Minced versus cubed
Turkish skewers split cleanly into two families. Minced: Adana with red pepper, Urfa without, köfte with bread and onion worked into the mix. Cubed: kuzu şiş from lamb leg or shoulder, tavuk şiş from chicken thigh marinated in yoghurt. Minced skewers want a hot, fast bed of coal; cubed ones want a slightly cooler one and a longer turn.
Why charcoal is not optional
The flavour of a kebab comes from fat dripping onto grey, flameless coal and rising back as smoke. Gas produces heat without that exchange, which is why a gas-grilled kebab tastes like grilled meat rather than like kebab. Coal also reaches a surface temperature that seals the outside before the centre overcooks.
What belongs on the plate
Grilled tomato and long green pepper. Sumac onion with parsley, for acid against the fat. Flatbread underneath to take the juices. Bulgur or rice pilaf beside. Ayran or çay to drink. A grill plate missing the sumac onion is missing its balance, not its garnish.
Ordering for a table
Two people: one Adana and one şiş, split. Three or more: the mixed grill, plus a meze board and bread first. Order mezes early and let them sit — the gap between the cold plates and the grill is the shape of a Turkish dinner.