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1
Marinate the Meat
4 Hours (Mostly Hands-Off)
Fridge, 4°C (39°F)
Mix the meat chunks with the grated onion, lemon juice, olive oil, pepper, paprika and half the salt. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 4 hours, turning the meat once halfway through so every piece sits in the marinade.
Four hours is the sweet spot — less and the flavour stays on the surface; overnight is fine too, but do not marinate more than 24 hours or the lemon starts to toughen the meat.
Done when: Meat is evenly coated and smells of onion and lemon; the marinade has loosened, not pooled.
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2
Build the Charcoal Fire
25 Mins
Coals at ~230°C (450°F), no flames
Light natural charcoal in the mangal or grill and let it burn down until the coals are covered in white ash and there are no flames — about 20–25 minutes. Spread the coals in an even layer; the skewers should sit about 12–15 cm (5–6 in) above them.
Never grill over flames: the outside burns while the inside stays raw. Wait for white ash, then cook.
Done when: Coals glow red under a coat of white ash, with steady heat and no leaping flames.
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3
Skewer the Meat
10 Mins
Room temperature
Thread each meat onto its own flat metal skewers (shampoor), pushing the chunks close together so they touch — this keeps them juicy. Leave a little space at each end to hold the skewer. Skewer the whole peppers and tomatoes on separate skewers.
Flat skewers stop the meat spinning when you turn them; round skewers let chunks roll and cook unevenly. One meat per skewer, because pork, lamb and beef finish at different times.
Done when: Skewers are full, chunks touching, with no gaps where heat can dry the meat out.
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4
Grill the Vegetables
10 Mins
Hot coals, ~200°C (400°F)
Lay the pepper and tomato skewers over the coals first and grill for about 10 minutes, turning once, until the skins blister and blacken in spots and the flesh softens. Slide them off, peel away the loosest charred skin, and chop the flesh roughly with a pinch of salt.
Grill the vegetables first while the fire is at its hottest, then set them aside — they hold their heat well under a cover.
Done when: Skins blistered and blackened in patches; peppers soft, tomatoes slumped and juicy.
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5
Grill the Meat
15 Mins
Hot coals, ~200–230°C (400–450°F)
Lay the meat skewers close together over the coals and grill for 12–15 minutes, turning every 2–3 minutes so all sides brown evenly. The meat is done when the outside is deeply browned and charred at the edges and the centre reaches at least 63°C (145°F) for pork, lamb and beef — check the thickest chunk with a thermometer. Rest the skewers for 3 minutes before serving.
Turn often — the Armenian rule is that the more you turn the skewers, the tastier the khorovats. Do not press the meat down; that squeezes the juices out.
Done when: Deep brown crust, juices running clear, centre at least 63°C (145°F); rested 3 minutes so the juices settle.
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6
Serve on Lavash
5 Mins
Off the heat
Spread the lavash on a large platter and slide the meat off the skewers straight onto it, so the bread soaks up the juices. Scatter over the grilled peppers and tomatoes, the raw onion rings, the fresh herbs and the remaining salt. Serve at once, and let everyone tear off lavash and wrap the meat in it with their hands.
Warm the lavash for a minute over the cooling coals first — warm bread soaks up the meat juices far better than cold bread.
Done when: Lavash is warm and stained with meat juices; the platter is piled high and steaming.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Eat the khorovats hot off the lavash, wrapped in the bread with grilled vegetables, raw onion and herbs. The lavash underneath is part of the dish — tear it up and eat it with the juices.
Armenia
1h 45m
France
Vietnam