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Nothing says summer like grilling delicious kebabs . There's no mistaking the mouthwatering aroma of fresh ingredients sizzling over a fiery grill. Best of all, whether you choose steak, chicken, pork, lamb, or even forego meat entirely, kebabs are a cinch to prepare and cook.
- Prep time: 30 minutes
- Cook time: 10-15 minutes
- Total time: 45 minutes
Steps
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Choose a kebab recipe or pick your own ingredients. Usually, kebabs contain meat and/or vegetables, though seafood like scallops, fruit, and other ingredients are also sometimes used. Choose a selection of ingredients that suit you - there's no "wrong" answer here. Popular choices for kebab meat are chicken, steak, pork, sausage, lamb, shrimp, and fish; for vegetables are onions, mushrooms, green or red peppers, courgette, and tomatoes; and for fruit are pineapples, peaches, or apples.- While any combination of the ingredients above should work well, certain kebab dishes with set recipes can also be attempted. Many traditional kebab recipes use lamb as their main meat. Below are just a few traditional recipes and their key ingredients
- Kofta kebabs - lamb pieces seasoned with many spices
- Chelow kebabs - boneless lamb served over saffron rice
- Sheekh kebabs - ground lamb seasoned with cilantro and mint and prepared in a tandoor (traditional Indian oven)
- While any combination of the ingredients above should work well, certain kebab dishes with set recipes can also be attempted. Many traditional kebab recipes use lamb as their main meat. Below are just a few traditional recipes and their key ingredients
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If using a recipe that contains meat, consider marinating. If you plan to grill meat, you may want to prepare a marinade, though it's certainly not essential . Soaking your meat in a marinade before grilling can give it the flavor of your marinade ingredients, creating new taste combinations that wouldn't be possible with un-marinated meat. Typically, to marinate meat, the meat is put in an airtight container (like a ziplock bag) with, at the very least, oil and an acid (for instance, vegetable oil and lemon juice). Usually, additional seasonings and herbs are added to these base liquids to build more complex flavors.
- For example, here are the ingredients an all-purpose teriyaki marinade that's suitable for beef, chicken, and more:
- Vegetable oil
- Soy sauce
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Pepper
- Worcestershire sauce
Advertisement - For example, here are the ingredients an all-purpose teriyaki marinade that's suitable for beef, chicken, and more:
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Soak wooden kabob skewers in a bowl of water. When it comes to kebab grilling, you generally have two options in terms of skewers - metal or wood/bamboo. The former are sturdier and more durable, but more expensive, while the latter are cheaper and more convenient. If you choose to use wooden or bamboo skewers, soak the skewers in water for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking. This will help keep them moist during cooking and prevent them from catching fire or burning.
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Cut your ingredients into small pieces. Place your ingredients on a cutting board and use a sharp kitchen knife to slice them into roughly 1-inch (2.54 cm) thick cubes. Obviously, these dimensions won't be possible for certain types of food - for instance, bell peppers will have to be cut into small squares, rather than cubes. The most important thing to remember is to cut your ingredients into small pieces that are roughly equal in size so that they cook at roughly the same rate.
- If you're using meat and you haven't marinated it, you may at this point want to consider the use of a dry rub - a combination of powdered spices and seasonings meant to give the meat a flavorful outer layer. To apply a dry rub, simply mix the seasonings and coat the meat generously with the mixture. Here's an example of the ingredients in an all-purpose paprika rub that's great on steak:
- Paprika
- Salt
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Thyme
- Oregano
- If you're using meat and you haven't marinated it, you may at this point want to consider the use of a dry rub - a combination of powdered spices and seasonings meant to give the meat a flavorful outer layer. To apply a dry rub, simply mix the seasonings and coat the meat generously with the mixture. Here's an example of the ingredients in an all-purpose paprika rub that's great on steak:
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Skewer the ingredients end-to-end on the sticks. Once your ingredients are just how you'd like them, it's time to make skewers! Use the sharp skewer sticks to pierce each piece of meat or vegetable and slide it to the end, building a "stack" of skewered ingredients as you go. Typically, kebabs alternate pieces of meat with pieces of fruit or vegetables, as this creates great flavor contrasts. Obviously, this is not an issue with vegetarian kebabs. When you've skewered all of your ingredients, you're ready to grill!
- Leave a small gap in between each piece to allow the kabob pieces to cook thoroughly on all sides.
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Heat the grill to a medium heat. For a delicious outer "sear" on your kebabs, it's important to have a nice hot grill before you place your kebabs on it. For gas grills, this is easy - simply set the grill's burner(s) to a medium level, close the grill, and allow it to heat up. For charcoal grills, this is a little trickier - you'll want to light the charcoal and allow it to blaze freely until the flames die down and the briquettes ash over and emanate an orange glow. This can take 30 minutes or longer.
- Generally, for about a pound of meat, you'll want to use roughly 30 charcoal briquettes.
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Place the kebabs on the grilling surface. If your grill is hot, you should immediately begin to hear a sizzling sound. As you lay your kebabs on the grill, leave space between each to ensure even cooking.
- To prevent your kebabs from sticking to the grill, it's a wise idea to paint the grilling surface with vegetable or olive oil immediately before laying down your kebabs. Use a grilling brush for safety's sake - don't attempt to paint a hot grill with a paper towel or similar improvised tools.
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Turn the kebabs during cooking to allow all sides to cook evenly. Be sure that all the sides of every kabob touch the grill - not only does this ensure done-ness, but also gives the meat (if you're using any) an all-over crisp exterior. As a general rule, most kebabs will require approximately 10-15 minutes to cook, which is 2.5-3.75 minutes for each of the 4 sides.
- For vegetarian kebabs, you won't need to worry about the meat being done, so, instead, turn as desired to give the vegetables and fruits a pleasing brown or black exterior and a softened texture.
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Check any meat for done-ness. Remove one of the kebabs from the grill. If using meat, cut into a piece of meat to check if it's done or not. Look for the classic signs of done-ness - clear juices, lack of a pink interior, ease of cutting. If the meat is very pink on the inside, bleeds reddish juices, or has an inside that resists cutting, it needs to cook longer.
- For more information on telling whether a piece of meat is done or not, see:
- How to Check if Steak Is Done Using the Finger Test
- How to Test Whether a Chicken is Cooked
- How to Know if Food is Undercooked
- For more information on telling whether a piece of meat is done or not, see:
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Remove the kebabs from the grill when done. When your ingredients have finished cooking, remove the kebabs from the grill and place them on a clean plate or platter. Don't use any of the plates you used to hold your un-cooked kebabs, especially if you used meat - germs from uncooked meat can contaminate cooked food, leading to serious illness.
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Serve alone or with a suitable side. Congratulations! Your kebabs are ready to eat either on or off the skewer. Most kebabs make a delicious dish on their own, but for a full meal, consider serving with a side that pairs well with the ingredients on the kebab.
- For traditional kebab recipes, seasoned rice and/or a piece of flat bread often serve as the sides. These basic sides have hundreds of regional variations. For instance, chelo kabobs traditionally are served with rice mixed with raw egg yolk.
- Grilled kebab ingredients can also be used in other dishes. For instance, Turkish Doner kabobs are often served in a pita bread with salad as a sandwich.
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionHow do I grill kabobs in a charcoal grill effectively?Hans Cho is a Korean BBQ Expert and the President of Mama Cho's BBQ based in Castro Valley, California. He has over 18 years of experience and his family business, C&H Meat, has been a leading distributor of Korean BBQ meats in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 40 years. In 2015, they launched Mama Cho's BBQ with the goal of spreading the joy of Korean BBQ one meal at a time and making it accessible to everyone.When using a charcoal grill, ignite the coals and wait until they attain a consistent temperature. Avoid placing the meat too early, as excessively hot coals can lead to burning. Wait until approximately three-quarters of the coals have turned white for a more uniform cooking process. Position the meat on the grill until you achieve your preferred level of char, then repeat on the other side. Consider the ambient temperature, as it can impact cooking times.
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QuestionCan I put tin foil on a grill to cook kebabs, or can I place them directly on the grill?Community AnswerDirectly on the grill is best to heat all surfaces at the same time - but you can use tin foil.
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QuestionWhat should I do with store-bought kabobs?Community AnswerThe kabobs are grilled the same way whether they're homemade or store-bought. You just won't have to do some of the prep work.
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Tips
- If you are cooking other food dishes that require different lengths of time to cook properly, try skewing all the protein on 1 skewer and the vegetable on the other. For example, if you're cooking meat that takes 10 minutes versus tomatoes, which take only 2 or 3 minutes, put both items on different skewers. This will allow you to cook each set of ingredients properly without over- or under-cooking the other.Thanks
- If you are using wooden skewers, especially round ones, try using 2 sticks per kebab. This will add stability to the kebabs, which can be heavy, and make it easier to turn them while grilling.Thanks
- For additional flavor, try marinating your ingredients in a sauce for approximately 30 minutes before grilling. Popular marinades include teriyaki, sweet and sour, honey mustard, or lemon garlic. You can buy ready-made marinades from your local grocery store, or you can research recipes online or in cookbooks to make your own. You can baste the skewers with any leftover sauce to add an even bigger burst of flavor.Thanks
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Warnings
- Throw away any leftover marinades that used to baste your food. If you wish to serve a dip on the side, use a batch of marinade that did not touch the raw ingredients. This can prevent illness.Thanks
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Things You'll Need
- Protein or meat
- Vegetables
- Fruit
- Water source
- Cutting board
- Kitchen knife
- Kebab skewers
- Grill
- Marinade (optional)
Expert Interview
References
About This Article
Article Summary
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Before you grill kebobs, soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes and cut all of the ingredients into 1-inch cubes. You can also marinate the meat in vegetable oil, pepper, and spices. Then, skewer the ingredients and grill them over medium heat on a gas grill for 10-15 minutes, or 2.5 minutes each side. When you think they’re done, cut into the meat to make sure it is tender and has no reddish juices. Scroll down to learn how to get medium heat on a charcoal grill.
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Reader Success Stories
- "Great foundation for ensuring even beginners will be properly prepared and able to avoid the typical mistakes. Then adding some general ideas and pairings, perfect!" ..." more
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"Great foundation for ensuring even beginners will be properly prepared and able to avoid the typical mistakes. Then adding some general ideas and pairings, perfect!"
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"This article told me how many charcoal briquettes to use per pound of meat. I wasn't sure. It also gave a suggestion for the grilling time for my beef kabobs."
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"I was unsure about soaking the bamboo skewers and whether to marinate the meat. These step by step instructions were very helpful."
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"I like how it was step by step and not only gave instructions but also ideas on different items such as marinades and side dishes."
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"First time using skewers for grilling, this article really helped my first kabob party be a success, thank you."
