Levantine cuisine · Meat & Kebab

Zarb (Bedouin Pit Roast)

Lamb and vegetables seasoned with baharat and slow-cooked for hours in a tightly sealed pot, until the meat falls apart.

Ingredients · for 6 servings

• 1.5 kg lamb shoulder
• 2 tsp baharat (seven-spice blend)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 4 garlic cloves
• 6 potatoes
• 4 carrots
• 2 onions
• 1 eggplant
• 500 ml broth
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Cut the lamb shoulder into fist-sized pieces and rub with the baharat, turmeric, grated garlic, salt, pepper and 2 tbsp olive oil; let marinate for at least 1 hour.
2. Peel the potatoes and carrots and cut into rough chunks, quarter the onions, and cut the eggplant into thick slices.
3. Sear the meat in the remaining olive oil in a heavy braising pot over high heat for 8–10 minutes, turning to brown all over until a dark crust forms.
4. Layer the vegetables around the meat, pour in the broth, and seal the pot tightly with a sheet of baking paper under the lid.
5. Cook in the oven at 150°C (300°F) for 3 hours without lifting the lid – the trapped steam here stands in for the traditional pit oven.
6. Remove the lid, roughly pull the meat apart with two forks, and arrange with the vegetables and cooking juices on a large platter in the center of the table.