About this Dish
Bedouin underground barbecue — whole chickens, lamb and vegetables cooked in a metal drum buried in a pit of hot coals for several hours. The sealed environment creates an intensely smoky, steam-roasted result of extraordinary tenderness. Zarb is associated with Wadi Rum and the Bedouin traditions of southern Jordan. Eating zarb in the desert under stars is one of the world's great food experiences.
IngredientsServes 6
🐔Whole chicken, 1.5kg, skin-on
🥩Bone-in lamb shoulder, 1kg, cut into large chunks
🧅Large white onions, 3, quartered
🥔Potatoes, 500g, halved
🥕Carrots, 3 large, cut into thick rounds
🧄Garlic, 1 whole head, cloves separated and lightly crushed
🫒Olive oil, 4 tablespoons
🌿Baharat spice blend, 3 tablespoons (mix of allspice, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom)
🍋Lemons, 2, juiced
🧂Salt and black pepper, to taste
Method
1
In a large bowl, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, baharat spice blend, salt and pepper to make a marinade. Rub this mixture generously all over the chicken and lamb, getting it under the chicken skin and into any crevices. Leave to marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge for best results.2
Dig a pit in your garden roughly 60cm deep and 60cm wide, or use a large steel drum or deep lidded pot as your vessel. Line the bottom with charcoal or hardwood and light it, allowing it to burn down to glowing, ash-covered coals — this takes about 45 minutes.3
Layer the ingredients in a deep metal rack or large roasting pan: place the vegetables on the bottom, then the lamb on top, and finally the whole chicken at the top. The fat from the meats will baste the vegetables as everything cooks.4
Lower the loaded rack carefully into your pit or drum directly above the hot coals. Seal the top tightly with a heavy metal lid or cover with damp burlap sacking followed by a sheet of corrugated metal, then pile soil or sand around the edges to trap all the steam and smoke inside.5
Leave the zarb to cook undisturbed for 2.5 to 3 hours. Resist the urge to check — the sealed environment is what creates the extraordinary tenderness and smoky depth. You will know it is ready when fragrant steam begins to escape around the edges.6
Carefully unseal and lift out the rack using oven gloves. The meat should be falling off the bone and deeply golden. Rest everything for 10 minutes, then serve directly from the pan onto a large communal platter lined with flatbread, scattered with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon.User Reviews
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