Kefta the way the street does it: over charcoal.

Walk through any Moroccan market in the evening and you'll follow your nose to the same place: a long charcoal grill, a row of kefta skewers, and a crowd waiting for the next batch to come off the fire.

What kefta is.

Kefta is ground meat — beef, in our case — mixed with onion, fresh herbs, and warm spices, then pressed by hand around a skewer or shaped into small patties. The seasoning is savory rather than hot: cumin, paprika, and parsley do most of the work.

Why charcoal matters.

Gas cooks. Charcoal flavors. The fat from the kefta drips onto the coals and comes back up as smoke, and that smoke is the taste you remember. The outside chars just slightly while the inside stays juicy, which is exactly what you want tucked into warm bread.

If it didn't touch the coals, it isn't kefta. It's just a burger.

At the truck.

Our grill runs on charcoal every evening. The kefta sandwich is the first thing we recommend to anyone new to the menu, and the beef brochettes are the same fire with whole marinated cubes of beef instead of ground.