Reintroducing The Big Sky Kebab Burger
 | Author:
Jon Bennion, Montana Free Press
Jon Bennion, Montana Free Press |
With its heavy Turkish influence, this reinvented summer grilling staple is like a skewered meatloaf in tube form.
This article by Jon Bennion was originally published in the Montana Free Press on April 22, 2025. It is published here courtesy of the Montana Free Press.
https://montanafreepress.org/2025/04/21/reintroducing-the-big-sky-kebab-burger/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Judge%20extends%20block%20on%20bathroom%20bill&utm_source=2
I like grilling any time of year. During winter, I sometimes slip out the back door — often wearing sandals and no coat — pretending it will only take a second to fire up the grill as the thermometer hovers around zero.
When it warms up and there’s time to sit outside in the evening with your beverage of choice, grilling takes on a relaxing character that was never part of the winter-grilling experience. I love these days. You can literally smell it in the air when your neighbors fire up their grills, too. It’s an intoxicating sign that grilling season is here. And it’s here.
When it comes to what to grill, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of making a good burger. If done right, it’s satisfying to cook and hits a special spot in my stomach. Plus, living in Montana means we can take advantage of the best beef in the world raised in our own backyards. There are dozens of options to buy local beef straight from a Montana ranch, often shipped right to your doorstep.
Round patties, buns, cheese, and a few toppings are usually just fine for me. But it’s also fun to sometimes throw a culinary curveball and change things up. That’s how you get this dish: Big Sky beef kebabs. This style of kebab is often made with lamb on the other side of the world. But when you have beef like we have here, you don’t hesitate to sub it in.
With its heavy Turkish influence, this reinvented burger is like a skewered meatloaf in tube form. It’s almost like an uncased sausage. Give it a try, and I’m willing to bet it finds its way into your summer grilling rotation.
The ground beef gets mixed with finely minced onion and garlic and fresh herbs like parsley and cilantro, then well-seasoned with salt, pepper, and cumin. In the Middle East, they often use sword-like skewers with a wide surface area that can hold a lot of meat without it falling off.
I don’t have that kind of skewer, so I doubled up some regular skewers and packed the meat on tight. You should be able to get three large skewers or four medium skewers from this one-pound-of-beef recipe.
Your grill should be extra hot so you can cook the skewers just a few minutes on each side, about 8 minutes total. That kiss of flame goes so well with the cumin in the recipe.
I pair this grilled kebab not with a bun, but with a soft flatbread. I made some of my own, but you can use pita, lavash, or even a warmed-up flour tortilla if that’s what you have on hand. Add lettuce and tomato, and then a garlicky lemon-herb white sauce is just the right element to tie this reimagined burger together.
While this dish features many elements of a typical burger (beef, bread, tomato, lettuce, onion, sauce), it is anything but typical. And it’s what’s for dinner if you’re willing to put patties and buns aside for one memorable grill night this season.
KEBAB RECIPE
Kebab Ingredients
1 pound Montana hamburger meat
1/2 small onion, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
1 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro
Sauce Ingredients
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 tablespoons buttermilk or heavy cream
zest of 1/2 lemon
1 clove of garlic ground into a paste, or 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
a pinch each of kosher salt and pepper
optional: 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley and/or cilantro
Other Ingredients
flatbread, pita, lavash, or flour tortillas
fresh tomatoes cut into small wedges
chopped lettuce
chopped parsley and cilantro
Combine all the sauce ingredients and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and keep cool in the refrigerator for at least an hour to let the flavors merge.
To start the kebabs, mince your onion and garlic very fine. You can do this in a food processor or with a knife and cutting board. Combine in a large bowl with the hamburger, seasonings, and herbs, and mix well. Divide the mixture into three or four equal portions, depending on the size of the skewers. For each kebab, pack the meat around two metal skewers. The circumference of the meat should be no more than 1 1/2 inches. Season the surface with more salt and pepper.
Grill the skewers on high heat for about 3 or 4 minutes on each side with the grill lid closed. Total cook time is about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and take out the metal skewers. Combine the cooked kebabs with your choice of flatbread, tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, and sauce.
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PhotoCredit: Jon Bennion
Image 1 Caption: Hamburger Kebab
