Grilled Kibbeh

Ingredients

• half a kilo light bulgur
• half a kilo dark bulgur
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• ¼ tablespoon white pepper
• ½ tablespoon paprika
• 4 cups cold water
• ¼ kilo lean meat for the filling
• ¼ kilo fat trimmings
• ¼ kilo rendered fat/tail fat
• 1 small finely chopped onion for the filling
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon salt for the filling
• ½ tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon pepper paste
• a handful chopped walnuts
• a handful pomegranate seeds
• 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
• 750 grams veal for the kibbeh dough
• 1 onion for the kibbeh dough
• a little ice water
• a little lemon zest
• 2 sprigs mint
• 1 tablespoon ghee

Instructions

1. Soak the bulgur in a large bowl with cold water after mixing it with the salt, cumin, white pepper, and paprika. Set the bowl aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until the bulgur grains swell.
2. Cook the lean meat for the filling in a hot frying pan with 1 tablespoon of ghee and the bay leaf. Then add the small finely chopped onion and cook the filling through while keeping it juicy.
3. Cool the filling in a tray or a shallow bowl. In a bowl, combine the cooled cooked meat with the fat trimmings, rendered fat, salt, black pepper, pepper paste, chopped walnuts, pomegranate seeds, and pomegranate molasses. Rub the mixture between your fingertips until it is crumbly rather than dough-like.
4. Grind the soaked bulgur with 1 onion in a kibbeh grinder, using ice water as you work to keep it cold.
5. Add the veal to the bulgur mixture in the kibbeh grinder, then grind the mixture several times as stated by the chef: one pass without meat, then two passes with the meat, until a smooth, cohesive kibbeh dough forms.
6. Cover the kibbeh dough and place it in the freezer for 15 minutes before kneading so it remains cold and the meat does not get overworked.
7. Knead the kibbeh dough in a stand mixer, if available, until cohesive, using ice water, a little lemon zest, and 2 sprigs of mint as you work to keep it cold and remove any gamey odor.
8. Prepare the shaping surface on the table using 2 sheets of nylon plastic, and sprinkle them with water so the kibbeh dough does not stick.
9. Divide the kibbeh dough into balls, then place each ball between the 2 sheets of nylon plastic and flatten it with the palm of your hand.
10. Press each disc of dough with a suitable plate over the nylon plastic to make circles of even thickness. Make some discs smaller for the filling base and others larger for the cover.
11. Place the filling on the smaller disc over the nylon plastic, then cover it with the larger disc.
12. Pull the nylon plastic away from the top and bottom while shaping, then press lightly so the top and bottom layers of kibbeh dough adhere.
13. Seal the edges of the kibbeh disc with water-moistened fingertips over the nylon plastic until the disc is well closed.
14. Shape the rim of the kibbeh disc using a small bowl or a metal container, such as a ghee tin, to create a tall, upright disc.
15. Smooth the top and bottom of the kibbeh disc with a hand moistened with water until smooth.
16. Prepare the charcoal in the brazier by lighting 2 pieces of charcoal first, then placing the remaining charcoal on top. Leave the charcoal until it catches, then settles into calm, glowing embers before grilling.
17. Place the kibbeh discs on the grill rack over the brazier on gentle charcoal heat, then leave them until they set on the first side without continually moving them.
18. Turn the kibbeh discs on the grill rack over the brazier once they release and move easily on their own, then finish grilling the second side.
19. Fan the charcoal as needed using a fanning tool from a distance, so the embers remain suitable for gentle grilling.
20. Sprinkle water on the charcoal in the brazier if fat drips down and flames flare up during grilling.
21. Remove the grilled kibbeh from the grill rack once browned on the outside while the juices and fat remain inside the disc.