A well-grilled kabob is a great meal on its own or served with a side dish. To avoid cross-contamination, remove the kebabs from the grill as soon as they reach their desired doneness.
Beef kabobs are safely cooked when they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. Choose your ingredients wisely to ensure that your kabobs turn out delicious every time.
Preparing the Grill
There’s a lot to love about kabobs—they’re quick, easy and incredibly versatile. And while it might seem like all you need to do is cut some meat and veggies, plop them in the marinade and then thread them on a stick, there are actually a few steps that will elevate your kabobs to a whole new level of grilling perfection.
First, you need to prep the grill for kabobs. Whether you’re using wooden or metal skewers, it’s best to soak them for at least 30 minutes in advance of assembling and cooking them (especially if you plan on using wooden ones). This will help prevent the sticks from burning or breaking down while being cooked over an open flame.
Also, it’s a good idea to season your kebabs before they hit the grill. A bit of salt or pepper and a light sprinkling of rub can add a whole lot of extra flavor to your grilled skewers. This is especially important if you’ve used a salty or acidic marinade.
For the sake of variety, it’s worth mentioning that you can use almost any protein for your kabobs (as long as they’re cut into similar-sized pieces). This recipe is featuring beef and chicken breasts, but you could swap them out for pork tenderloin, shrimp or even tofu to make these skewers vegetarian.
Threading the Kabobs
Skewering meat and veggies is one of the most popular uses for a grill, but it requires a little more finesse than a simple burger or hotdog. The key is to leave space between each item on the skewer so that the ingredients cook properly. A small gap also helps prevent the skewer from twisting when you rotate it on the grill.
To make a simple vegetable kabob, preheat the grill and lightly oil the grate. Alternately thread pineapple chunks, zucchini slices, yellow squash slices and mushroom pieces on the skewers, using a different color for each one. Toss the vegetables with a simple mixture of olive oil, basil, oregano and salt; brush some of the mixture over the veggies before grilling.
You can also use a variety of other vegetables for your kabobs, including eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts and carrots. Just be sure to trim any long or stringy ends before cooking. Also, remember that softer vegetables like cabbage wedges, green beans and segments of corn on the cob require longer periods of indirect heat to become tender enough for skewering.
For meat kabobs, look for quick-cooking cuts that work well with direct-heat grilling. Lean beef cuts like filet mignon or New York strip are great options, as are chicken breasts and thighs. Avoid tough cuts, such as brisket or pork shoulder, which may not break down and become tender on the skewers. Always have a meat thermometer handy to check that the steak or chicken is safely cooked through.
Cooking the Kabobs
Whether you’re grilling steak, chicken, fish or vegetables, kebabs (or shish kabobs) are a summertime staple. But they require a bit of finesse to cook properly. Without some basic knowledge, skewers can quickly turn into a soggy, flavorless disaster. So before you fire up the grate and get skewering, follow these tips for perfecting the art of the kabob.
To ensure your skewers don’t burn on the hot grill, brush them with vegetable oil before you put them on the grill. You can also coat the skewers with your choice of marinade or rub. Marinades are made of a blend of spices and an acidic liquid, such as vinegar or citrus juice, that tenderizes the meat and adds flavor. Rubs, on the other hand, are a dry mixture of seasonings that’s used to coat a cut of meat and create a crust.
After you’ve brushed the skewers or applied a marinade, grill them over medium heat until they are golden and cooked through. For beef, this usually means 5-7 minutes per side for a rare center. When grilling fish or vegetables, you can use an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness. The internal temperature should be at least 165 degrees for chicken and 145 for beef. Once they’ve reached your desired level of doneness, remove them from the grill and serve immediately.
Serving the Kabobs
Grilled kabobs are a fun way to serve a variety of meats and veggies. For example, you can make Hawaiian chicken and pineapple skewers served with coconut rice for a tropical dinner, or try a Mediterranean theme with pork kabobs and cucumber yogurt dip. If you don’t have the time or energy to grill, these kabobs can also be cooked in the oven.
When grilling kabobs, be sure to marinate the meat for at least 30 minutes. The longer the meat is in the marinade, the more flavor it will absorb. It’s also a good idea to soak wooden skewers in water for at least an hour before threading them with the protein and grilling them. This will help prevent the skewers from burning on the grill.
Be sure to rotate the skewers as they cook and to cook the kebobs until they reach a desired doneness. You’ll want to pull the kabobs off the grill when they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, or as close as possible.
When making kabobs with different types of proteins, it’s best to cook each type on its own skewer. This is because the cooking times for each type will vary. For example, beef and poultry may take slightly different amounts of time to cook through. If you do want to combine proteins on the same skewer, be sure to place them at opposite ends of the grate so they will not overcook.
