This Persian Kabob Barg is marinated overnight in grated onion, oil, garlic, salt, pepper, saffron, and lemon or lime juice. It is one of those amazing dishes that honors traditional Persian cooking and brings me joy every time I make it.

When you hear lamb barg or beef barg, the word ‘barg’ means the meat has been marinated in a specific combination of ingredients: grated onion, oil, garlic, salt, pepper, saffron, and lemon juice.

Soltani is a Persian/Iranian word that translates to something like ‘sultan’s feast’ or ‘for the sultan’. It means a special dish worthy of royalty! If you’re eating Persian cuisine and it’s got the word ‘soltani’ in it, you know you’re about to have something amazing!

These tasty kabobs will be a regular all summer long along with koobideh and joojeh kabob.

Kabob with rice and salad.

This recipe is part of an ongoing partnership with the American Lamb Board, my go-to resource for education and expertise on American lamb. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

🌟Why you’ll love this recipe

  • The lamb or beef in this recipe is bursting with flavor. It’s marinated overnight in an easy and simple marinade of grated onion, oil, garlic, salt, pepper, saffron and lemon or lime juice.
  • The enzymes in the grated onion and the citric acid in the lemon juice tenderize the meat. I also tenderize the meat using the back of a knife, a method you may not have seen before.
  • The marinated beef or lamb is complemented by the rich smoky taste of a charcoal grill. The flavor from the charcoal grill is a traditional addition for barg, but you can also broil the kabob. I will provide directions for both.
  • I like to cut my pieces a little thicker than what’s traditional for barg. The traditional way is to slice the meat and butterfly it thin. I like the way the meat cooks when it’s a little thicker, but the thickness is up to you.

Why Grill with American Lamb?

Aside from being a delicious meat to grill, lamb is a great choice no matter how you’re going to cook it!  On average, lamb is a lean meat choice that can be infused with great flavor through different marinades, and during the cooking process.

Lean cuts of American lamb include the leg, loin, and shoulder. I chose boneless lamb loin (or beef backstrap or tenderloin) for my Kabob Barg because it’s a tender and flavorful cut of meat in this preparation.

You can also use boneless sirloin from the leg or slice boneless sirloin chops. Ask your butcher for a boneless loin (the small tenderloin will be attached) or sirloin roast. These cuts are comparable to the tenderloin for beef.

Barbecued meat on a plate.

The Heritage in this Dish

I think it’s honoring the heritage of this dish to use high-quality, sustainable ingredients like American lamb or beef. Continuing my commitment to cooking with sustainably sourced food, I choose American meat that is locally sourced.

I like to support local producers in my community and I value that sheep grazing practices contribute to the lushness of our rangelands and pastures and that the animals are treated with respect, comfort, and special care.

I also appreciate that American Lamb preserves traditional methods of raising and farming sheep and sustains a thriving community of ranch families. The production of American Lamb actually supports and sustains the livelihoods of more than 80,000 farmers, which is amazing!

🧾Ingredients in this recipe

Ingredients for kabob on a countertop.
  • Beef or lamb – For beef, use backstrap or tenderloin. For lamb, you can order a boneless loin roast that will have the small tenderloin attached or a sirloin roast from the leg. 
  • Saffron – you can tell saffron is real is by crushing it between your fingers. There should be a yellow residue on your fingers. You can find saffron in Middle-Eastern markets or online.
  • Lemon juice – you can substitute with lime juice.
  • Onion – grate a yellow onion using a coarse grater or box grater. Grating the onion helps the flavor and enzymes (the thing that helps tenderize the meat) get all over the meat.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

👩‍🍳How to Make This Recipe

Raw meat on a cutting board.
  • The first step is to prepare your lamb or beef tenderloin. Lay the meat flat on your cutting board. Cut the lamb into 2-5 inch long pieces – try and get the pieces cut into even widths (ends up about four fingers wide). This will require you to rotate some of the pieces. Do not remove all the fat. Repeat with the rest of the meat.
Bowl of meat marinating.
  • Ground and bloom the saffron by steeping it in 1 tablespoon of hot water. Set it aside to steep for at least 5 minutes. Assemble your marinade of grated onions, oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic, the steeped saffron, salt and pepper in a bowl and cover your meat in it. Marinate the meat overnight in the refrigerator, covered with a silicone dish cover or plastic wrap.

Remove the hard fat

You can leave the soft fat because it will melt and add flavor to and tenderize the meat. Gently butterfly each of the sections by placing your hand flat on top of a section and running a sharp knife horizontally between your hand and the cutting board, splitting each section into two thinner pieces.

Raw kabob and tomatoes on a plate.
  • Push your marinated meat onto flat, metal skewers trying to keep the width as even and centered as possible. Make sure to shake off any excess marinade otherwise it will burn when you cook.
Knife tenderizing meat.
  • Tenderize with the back of your knife by laying the skewered meat flat and hammering the back of the knife perpendicular to the skewer along the meat.

To Grill

Get your grill hot and ready.

Grill suspended in an open, preferably charcoal grill for around 5-7 minutes each side, until the internal temperature reaches 145F (medium-rare). Let it rest for 3 minutes.

To Broil

Place your oven rack close enough to the broiler so the top of your broiling pan will be less than 3 inches away from the heat source. Line the broiler pan with foil.

Cook for 5-7 minutes each side, until the internal temperature reaches 145F (medium-rare).

To Serve

Slide the cooked meat off the skewers and serve with basmati rice, lemon or lime wedges, and barbecued tomatoes!

Taking kabob off a skewer.

My go-to pairing for this dish is some steaming Persian saffron rice, and grilled tomatoes. Pop the skewered tomatoes on the grill at the same time you are grilling your meat so it can be smoked in all that amazing flavor. There is usually also a side of Shirazi salad.

Kabob with rice and salad.

I grew up eating mostly Iranian food, and there are some dishes that are always a hit with guests who are new to Iranian cuisine. Here are some favorites I recommend trying out next!

I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m up to.

Kabob with rice and salad.
Author: Candice Walker

Persian Kabob Barg

5 from 8 votes
Print Recipe Save
This Persian Kabob Barg it’s marinated overnight in grated onion, oil, garlic, salt, pepper, saffron, and lemon or lime juice.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Resting Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 30 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: American, Persian
Diet: Gluten Free
Servings: 4
Calories: 619kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1.5-2 lb. beef tenderloin or backstrap, or boneless lamb loin or sirloin
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice or sub with lime juice
  • 2 grated onions
  • 3 cloves crushed garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon saffron
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

Prepare the Meat

  • Lay the meat flat on your cutting board. Cut the meat into 2-5 inch long pieces – try and get the pieces cut into even widths (ends up about four fingers wide). This will require you to rotate some of the pieces. Do not remove all the fat*.
  • Butterfly each of the sections by placing your hand flat on top of a section and running a sharp knife horizontally between your hand and the cutting board, splitting each section into two thinner pieces. Repeat with the tenderloin (if you’re also using loin), or repeat with your other tenderloin.
  • Bloom the saffron by steeping it in 1 tablespoon of hot water. Set it aside to steep for at least 5 minutes.
  • Assemble your marinade of grated onions, oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic, the steeped saffron, salt and pepper in a large bowl and cover your meat in it.
  • Marinate the meat overnight in the fridge, covered.

To Grill

  • Get your grill hot and ready. In the meantime, push your marinated meat onto flat, metal skewers trying to keep the width as even and centered as possible. Make sure to shake off any excess marinade otherwise it will burn when you cook.
  • Tenderize with the back of your knife by laying the skewered meat flat and hammering the back of the knife perpendicular to the skewer along the lamb.
  • Grill suspended in an open, preferably charcoal grill for around 5-7 minutes each side, until the internal temperature reaches 145F (medium-rare). Let it rest for 3 minutes.

To Broil

  • Place your oven rack close enough to the broiler so the top of your broiling pan will be less than 3 inches away from the heat source. Line your broiler pan with foil. In the meantime, push your marinated meat onto flat, metal skewers trying to keep the width as even and centered as possible.
  • Make sure to shake off any excess marinade otherwise it will burn when you cook.
  • Tenderize with the back of your knife by laying the skewered meat flat and hammering the back of the knife perpendicular to the skewer along the meat.
  • Cook for 5-7 minutes each side, until the internal temperature reaches 145F (medium-rare). Let it rest for 3 minutes.

To Serve

  • Slide the cooked meat off the skewers and serve with basmati rice, lemon or lime wedges, and barbecued tomatoes!

Video

Notes

*Remove all of the hard fat. You can leave the soft fat because it will melt and add flavor to and tenderize the meat.
Ask your butcher for boneless loin roast  which will include the tenderloin or sirloin from the leg. These cuts are comparable to the tenderloin on a cow.
I like to cut my pieces a little thicker than what’s traditional for barg. The traditional way is to slice the tenderloin and butterfly it very, very thin. I just like the way the meat  cooks when it’s a little thicker, but it’s completely up to you if you’d like to do the same. The thicker it is, the longer you will need to cook it.
Grate the onion using a coarse grater or box grater. Grating the onion helps the flavor and enzymes (the thing that helps tenderize the meat) get all over the meat.

Nutrition

Calories: 619kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 25g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 667mg | Potassium: 622mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 4mg
Did you try this recipe?I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a Review to let us know how it came out, if you have a successful substitution or variation, or anything else.

2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    this recipe is delicious!♥️ I want to learn from you more delicious recipes from here in Europe ♥ ️😂🤭

    Reply
5 from 8 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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