Every kabob at Ribs 'n' Kabobs is made from scratch in our kitchen in Artesia. The meat is hand-mixed with our family spices, shaped by hand onto skewers, and cooked over a lava rock grill until the outside chars and the inside stays juicy. Here is how the process works, from the mixing bowl to the grill, without giving away the recipe.
Ribs 'n' Kabobs is a family-owned, HFSAA-certified, 100% Zabiha Halal BBQ and grill restaurant at 18925 Norwalk Blvd, Artesia, CA 90701, serving Los Angeles County, Orange County and the rest of Southern California since 2014.
What goes into a good seekh kabob?
Five things, and none of them can be skipped. The right meat. The right balance of fat to lean. A spice mix that seasons the meat without burying it. Enough hand mixing that the meat binds to itself and stays on the skewer. And high, even heat that cooks the center before the outside burns.
The recipes are family recipes. The Grandma Recipe Lamb Seekh Kabob on our menu carries the family's own recipe, and it is the kabob the kitchen is proudest of.
How do we mix and shape the kabobs?
Start with the meat
We use beef, chicken, lamb and goat, all Zabiha halal from HFSAA-approved sources. The standard, including hand slaughter and traceability, is on hfsaa.org. The balance of fat matters more than most people think. Too lean and the kabob turns dry and crumbly on the grill. Too fat and it slumps off the skewer. The sweet spot is something you learn by feel, not from a chart.
Hand mixing
Onion, herbs and the spice mix go in next, and then the mixing starts. A seekh kabob is mixed by hand for a reason: working the meat is what makes it bind to itself, and that is what holds the kabob on a skewer over high heat. A machine can do it faster, but it cannot feel when the texture is right. Our cooks can.
Shaping on the skewer
Each kabob is a handful of mix pressed evenly along the skewer. An even thickness matters. A kabob that is thick at one end and thin at the other will burn in one place and stay underdone in another, so the shaping is done slowly and by hand.
What is a lava rock grill and why do we use one?
A lava rock grill is a gas grill with a bed of porous volcanic rock sitting between the burners and the grate. The rocks soak up heat and give it back evenly, so there are no cold spots along a skewer. When fat drips from the kabob it hits the hot rock and flares into smoke, and that smoke is where a lot of the flavor comes from.
The cooks lay the skewers across the grate and turn them often. Turn too little and the outside burns before the center is done. Turn too much and you never get the char. This is the opposite of our hickory smoker, where ribs and brisket cook low and slow for hours; we compare the two in Pakistani BBQ vs American BBQ.
Which kabobs are on the menu?
- Beef Seekh Kabob. Minced beef, hand-mixed, the kabob most people start with.
- Chicken Koobideh. Minced chicken in the Persian style, seasoned with sumac and saffron.
- Chicken Malai Kabob. Chunks of chicken in a mild, creamy marinade. The one to order for guests who do not want heat.
- Chicken Tandoori Boti. Chicken chunks in our tandoori marinade, charred on the rocks.
- Chicken Tandoori Seekh Kabob. Minced chicken with tandoori spice on the skewer.
- Grandma Recipe Lamb Seekh Kabob. Minced lamb, or goat, in the family recipe.
- Shrimp Shish Kabob. Whole shrimp on a skewer, grilled quickly over the rocks.
All of them come as Kabob Platters of 1 to 5 skewers with sides, and the same kabobs go into the Kabob Quesadilla, the Animal Style Cheesy Kabob Fries, the Lunch Kabob Plate and the mini kabob on the kid's menu. The full list is on the menu.
How should you order kabobs?
For a first visit, a two-skewer Kabob Platter with Beef Seekh and Chicken Koobideh, basmati rice and naan is the simplest way to taste the difference between the two styles. For a table, go to four or five skewers and add hummus, green salad and a rack of Hickory Smoked BBQ back ribs so everyone gets both halves of the name. If you like lamb, read about our halal lamb loin chops too.
For a party, the same kabobs come as catering platters or as a live grilling station where we cook in front of the guests. We need at least 24 hours notice for any catering order, and we deliver to Artesia and nearby cities such as Cerritos, Norwalk and Lakewood. Our guide to planning halal catering in Orange County walks through formats, portions and booking.
Visit us in Artesia
The family has made kabobs in this kitchen since the restaurant opened in 2014. Guests come from Long Beach, Orange County and across Los Angeles County; we are a few minutes from the Pioneer Boulevard Little India district and close to the 91 and 605 freeways.
Ribs 'n' Kabobs, 18925 Norwalk Blvd, Artesia, CA 90701. Directions are on the contact page.