Mangal Charcoal Grill: Setup for Moroccan Kebabs & Brochettes

Why the mangal is shaped the way it is

A mangal is essentially a long, narrow open-topped box of metal that holds a shallow bed of charcoal, with rails or notched edges along the two long sides. Skewers rest across those rails so the meat hangs directly over the coals with nothing between it and the heat — no grate to stick to, no bars to leave the wrong marks. The narrowness means the whole width of a skewer sits over live coals, cooking evenly end to end.

That geometry matters because Moroccan grilling is mostly skewer work: kefta (spiced minced meat moulded onto flat skewers), lamb and beef brochettes, chicken, liver and merguez. A wide barbecue wastes charcoal heating space the skewers do not cover and cooks their middles differently from their ends. The mangal concentrates a shallow, intense bed exactly under the food, which is why street grillers swear by it.

Setting up the charcoal bed

Light the charcoal — lump charcoal or good briquettes — ideally in a chimney starter so it ignites evenly without lighter-fluid taint, then spread it in a shallow, even layer along the trough once the coals are glowing and dusted with grey ash. You want a consistent bed, not a heap, because skewers cook fast and any cold gaps leave raw patches. Keep a cooler zone at one end by banking the coals slightly to move skewers off the fiercest heat if they colour too quickly.

The heat for brochettes is high and direct: these are thin cuts and minced kefta that want to sear and cook through in minutes, not the low radiant heat of a mechoui. A shallow bed close under the skewers delivers that. Have the coals ready and hot before the meat goes on, because a mangal cooks so quickly that a sluggish fire means grey, dry, overcooked skewers.

• Light in a chimney for clean, even coals without fuel taint.
• Shallow even bed — no heaps or cold gaps under the skewers.
• Bank one end cooler as a rest zone for skewers cooking too fast.

Skewers, spacing and flare-ups

Flat metal skewers are the Moroccan standard, especially for kefta, because a flat blade grips the minced meat and lets you turn the whole skewer as one rather than the meat spinning loosely on a round rod. Lay skewers close but not touching so heat circulates around each, and turn them frequently — Moroccan grillers turn almost constantly — so the meat colours evenly and nothing scorches on one side.

Fat dripping from lamb, kefta and merguez onto hot coals causes flare-ups, and a wall of flame will blacken the meat and taste acrid. Manage it by keeping the bed shallow, moving skewers to the cooler banked end when flames leap, and having them close enough together that they partly shield the coals. A light sprinkle of water is a last resort, since it also cools the bed and stirs up ash.

Choosing or improvising a mangal

Simple folding steel mangals are cheap and widely sold, and a heavier riveted one lasts for years; look for solid rails that hold skewers securely and a trough deep enough to bank coals but shallow enough to keep the meat close to the heat. Portability is a genuine virtue — the mangal is the grill Moroccan families carry to the countryside for a spring barbecue.

No mangal? Improvise the geometry: rest skewers across two bricks or the raised edges of any charcoal grill so the meat sits over the coals without a grate, or simply lay them on a grate over a shallow, hot bed. For the flat skewers themselves, see our skewer guide, and for building and controlling the fire, the charcoal management guide.