SETH: Chef.

ALI: Seth.

SETH: Nice to meet you.

ALI: Nice to meet you, too.

SETH: I see a lot of meat in this bowl here.

What are you making today?

ALI: So we are making our beef shawarma, which is our signature dish.

SETH: Shawarma.

So we're looking at a... What's gonna be a tower of meat here?

ALI: It is.

SETH: I've never actually seen how these towers get built.

So how do you even get started here?

ALI: So so we start it by slicing the top round and marinate it for around 18 to 24 hours.

The marination comes from lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, our spices.

We mix it all together.

So first we go with the base, and we put just like, you know, two to three pieces of the top round all together, and that's what's gonna carry the whole stacks of meat.

SETH: All right.

ALI: So it goes first.

That's our base.

SETH: And are you building one of these every single day?

ALI: We build around six of these every single day.

SETH: So there's a lot of slicing.

There's just a lot of...

This is a labor-intensive process right here.

ALI: It is.

It's very slow.

As you can see, Seth, then we have, like, one pillar of the lamb fat, and that's gonna keep the juices, okay?

So we put it directly after, like, three to four layers of the top round.

Reset.

SETH: Is this gonna give some extra flavor to it or just to keep the base... ALI: Uh, flavor, of course, of the lamb fat, and at the same time, 'cause it goes, like, you know, around 18 hours on the, uh... On the machine, so it doesn't burn.

SETH: Got it.

Got it.

So you're just gonna keep it nice and basted throughout the entire cooking process.

ALI: Yep.

Yeah.

SETH: After Chef Ali finishes stacking the enormous tower of meat, layering the top round with trimmings and lamb fat, it's added to the shawarma machine to begin cooking.

45 minutes later, it will be ready to eat.

ALI: Okay, so now it has been cooking for 45 minutes, okay?

I shave it once during that time.

The meat is cooked and ready to go.

SETH: All right, so the most fun part here, and I'm guessing there's a lot of skill involved with shaving it just right?

ALI: It is.

SETH: Okay.

ALI: Okay.

So we have with our thumb pressing on it, and I got in, okay?

And I start shaving without going inside there, so it's only, like, you know, the cooked part of it.

SETH: Just right on the outside?

ALI: Yep.

SETH: Okay.

ALI: Just try on the outside.

SETH: And letting the knife kinda do the work?

ALI: That's it.

The knife does the work.

Okay.

And now, Seth, do you wanna try it?

(laughs) SETH: I'll give it a shot.

Let's see how I do here.

ALI: Let's see.

SETH: All right.

Put it up here.

Just... ALI: Yeah.

SETH: Just the weight.

Oops.

ALI: Just... Not yet.

Let the knife do the work.

SETH: I'm not sure this is my forte... ALI: You got it.

SETH: Just yet, Chef.

(laughs) There we go.

ALI: There we go.

SETH: Now, I like these like these little, uh...

These little charred bits here at the top.

DAVID: Hey, Seth.

I see you're already trying to cut the shawarma.

SETH: Yeah, I don't think I'm ready just yet, uh, to be working your line here.

I'm very impressed with the, the level of skill involved with both building the tower and also cutting it.

ALI: You're doing good the first time.

You're doing good.

So we're moving to make the pita.

SETH: Okay.

Let me give this back to you.

ALI: All right.

So I got this here for you... DAVID: The best part is for you to just grab a piece right off from, fresh from the spit.

SETH: All right.

Let me give it a shot here.

Oh my God.

That's just awesome.

The meat is juicy but you still get that nice little charred bit on the edge.

So how do you turn this into a, uh... to a sandwich?

ALI: Uh, okay, so here we go.

Got our pita, okay?

So get the amount of meat that you need, right?

With onion, tomatoes, pickles, and the fresh mint, and of course then you go to the sauce, which is the tahini sauce, okay?

We wrap it, and then usually we toast it, okay?

But what I'm gonna do is, like, you know, that's the Lebanese style on it.

SETH: Oh ho ho ho.

I like that.

That's one way to get char on your sandwich.

ALI: That is.

Then we just wrap it, and it's ready to go.

SETH: A Muncheez shawarma pita.

All right.

ALI: That's our signature.

SETH: That's just awesome, guys.

Those little bits you added for a little acidity, like, the onions and the tomatoes, and the pickles kind of have an unusual flavor as well.

DAVID: Yes.

So the pickles we import from Lebanon, so it's a type of pickle that adds crunchiness and acidity.

It's not like an American dill pickle, so it's key to our shawarma.

SETH: The tahini, too.

It was a really generous portion but it really, really helps make the sandwich.

DAVID: Yes, and, like, we import the tahini.

It's Lebanese tahini, so it's a distinct flavor.

The sesame seeds are cooked.

SETH: I can also imagine, 2:00 in the morning, 3:00 in the morning, this could really hit the spot.

DAVID: Hits the spot, and you go to bed like a baby.

(laughs) SETH: And I'll say, you know, as somebody who's had shawarma plenty of times, I've never given a lot of thought to what actually goes into building one of these towers and cutting it.

There was a real skill and an art that obviously I'm not ready for just yet.

Thank you, Ali.

Thanks, David.

Thanks for, uh... DAVID: Of course.

SETH: Letting me try this.

This was great.