Former kebab shop worker clarifies what happens to doner meat overnight

It’s a mystery that the wise among us don’t probe too deeply — what happens to leftover doner meat after a long night?

Even before we consider how it’s stored, it’s no secret that kebab meat is made of less-than-high-quality meat and is usually an amalgamation of beef, lamb and occasionally veal.

Its make-up is rarely a concern when you’re watching it get sliced up after a night on the town.

If you’re brave enough to peer inside, a former kebab shop worker has lifted the lid on what happens to the meat once the shutters come down.

A doner kebab is a staple for many after a night on the town, but even the busiest kebab shops have leftovers (Getty Images/Simon McGill)

An intrepid Reddit user posed the question in 2023, and a former kebab shop worker was on-hand to unveil the truth.

Someone suggested: “It gets left where it is then the shave of the mouldy, hairy bits the next day." And that's not correct, but it's not entirely wrong either.

"Most kebab places will get through them though, and are very fussy about putting a new one on near the end of the night,” they said.

"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.

"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 two layers. With 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.

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

Other Redditors corroborated the answer, with some saying it might get stuck in a fridge in some places but agreeing it will otherwise sit out, wrapped up, with the spoiled bits getting cut off the next day.

"Lazy places will leave it out,” said one user, adding that the good ones “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.