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Arayes with grilled beef-stuffed pita halves on a metal platter served with garlic yogurt dipping sauce

Arayes Recipe (Crispy Beef Stuffed Pita)

Thick pita pockets stuffed with spiced 85/15 ground beef, seared meat side down on ripping hot cast iron, brushed with smoked paprika oil and finished on the grill. Served hot with a garlic yogurt dipping sauce.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Appetizer, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Lebanese, Middle Eastern
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef Filling
  • 1 lb 85/15 ground beef The fat keeps it juicy and helps it stick to the pita.
  • 1 small onion finely grated, then squeezed completely dry
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
Pita
  • Small, thick pita breads The thickest you can find. Thin pita tears when you stuff it.
  • Olive oil For the paprika oil.
  • Smoked paprika Mixed into the oil for brushing the bread.
Garlic Yogurt Dipping Sauce
  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 cloves garlic finely grated
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp cold water 1 to 2 tablespoons, as needed to thin.
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or mint optional

Equipment

  • Cast Iron Skillet Get it ripping hot before anything touches it.
  • Grill For the finish. An oven works too.
  • Box grater For the onion and the garlic in the sauce.
  • Large Mixing Bowl
  • Pastry Brush For the smoked paprika oil.
  • Instant-Read Thermometer

Method
 

Make the Filling
  1. Finely grate the onion, then squeeze out all of the excess juice. Do not skip this. Too much liquid makes the beef mixture wet, which turns the pita mushy and causes it to tear.
  2. Add the ground beef, squeezed onion, garlic, parsley, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, allspice, black pepper, salt and olive oil to a bowl. Mix everything together until well combined.
Stuff the Pita
  1. Cut each pita in half to create pockets. Stuff each pocket with the beef mixture, keeping the layer as even as you can.
  2. Mix olive oil with smoked paprika. This is what you brush on the bread while it cooks.
Sear and Finish
  1. Get the cast iron ripping hot over high heat. Place the stuffed pita meat side down directly onto the pan and let the meat develop a hard crust before you move it.
  2. Turn them onto the bread side. Brush the side facing up with the smoked paprika oil while the bottom browns, then flip and brush the other side. Keep flipping until both sides of the bread are browned and the meat has a crust on it.
  3. Transfer the arayes to a grill running at 300°F. Continue cooking until the beef reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Make the Sauce and Serve
  1. While the arayes finish, combine the Greek yogurt, grated garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Add cold water a little at a time until you reach the consistency you want. Stir in the parsley or mint if using.
  2. Remove the arayes from the grill and serve hot with the garlic yogurt dipping sauce.

Notes

Squeeze the onion: This is the whole recipe in one step. Onion water has nowhere to go inside a sealed pita, so it steams the bread from the inside and the pocket tears.
Why 85/15: The beef cooks twice here, once for the sear and again on the grill. Leaner beef dries out, and the rendered fat is also what binds the meat to the bread.
Thick pita only: Thin pita tears when you stuff it and falls apart on the heat.
No grill: Finish them in the oven instead. You need lower heat somewhere or the bread scorches before the beef comes up to temperature.
Timing: Prep and cook times are estimates. Go by the crust on the bread and an internal temperature of 165°F on the beef rather than the clock.

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