How to Make Oltu Cag Kebabi

As someone from Oltu with many years of experience preparing it, I will share its preparation and the important key points.

Oltu cag kebab is a traditional delicacy especially famous in Erzurum and its surroundings, prepared by marinating thinly sliced lamb meat with a special kneading and seasoning process, then placing it on a horizontal skewer and cooking it over fire-coals. In the traditional method, the cutting of the meat, its marination, and its placement on the skewer form the heart of the recipe; small but correct techniques applied in these stages take the flavor to a completely different level. If you follow the recipe and practical tips I will give below, you can achieve the original taste. Any other preference removes it from being cag kebab and turns it into just a meat dish.

Cag Kebab Ingredients and Preparation

The ingredients are generally simple but their quality is important. For about 4 servings:
- First, we light our long skewer and our stove where we will burn wood fire, letting it turn into embers, but the fire should remain burning at the back.
- The day before, we buy 2 kg of boneless lamb leg, shape it according to the size of the skewer, and knead it with 2 teaspoons of salt (adjust to taste), 1 teaspoon of black pepper, and about half a kilo of chopped onions. Then the kneaded meat is placed into a closed container with some more onions and black pepper beneath and between the layers—without stuffing it—and left in the fridge until the next day.
- The meat is arranged on the skewer according to its width as shown in the picture, then tightened with the skewer’s adjustment. The skewer is placed in front of the stove over the embers.

Cutting and Serving Cag Kebab

As the meat cooks on the embers in front of the fire, rotate it to maintain balance. Once the meat is cooked, take your metal cag skewer and, without inserting it too deep, place it so that it takes a thickness similar to your little finger—either in pieces or in one insertion. Then bring the kebab knife to the pointy end of the skewer and start cutting downward beneath the tip.

Key Points in Cag Kebab

Oltu cag kebab is a dish whose flavor can only be fully achieved through the right ingredient selection and careful preparation. The most important key points are using original lamb meat, slicing the meat thinly, kneading it well, placing it tightly on the skewer, and cooking it in a controlled manner. To capture the original taste, avoid using anything other than wood. Many methods including electric heat have been tried by us, but fuels other than wood do not provide flavor. Serving the meat you slice from the skewer while hot and adding onions/tomatoes enhances the flavor. As you gain experience, you will begin to adjust the kneading time and salt amount according to your taste.

While cooking cag kebab

I have heard of many things being added such as yogurt, water, mild turnip juice, milk, mineral water to soften tough meat. Do not buy tough meat and do not add anything else. Meat–Onion–Black pepper. If you have difficulty slicing it on the skewer, you may also hold a serving plate under the kebab knife. This is not the kind of dish to be cooked at home on a balcony. Its aroma is especially strong. Lavash-type breads are easier to consume with it, but that is a matter of preference. Yogurt or ayran should not be drunk with it. Wait at least half an hour after finishing the meal and only then start drinking tea once the food has burned off. You can purchase tools like the skewer, cag skewer, and knife through our writer Abdurrahim AYDIN. You may ask us any questions that come to mind. Enjoy your meal. Date Published: 2025-11-22 03:38:27