Former kebab takeaway worker spills secret of what happens to doner meat after shop closes

When you’re stood salivating over the counter in the early hours of the morning, you’re probably not thinking about what gets left behind – in the kebab shop that is.

Whether you’re there at the end of a night out or for a quick dirty fix after work, the places are beacons of hope for many hungry Brits.

And let’s face it, you’re not in there for the greatest quality of food - but still, there’s no denying it hits the spot.

Yet, when they’ve shaved off that fleshy cylinder skewered on a spike for the last kebab of the night, you might wonder what happens to the rest of it.

Well, a former kebab shop worker has spilled the secret of just what do they do with the leftover meat.

One kebab please boss. (Getty Stock Photo)

They answered Brits' curiosities on Reddit and wrote: "Most kebab places will get through them though, and are very fussy about putting a new one on near the end of the night.

"I’m sure anyone who’s ever got a kebab where it seems half warmed, all scraggy bits that look like they’ve been chopped up, diced, sliced all sorts will wonder what they’ve got.

"But that’s when it’s running low and they use the edges, the top and bottom. As it usually shaves off with a slight inwards curve. Like a ( shape. That’s why some of the better more authentic Turkish ones, use a huge sword like blade to slice it off.

"Next day when you go in you turn it on to warm, and any GOOD kebab shop will shave off about 2 layers. The amount of spices and s**t in it, it’s pretty safe to eat, most wrap it with several bags and stuff and cover it during the night.

Old kebab anyone? (Getty Stock Photo)

"The most your ever gonna need to reheat it for is one more day the next day. It won’t last much longer before being sold!"

Others joined in to back up this answer, saying that some places will stick it in a fridge until the next day, but generally the doner meat cylinder will be wrapped up overnight and the next day, the top layer or two will be scraped off.

Someone else said that 'lazy places will leave it out', while the good kebab shops would 'let it cool down, wrap it in cling film and freeze it'.

There are actually official government guidelines for this and apparently what you're supposed to do is let the thing cool down for about half an hour, shave off all the cooked meat (that cylinder will still be raw in the middle) and then put it in a fridge or freezer.

Any meat that's two days old ought to be thrown away.

Now you know - whether you’re happy about it or not

Topics: Food And Drink, Reddit

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_