It is the lazy part of summer when the heat of the day peaks just about when I should be making dinner and I suddenly find all my morning ambitions have disappeared! I’ve been sticking to salads and other quick things lately but I have been thinking about kebabs and grilling because my other half Mark Morgan has introduced me to the ridiculous fun of this YouTube channel:
CrazyRussianHacker
Now, it is absurd and there’s a lot of “prepper” survival gadget stuff but then there are the kitchen gadgets. Oh. My. God. Watching him unbox and test all of these whacky “as-seen-on-tv” plastic slice-n-dice etc. things is ROFL kinds of fun! So we were watching this one the other night:
Ok, so having laughed and giggled and yelled at the tv I thought, I’ve got some good kebab recipes, and believe me, you can easily make these without any of these silly plastic molded food torture devices! Don’t even get me started on that “survival chef’s knife” he uses to saw through that meat. Grrr. Argh.
A few years back I read a really good article on kebab basics:
How to Make Great Kebabs
It’s from one of my trusted go-to sites Serious Eats and it has great info. There are also a number of recipes linked at the end of that article so I will highlight the one that I made and is pictured at the top of this post.
So much that's wrong with kebabs comes down to the ingredients used and their preparation. While many kebabs are treated as free-for-alls—a chance to skewer whatever's available and roast it over the fire—not all foods, and cuts of meat specifically, are suited to being cubed and grilled over high heat. The key is to know which ones do the job well.
He discusses different meats and which cuts are best followed by advice on their prep:
Larger cubes are the best way to keep meats moist while grilling over direct, high heat. At the very least, 1-inch cubes should be used, but 1 1/2-inch is even better because it allows more leeway in cooking. For meats that can't be cut into cubes that large, like chicken thighs, longer strips can be cut and then folded over on themselves when skewering to create the even-sized chunks.
Then there is marinating followed by a section on vegetables. Then onto equipment; i.e. wood vs. metal skewers, and then grilling methods.
The kebabs I decided to make were beef as it was on sale. So this is the featured kebab at top:
from Serious Eats
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic (from about 3 medium cloves)
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3/4 cup teriyaki sauce
- 3/4 cup pineapple juice, divided
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 1/2 pounds beef sirloin tips, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 large sweet onion, sliced into 1 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 onion layers each)
- 2 medium red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, cut into 1 1/2-inch squares
Type of fire: two-zone indirect
Grill heat: medium-high
Directions
-
Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add ginger, garlic, and red pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in teriyaki sauce, 1/4 cup of pineapple juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
-
Pour half of marinade into a small bowl and whisk in remaining 1/2 cup pineapple juice. Reserve remaining marinade in saucepan as a glaze to be used during grilling. Place beef cubes in a large resealable plastic bag. Add marinade and seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Marinate, refrigerated, for at least 2 and up to 5 hours.
-
Thread beef onto skewers, alternating with pineapple, onion, and bell peppers.
-
Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes.
Clean and
oil the grilling grate. Grill skewers over direct heat until beef is well seared on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Move skewers to cool side of grill and brush all over with reserved teriyaki glaze. Cover grill and continue to cook until center of beef registers between 125-130°F on an instant read thermometer. Transfer skewers to platter and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
My other favorite kebab recipe is also from Serious Eats but not that article. I’ve made it a few times on the grill and also inside on the Foreman.
Ingredients
- For the Rosemary-Garlic Oil:
- 1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
- For the skewers:
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and cut in half
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons Rosemary-Garlic Oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds sweet Italian sausages, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 24 large fresh sage leaves
Directions
1. To make the rosemary-garlic oil: Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well. Set aside.
2. Up to a day ahead or 4 hours prior to cooking, rinse the chicken thighs in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Toss the chicken with 2 tablespoons of the rosemary-garlic oil and the chopped rosemary. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.
3. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat (350°F–450°F). Place the 1/2 cup of rosemary-garlic oil in a small dish for brushing the skewers while grilling. Thread 3 pieces of the sausage, chicken, and sage leaves alternately on the metal skewers. Grill the skewers, covered, until one side is browned and has nice grill marks, about 4 minutes. Brush with the rosemary-garlic oil, flip, and cook until the other side is cooked, about 4 minutes more.
4. Continue to cook, turning and brushing with the oil, until the sausage and chicken are both cooked through, about 10 minutes more. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for a couple of minutes. To serve, arrange the skewers on a large platter and drizzle with the remaining rosemary-garlic oil.
There are tons of good ideas for vegetable kebabs too!
Serious Eats has a good round-up here: 18 Grilled Vegetable Recipes to Steal the Spotlight
Alton Brown's Grilled Brussels Sprouts
I’ve done whole mushrooms marinated in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and herbs. Here’s a similar recipe: Balsamic Garlic Grilled Mushrooms
Cherry tomatoes or pearl onions are fun!
Fruit kebabs like pineapple, or melon, brushed with honey and dusted with fresh ground black pepper then grilled. Serve with ricotta and more honey!
Kebabs are fun!
So, pull up a virtual chair and grab a drink. What’s for dinner at your place tonight?
Our upcoming WFD Schedule is quite open so please let me know if you would like to write a post!
Thanks for stopping by!
Date
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Diarist
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08/17
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14.06
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OPEN
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08/24
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14.07
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esquimaux
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8/31
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14.08
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OPEN
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09/07
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14.09
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OPEN
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09/14
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14.10
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esquimaux
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