These cumin, chilli lamb skewers are served by street vendors in Northern China. Traditionally, small pieces of lamb fat are threaded in-between the meat to make them extra juicy and flavoursome. It can be a little fiddly deboning the lamb forequarter chops, but they have the best fat to meat ratio for these skewers.
Remove most of the meat from the chops using a sharp boning style knife. Keep at least 3mm of fat, trimming away the excess. Leaving a small amount of fat behind will keep the skewers juicy. Cut lamb approximately into 2cm cubes. Add the lamb to a bowl with the olive oil. In a mortar and pestle, grind the Sichuan peppercorns into a coarse powder. Add the salt, ground cumin, cumin seeds, white pepper, chilli powder and gently stir. Add the spice mix to the lamb, mix all ingredients to evenly coat. If desired, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours to marinate. If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes.
Prepare the barbecue for direct cooking over medium-high heat (210°C-250°C). Thread the lamb onto skewers.
Related Grill Skills
Direct Heat on a Weber Q
Direct Heat on a Premium Gas Barbecue
Prepare the charcoal barbecue for direct cooking over medium-high heat (210°C-250°C). Thread the lamb onto skewers.
Related Grill Skills
57cm Kettle Charcoal Barbecue Setup – Direct Cooking
Prepare your barbecue for direct cooking over medium-high heat (210°C-250°C). If you are using a Weber Pulse, preheat your barbecue with the lid closed and your control knob(s) on high for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the barbecue reaches 290°C. Thread the lamb onto skewers.
Prepare your barbecue for direct cooking over medium-high heat. If you are using a Weber SmokeFire, set the temperature to 270°C and preheat. Thread the lamb onto skewers.
Brush the cooking grills clean with a wire brush. Grill the lamb skewers over direct medium-high heat, with the lid closed, until the lamb skewers have deeply caramelised, 8 minutes for a medium result, turning once.
Brush the cooking grills clean with a wire brush. Grill the lamb skewers over direct medium-high heat (over the fire), with the lid closed, until the lamb skewers have deeply caramelised, 8 minutes for a medium result, turning once.
Once your barbecue has preheated, brush the cooking grills clean with a wire brush. If you are using a Weber Pulse: turn the control knob(s) to one notch greater than medium (240°C-260°C). Grill the lamb skewers over direct medium-high heat, with the lid closed, until the lamb skewers have deeply caramelised, 8 minutes for a medium result, turning once.
Once your barbecue has preheated to the set temperature (SmokeFire: 270°C), brush the cooking grills clean with a wire brush. Grill the lamb skewers over medium-high heat, with the lid closed, until the lamb skewers have deeply caramelised, 8 minutes for a medium result, turning once.
Remove the skewers from the barbecue and leave to rest for a couple minutes before serving.
