Middle Eastern arayes are a traditional street food that are super popular around the world. They normally use a ground beef mixture, but I wanted to try ground lamb. There is a myriad of spices that you can use for the stuffing, so be sure to try these Grilled Lamb Arayes, or at least this technique because you can make them with whatever you enjoy.
Why You’ll Love Grilled Lamb Arayes
This traditional Middle Eastern dish is going over the fire for a nice sear on the outside and a gooey cheese center. Arayes are pita bread sandwiches that are delicious all by themselves, but the charred crust adds some new flavor to them. These lamb sandwiches with fresh herbs in crispy pita are perfect for family dinners and a great party food.
Grill this arayes recipe up on an outdoor grill and serve with a side of tahini because the only way this dish is getting better is with a side dip!
Grilled Lamb Arayes Ingredients
To create your stuffing, you’ll mix lamb, parsley, garlic, onion, smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, ground coriander, and kosher salt and cook them over the hot grill.
To create the arayes, you’ll also need pita rounds and smoked gouda.
Then you’ll pair them with a tahini sauce made out of tahini paste, lemon juice, garlic, ground cumin, kosher salt, and water. I also garnished the tahini sauce with sesame seeds, smoked paprika, fresh parsley, and a little olive oil for a photo finish!
With only 15 minutes of prep and 1 hour of cook time, you’ll be ready to serve 4! Let’s get into it.
How to Make Grilled Lamb Arayes
The Prep Work
Begin by adding the ground meat to a large bowl and mixing with the rest of the ingredients for the stuffing. Pro Tip: make sure to squeeze the onions dry so that the ayares are not soggy.
Once the meat mixture is complete, slice your pita bread in half. Then open it up so it becomes a pita pocket. Take a handful of the stuffing and carefully add into half circle pockets, making sure to leave a hole in the middle to stuff some cheese.
Encase some of the cubed cheese into each pita half and cover with more stuffing. Just like that, we’re well on our way to enjoying some grilled lamb arayes!
Repeat this process so that all your pita is stuffed full. Then, place all the meat-stuffed pitas in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm because I know you don’t want soggy arayes!
For more with lamb, check out my Spiced Lamb Kebabs with Mint Chimichurri, Garlic Herb Lamb Crown and Rotisserie Leg of Lamb with Chimichurri Sauce.
In another bowl, add your tahini paste along with all the other ingredients for the sauce to the lamb-stuffed pitas. As you mix, the sauce will thicken. Add water to the sauce slowly and mix until you have a thin peanut butter-like consistency. Set to the side until ready to serve.
Preheat your charcoal grill for a two zone cooking method at medium-high heat (around 400F) for direct cooking. Also add a cast iron skillet over the flames 2 minutes before cooking so that it can also preheat.
Grillin’ Time
I added some oil to my skillet so that the Grilled Lamb Arayes wouldn’t stick during the initial sear. Now, add your arayes with the meat filling side down to the skillet. Sear the raw meat until you have developed a nice crust (about 40-60 seconds). Then flip the arayes to its side and sear both sides of the pita for another 40-60 seconds.
For more “meat pockets” style recipes, check out my Fried Pancetta Empanadas, Baked Lamb Empanadas and Mini Crunchwrap Supreme.
Once everything is crispy and seared, pull each grilled pita off the skillet. Transfer sandwiches to the cooler side of the grill so that they can finish cooking indirectly. Let them cook at medium heat (350F) for 20-30 minutes until the meat is 160F internal. Make sure to flip them over every 5-7 minutes so that we can ensure even cooking.
Once done, place sandwiches on a wire rack and let them cool for 5 minutes.
Serve the arayes on a large plate with the tahini sauce in a bowl to the side. Remember, I garnished my tahini sauce with olive oil, sesame seeds, paprika, and parsley for a bit of added flavor and pizazz.
I could personally enjoy these Grilled Lamb Arayes with tablespoons of the mixture, but serving on the side is probably the more normal thing to do… That and a fresh salad and you have a wonderful meal.
Enjoy!
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Grilled Lamb Arayes
Ingredients
Stuffing:
- 2 lbs Ground Lamb
- 2.5 tbsp Chopped Parsley
- 2 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 2 tbsp Grated Onion squeezed
- 1 tbsp Smoked Paprika
- 2 tsp Ground Cumin
- 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander
- Kosher Salt to taste
Arayes:
- 5-6 Whole Pita Bread
- 2 cups Smoked Gouda cubed
Tahini Sauce:
- 1 cup Tahini Paste
- 2 medium Lemons juiced
- 4 Garlic Cloves pressed
- 1 tbsp Ground Cumin
- Kosher Salt to taste
- Water to ideal texture
Garnish:
- Sesame Seeds
- Smoked Paprika
- Chopped Parsley
- Olive Oil
Instructions
- Begin by adding the ground lamb to a bowl and mixing with the rest of the ingredients for the stuffing. Tip: make sure to squeeze the onions dry so that the ayares are not soggy. Once mixed, slice your pita bread in half and open it up so it has a pocket. Take a handful of the stuffing and carefully add into the pocket of the pita bread making sure to leave a hole in the middle to stuff some cheese. Encase some of the cubed cheese into the arayes and cover with more stuffing. Repeat this process so that all your pita is stuffed full. Place the arayres in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm.
- In another bowl, add your tahini paste along with all the other ingredients for the sauce. As you mix, the sauce will thicken. Add water to the sauce slowly and mix until you have a thin peanut butter like consistency. Set to the side until ready to serve.
- Preheat your grill for a two zone method at high heat (around 400F) for direct cooking. Add a cast iron skillet over the flames 2 minutes before cooking.
- Add plenty of oil to the skillet and once it is smoking, add your arayes meat side down to the skillet. Sear the raw meat until you have developed a nice crust (about 40-60 seconds), then flip the arayes to its side and sear both sides for another 40-60 seconds. Once everything is crispy and seared, pull the arayes off the skillet and place on the cooler side of the grill. Let them cook at 350F for 20-30 minutes until the meat is 160F internal. Make sure to flip them over every 5-7 minutes for even cooking. Once done, pull off and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Serve the arayes with the tahini sauce garnished with olive oil, sesame seeds, paprika and parsley. Enjoy!
