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Preparation Time - 3 Hours
Preparation Method - BBQ / Grill

Festival Grilled Lamb Skewers

Submitted by Sophia P.

Greek Grilled Lamb Kokoretsi Recipe | Keldons Cookery

Bring the rich aromas of a classic Greek street festival right into your own backyard. These flavorful skewers combine tender lamb hearts, sweetbreads, and kidneys marinated in a bright herb oil. Wrapping the meats in savory casings keeps every bite juicy and crisp as it slow-cooks over the fire. It is a wonderful project for any home cook looking to share an authentic Mediterranean tradition.
Ingredients are for 6 Servings

Ingredients:

Qty Unit Ingredient
1/2 pounds Lamb Sweetbreads
1 pound Lamb Hearts
2 whole Lamb Kidneys » halved
2 medium Lemons
1 small Onion » grated
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice  
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Dried Rigani » or dried oregano
2 tablespoons Parsley » chopped
1 teaspoon Salt
4 whole Bay Leaves » each in 3 pieces
6 whole Sausage casings  
Prep Time Process Time Overall Time
3 Hours 20 Minutes 3 hours 20 minutes

Directions:

• Course: Main Dish
• Prevalent Ingredient Base: Lamb
• Parent of Base: Animal Protein
• Method of Preparation: BBQ
• Country: Greece
• Dietary: Non-Vegetarian
• Recipe Creates: Skewers
• Best Time of Year & Publishing Date: Spring (Publish On: 2027-04-12 12:00:00)
• Occasion: Easter
• Is it a rare or unusual (obscure) recipe? Yes

5. Tags

• Special Health Tags:
• Diabetic-Friendly: Yes
• Heart-Healthy: No
• Low-Sodium: Yes
• Low-Carb: Yes
• Allergen Tags:
• Nut-Free: Yes
• Dairy-Free: Yes
• Soy-Free: Yes
• Egg-Free: Yes
• Religious/Cultural Tags: Not Applicable
• Nutrition Tags (Per Serving Estimates):
• Calories: 310
• Total Carbs: 3.5 g
• Fat: 22.4 g
• Protein: 24.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.6 g
• Sodium: 490 mg

6. Tools Needed

• Small saucepan
• Medium boiling pan
• Large mixing bowl
• Glass or ceramic marinating bowl
• 6 sturdy grilling skewers
• Outdoor charcoal grill
• Basting brush

7. Recipe Card


Substitutions

If lamb sweetbreads or kidneys are difficult to source, you can substitute them with equal amounts of lamb liver or lean beef chuck steak cut into uniform pieces.

Grilling Times

• Prep Time: 3 Hours
• Process Time: 20 Minutes
• Overall Time: 3 Hours 20 Minutes

Directions

1. Boil: Rinse 1/2 pound of lamb sweetbreads, place them in a pan with the juice of 1 lemon, cover completely with water, bring to a boil, and then drain.
2. Soak: Put the boiled sweetbreads, 1 pound of lamb hearts, and 2 whole halved lamb kidneys into a bowl with enough cold water to cover, add the juice of 1 more lemon, soak for 30 minutes, and drain.
3. Trim: Remove the skin from the soaked sweetbreads, trim the larger tubes away from the hearts, and cut out the fatty core from the kidneys.
4. Chop: Cut all of the trimmed meats into 1-1/4 inch pieces and place them together into a glass or ceramic bowl.
5. Marinate: Blend 1 small grated onion, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1/2 cup of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of dried rigani, 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley, and 1 teaspoon of salt together, pour this mixture over the prepared meats, cover, and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
6. Soak: Put 6 whole sausage casings into a bowl of cold water and leave them to soften while the meat marinates in the refrigerator.
7. Thread: Thread the marinated meats alternately onto 6 skewers, tucking 2 pieces from 4 whole bay leaves (each cut into 3 pieces) onto each skewer among the meat pieces.
8. Wrap: Drain the sausage casings and wind one full length of casing securely around the meats on each skewer, tucking the loose ends firmly inside to keep everything in place.
9. Grill: Grill the skewers slowly over glowing charcoal, turning them frequently and brushing the meat occasionally with the leftover marinade.
10. Slow Cook: Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, adjusting the height of your grill or moving the skewers to a cooler part of the heat so they cook through gently without burning.

Shelf Life

Store any leftover cooked meats in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a warm skillet before serving.
Feast: Gather everyone around the fire and enjoy these hot, savory skewers!

1. A beautiful platter of fully completed Greek Kokoretsi Tis Souvlas, featuring six rustic wooden skewers loaded with perfectly charred, golden-brown lamb offal and crispy, glistening sausage casings wrapped around the meats. Visible flecks of green parsley and dried oregano cling to the surface, with small charred bay leaves peeking out between the sizzling pieces of meat. The skewers are resting on a simple, homey ceramic serving platter set upon a cozy wooden dining table. In the background, a softly dimmed warm table lamp cast a gentle glow, alongside a textured cloth napkin and rustic silverware, creating an inviting, authentic residential dinner setting. A small, elegant, text watermark reading 'Keldons Cookery keldons.com' is cleanly positioned in the bottom-right corner. Horizontal widescreen composition, optimized for website layout banner, dimensions 1408 x 768 resolution.

2. Rinse sweetbreads, place in a pan with the juice of 1 lemon and cover with water.

3. Bring to the boil, then drain.

4. Put sweetbreads, lamb hearts and halved kidneys in a bowl with cold water to cover.

5. Add the juice of 1 lemon. Soak for 30 minutes, then drain.

6. Remove skin from sweetbreads and trim larger tubes from the hearts.

7. Cut out the fatty core from kidneys.

8. Cut meats and sweetbreads into 1-1/4 inch pieces and place in a glass or ceramic bowl.

9. Blend onion, lemon juice, olive oil, dried rigani, parsley, salt and pour over prepared meats.

10. Cover and leave in refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours.

11. Put sausage casings in cold water and leave to soak during this time.

12. Thread meats alternately on 6 skewers, adding 2 pieces of bay leaf to each skewer among meats.

13. Drain sausage casings and wind a length of casing around meats on each skewer, tucking ends in to keep casings in place.

14. Grill slowly over glowing charcoal, turning skewers frequently and brushing Kokoretsi occasionally with marinade.

15. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, adjusting height of grill, or moving skewers to cooler part of heat so that Kokoretsi cooks slowly.

16. Serve hot.

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