, Caucasian Shashlik, Central Asian Recipes, Lamb Kebab, Lamb Shashlik, Lamb Shashlik Recipe, Lamb Shashlyk, Lamb Skewers, Summer BBQ Ideas
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Keri Bevan

      September 01, 2021 at 8:32 am

      5 stars
      This is the perfect grilling recipe. We loved it. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        September 01, 2021 at 8:32 pm

        That’s great to hear, Keri! Thanks 🙂

        Reply
    2. Katherine

      March 29, 2022 at 10:08 am

      5 stars
      Such a great bbq idea! Perfect with a pita and yogurt sauce. Love this!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        March 29, 2022 at 12:51 pm

        Katherine, you have a perfect combination! Love it 🙂

        Reply
    3. Aimee Mars

      May 03, 2022 at 1:19 pm

      5 stars
      I have been looking for a good skewer meal and this fit all my checkboxes. Delicious and easy to make!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        May 03, 2022 at 1:39 pm

        Thanks, Amy! Glad you found this recipe 🙂

        Reply
    4. Toni

      June 11, 2022 at 5:01 pm

      5 stars
      Everyone at my house really loved it!! it is so tasty and delicious!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        June 11, 2022 at 6:40 pm

        Thanks for taking the time to let me know! So glad you all enjoyed it!

        Reply
    5. kushigalu

      June 20, 2022 at 11:20 am

      5 stars
      Love the flavors in these shahshlik. Perfect grilling recipe. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        June 20, 2022 at 9:19 pm

        Absolutely! This simple marinade allows the lamb to speak for itself! 🙂

        Reply
    6. Claudia Lamascolo

      July 17, 2022 at 7:45 pm

      5 stars
      We love lamb I have made these several times, easy and delicious!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        July 17, 2022 at 8:59 pm

        Thanks, Claudia! It’s the best compliment when our recipes are made repeatedly! 🙂

        Reply
    7. kushigalu

      October 13, 2022 at 11:20 am

      5 stars
      Love the flavors here. Perfect grilling recipe. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        October 13, 2022 at 2:57 pm

        You are most welcome 🙂

        Reply

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