tabuli bi kwarma (finely cracked wheat with lamb meat)

Tabuli bi Kwarma .... lamb  meat with cracked wheat.
This dish is a warm version of tabuli but uses lamb meat and onions. Eaten with cabbage leaves partially cooked..... Also known as bulgur pilaf with lamb ( beef or chicken can be substituted) My mother in law taught me the way they made it in the village where her mother was born, Masser Chouf. The lambs have very thick tails in Lebanon, they store extra fat there. Traditionally this fat was cooked down and used as a preservative for the meat. Instead of rendering the fat, she used unsalted butter.

Ingredients
2 lbs  lean Lamb from the leg,
cut into 1 inch cubes.
4 sticks of unsalted Butter
(the butter has to cover the meat

in the saucepan)
1 tablespoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
2 tablespoons Allspice
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 large Onion cut into quarters
3 cans Beef Broth
2-3 cups finely cracked Wheat Germ
2 cans Chick Peas
1 Cabbage

Directions

Using 2 lbs lean lamb meat taken from the leg, cut into 1 inch cubes
Place in saucepan with 4 sticks of butter and 1 large onion quartered. The melted butter has to cover the meat. Add 1 tablespoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 2 tablespoons allspice, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and simmer covered over low heat. When the onion has disappeared, the meat is done in approximately 2 - 3 hours.
When the meat is tender, remove some of the excess butter. Or better, put the pan in the fridge overnight and the next day the butter will have solidified on top. The solidified butter is easy to remove. Reheat the meat mixture and then....
Add 3 cups cracked wheat, 3 cans beef broth and continue to cook until wheat germ has absorbed moisture. This takes no more than ten minutes with the finely cracked wheat.
Add 2 cans drained chick peas  at the very end.

This can be made a day ahead and reheated with a little water in the saucepan.

Serve with cabbage leaves.
Cut cabbage into quarters and place into pan of boiling water.
Simmer for five minutes and remove.