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Kebobs are a great thing to serve any time you are grilling. One the best things about kebobs is that they are fully assembled and marinated and only need to be placed on the hot grill to cook. You can layer in vegetables, sausage, or smoked ham to your hearts content as they will only serve to enhance the flavor of the kebob. And in case you get any complaints about not serving any vegetables, you can point to the pieces of pepper or onion separating the cubes of meat and declare your commitment to a balanced diet.

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Kebobs take to marinades and dry rubs really well. The meat soaks up the flavor, which is further enhanced by the inclusion of a few slices of onion, pepper, of fennel.

Here are a few tips to ensure your kebobs come off the grill with aplomb. - Don’t pack the kebobs too tightly. This will prevent the marinade from reaching all sides of the meat and will make it difficult to cook them through without burning the outside. Leave a bit of daylight between each member of the kebob—it’s always better to assemble a few more skewers. - Soak all wooden skewers for at least an hour before grilling to keep them from burning. Added protection can be provided by wrapping the bottom with a layer of aluminum foil. Use tongs to turn the kebobs as the wooden skewers, unless they are the thick, sturdy kind, will start spinning idly inside the meat like the clutch in a stripped gearbox. - Cover the top of the kebobs as they are cooking with some spray oil. Position the nozzle close to the meat so as not to promote flare ups. This will be very instrumental in keeping the kebobs from sticking to the grill. - Remember, even though the meat is cut into pieces, we’re still talking about cooking something that’s ¾ to 1-inch thick, so adjust your cooking time accordingly. Chicken, pork, and shrimp kebobs all need to stay on the grill until the meat is just cooked through. - For grilling wider pieces of meat vegetables, or some large shrimp, thread two skewers placed ½ inch apart through everything—this will give you a lot more leverage and control when you are turning the kebobs. - Try to cut the meat into the same size pieces so they will all get done at the same time. If you are layering in vegetable pieces, make sure they are the same size as the meat—a protuberant slice of onion or a monster mushroom will keep your laboriously marinated pieces of pork from making contact with the grill. - To remove the kebob from the skewer, place a fork at the end closest to the bottom and pull the skewer out from the meat. Holding the skewer and trying to pry off the kebob often results in a perfectly cooked piece of steak flying away as if catapulted from a slingshot and land ignominiously on the ground. - Dispose of the wooden skewers by placing them in an empty liter pop bottle. This will prevent them from piercing your garbage bag and allowing stuff to leak out that you probably don’t want leaking out.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 10th, 2008 at 8:48 pm and is filed under Food, Friends. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.