Kukurec

Ingredients

Offal

• 1set of lamb pluck: heart, lungs, liver and sweetbreads, about 1.5 kg
• 500 glamb intestines, cleaned
• 300 gcaul fat, optional but traditional

Cleaning

• 3 tbspcoarse salt
• 200 mlwhite vinegar
• 1lemon, halved
• 2 litrescold water

Seasoning

• 120 mlolive oil
• 2 tbspdried oregano
• 1 tbspdried thyme
• 2 tspblack pepper
• 1 tbspsweet paprika
• 1 tbspfine salt
• juice of 2 lemons
• 4garlic cloves, crushed

To serve

• lemon wedges
• flatbread and raw onion

Directions

1. Turn the intestines inside out with a thin skewer under running water, rub hard with the coarse salt, then soak overnight in cold water with the vinegar and lemon halves. They must smell clean and faintly sour, of nothing else, before you go on.
2. Rinse the pluck, trim the windpipe and any hard tubes, and cut the heart, lungs and liver into strips about 3 cm wide and as long as the skewer.
3. Toss the offal with the oil, herbs, spices, salt, garlic and lemon juice and marinate 2 hours in the fridge.
4. Thread the pieces onto a long flat spit or two parallel skewers, alternating lung, heart and liver so the fatty and lean pieces sit against each other, and press the bundle tight.
5. Wrap the whole bundle in caul fat if using, then wind the intestines around it in tight overlapping spirals from one end to the other, like binding a rope, tucking the ends underneath.
6. Set the spit high over a bed of low, glowing embers, at least 30 cm away, and turn it slowly and steadily.
7. Roast 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours, basting with the marinade for the first hour only. The casing shrinks, tightens and turns mahogany and crackling-crisp; a skewer through the centre should come out very hot.
8. Rest 10 minutes, then cut across the roll into 2 cm slices with a heavy knife so each slice shows the spiral, and serve with lemon, raw onion and bread.

Technique

• Cleaning is the whole dish. Any residue left in the intestine will taste of it after three hours over fire, and no amount of herb or lemon will hide it.
• Distance and patience matter more than heat. Close to the fire the casing chars while the inside stays raw; high and slow renders the fat and crisps the wrap evenly.
• Kukurec is the Albanian name for the dish known as kokoretsi in Greece and kokorec in Turkey, cooked all over the southern Balkans at Easter and at spit roasts.

Substitutions

• If intestines are unavailable, wrap the seasoned offal in a double layer of caul fat and roast it the same way; it will not crisp as hard but holds together.
• Without a spit, bind the roll tightly and roast on a rack at 160°C (325°F) for 2 hours 30 minutes, then blast at 220°C (425°F) for 15 minutes to crisp the outside.

Variations

• The Korça version leans heavily on oregano and hot paprika and skips the caul fat.
• Small individual rolls of about 200 g are made for grill houses and cooked in 45 minutes over charcoal.

History

Made from the offal of the spit-roasted lamb so nothing is wasted; found across the southern Balkans under similar names.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kukurec?

Kukurec is a main from Albania: seasoned lamb offal wrapped in intestine and roasted on a spit. Made from the offal of the spit-roasted lamb so nothing is wasted; found across the southern Balkans under similar names.

How long does Kukurec take to make?

Kukurec takes 1 hr 30 min plus overnight soaking of preparation and 3 hr of cooking. The recipe makes serves 8 as a starter. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Kukurec?

Yes, within limits. If intestines are unavailable, wrap the seasoned offal in a double layer of caul fat and roast it the same way; it will not crisp as hard but holds together. Without a spit, bind the roll tightly and roast on a rack at 160°C (325°F) for 2 hours 30 minutes, then blast at 220°C (425°F) for 15 minutes to crisp the outside.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kukurec?

Turn the intestines inside out with a thin skewer under running water, rub hard with the coarse salt, then soak overnight in cold water with the vinegar and lemon halves. They must smell clean and faintly sour, of nothing else, before you go on.