Seasoned lamb offal — sweetbreads, heart, lungs and kidneys — threaded onto a long skewer and bound tightly with cleaned lamb intestine, then slow-roasted over charcoal until the casing crackles. A smoky, deeply savoury Easter-spit classic sold sliced from street grills.
The dish is a traditional Greek Orthodox Easter appetizer, spit-roasted alongside the whole Easter lamb. Its name derives from Albanian kukurec (ultimately a Balkan word for corncob, after its coiled shape) and was later borrowed into Ottoman Turkish as kokoreç; the earliest documented uses of the name appear in late-19th to early-20th-century Ottoman sources, and Greece and Turkey both claim the dish.
The outer intestine shatters like crackling, giving way to dense, juicy offal carrying woodsmoke, lemon and oregano. It is intensely meaty and a little funky, the kind of bite that rewards adventurous eaters. Best chased with a squeeze of lemon and a glass of ouzo.
Wrapping the lean offal in fatty intestine bastes it from outside as it renders, while slow charcoal rotation crisps the casing and renders fat without drying the interior. Lemon and acid in the soak tame strong offal flavours.
Variations
Chopped griddle version with tomatoes and peppers (kokoretsi tigania), goat instead of lamb, regional spicing with cumin or chili
On the Palate
Where Kokoretsi sits in the Greek flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 8How it's made
8 steps · 40 min
- 120 min
Soak cleaned lamb intestines in water with lemon and vinegar, then rinse thoroughly.
Watch outRinse the intestines until the water runs clear and the raw smell is gone — leftover funk here carries all the way through the cook.
- 215 min
Cut sweetbreads, heart, lungs and kidneys into bite-size pieces and toss with olive oil, lemon, oregano, salt and pepper.
- 315 min
Thread the seasoned offal tightly onto a long flat skewer, alternating the cuts.
- 420 min
Wrap the cleaned intestine around the skewered offal in tight overlapping coils until fully covered.
Watch outWrap the casing in tight overlapping coils with no gaps — loose spots dry out and the whole thing can unravel on the spit.
- 55 min
Set the skewer over glowing charcoal at a moderate distance and rotate slowly.
Watch outKeep it a good arm's length from the coals and turning slow — too close and the casing chars black before the inside cooks.
- 610 min
Baste repeatedly with a lemon, olive oil and oregano mixture during roasting.
- 7120 min
Roast for about 2 hours until the casing is crisp and deep golden and the interior is cooked through.
Watch outIt's done when the casing is deep golden and crackles — pierce and the juices should run clear, not pink.
- 85 min
Slice across into rounds and serve hot with lemon, salt and pepper.
