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How to Make Oltu-Style Cağ Kebabı at Home
Oltu Cağ Kebabı is not simply lamb threaded on an ordinary skewer. Its defining movement is horizontal: a compact stack rotates before a wood fire, the browned exterior is sliced away, and the newly exposed surface returns to the heat. Small cağ skewers catch the cooked pieces for immediate service. A domestic charcoal grill can teach this layered roasting rhythm, but the result is described as an adaptation rather than certified Oltu production.
Partly chilling the lamb makes five-millimetre slicing practical. Cut across the grain and combine shoulder, which contributes fat and collagen, with the cleaner shape of leg. Onion juice, yogurt, salt and pepper season without building a thick crust. Twelve hours under refrigeration is enough; excess marinade should drain before stacking because wet dairy dripping onto charcoal creates soot and violent flare-ups.
Two parallel heavy skewers stop the cylinder from spinning independently. Compress the slices firmly and alternate lean and fatty pieces so the outside bastes as it browns. Build a two-zone fire, with a hot roasting side and a cooler refuge. Turn often. The objective is a dark aromatic exterior while the protected centre advances gradually, not a charred shell hiding raw meat transferred to the table.
Shave only the layer that has reached 63°C, catch it with clean small skewers and sear briefly if needed. Raw stacking tools never return to cooked food. Continue until the cylinder is exhausted, serving each round with warm flatbread, roasted tomato and long green pepper. This staged service is part of the pleasure: cağ kebabı is best eaten directly from the fire, not accumulated in a covered tray.
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