grillingkabebsreplacement

Some Helpful Tips When Grilling With Skewers

Tools:

  1. Tongs that are long enough to keep hands safely away from the grill but short enough for easy handling. The tongs are also useful to hold a paper towel soaked in vegetable oil to coat the grill grates.
  2. A good grill brush with a long handle to clean the grill thoroughly.
  3. Skewers: there are many choices, including round or flat wooden sticks, double-pronged skewers, metal baskets and more. The most-common and least-expensive option is the round or flat wooden skewers.

Bamboo/Wooden Skewer

Double Pronged Metal Skewer

Skewer Tips:

  1. Metal skewers are sturdy and reusable but get hot; it’s safest to remove food before serving. To serve on skewers, choose disposable wood; they can burn, though, so they need to be presoaked.
  2. When using metal skewers, leave a little space between pieces of food so the metal will heat, speeding up the cooking time. With wood, make sure the food pieces are lightly touching, to protect the wood from the flame.
  3. Before grilling with wood skewers, either soak them in water for at least 10 minutes or cover the tips in foil. Another option: Fold a piece of heavy-duty foil in thirds, place it on the edge of the grill and rest the ends of the skewers on the foil so they don’t burn.
  4. If you are using wooden skewers, especially round ones, try using two sticks per kabob. This will add stability to the kabobs, which can be heavy, and make it easier to turn them while grilling.
Circular Skewers

Circular Skewers

Cooking Tips:

  1. Cut the food in pieces that are the same size and thickness so they will get done at the same time.
  2. Alternate protein pieces with fruits or vegetables, as this enhances the flavor combinations.
  3. If you are cooking foods that require different lengths of time to cook properly, try skewing all the protein on 1 skewer and the vegetables on the other. For example, if you’re cooking chicken that takes 10 minutes versus tomatoes, which take only 2 or 3 minutes, put them on different skewers. This will allow you to cook each set of ingredients properly without over or under cooking the other.
  4. Turn the kabobs frequently during cooking to allow all sides to cook evenly. As a general rule, most kabobs require approximately 10 minutes to cook, which is 2.5 minutes on each of the 4 sides.
  5. Use a fork to easily slide the food from the skewers when it is time to serve the kabobs and don’t forget to hold the hot skewer with a pot holder.
  6. 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 make your own.
  7. Throw away any leftover marinades after you remove the 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.

Shrimp and Fennel Kebabs with Italian Salsa

Serves 4

Italian Salsa

  • 1/3 cup chopped parsley
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons capers, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Kebabs:

  • 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
  • 28 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 1 large fennel bulb, cut into 12 wedges
  • 1 large red onion, cut into 12 wedges
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

To prepare salsa:

Combine the salsa ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Set aside at room temperature.

To prepare kebabs:

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Oil grill grates.

Combine 2 teaspoons oil and shrimp; toss to coat. Thread shrimp evenly onto 4 (12-inch) skewers. Thread 3 fennel wedges and 3 onion wedges alternately onto each of 4 (12-inch) skewers. Brush vegetables with remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Sprinkle shrimp and vegetables with salt and pepper.

Place vegetable skewers on the grill rates and grill vegetables 12 minutes or until tender, turning occasionally. Place shrimp on the grill and cook shrimp 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until done. (Shrimp turn a light pink when cooked)  Serve with salsa.

Summer Pork Kabobs

This recipe also works well with chicken.

4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 4 boneless pork loin chops, 3/4 inch thick (1 lb)
  • 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 2 small zucchini, cut into 12 (1-inch) pieces
  • 8 medium mushrooms
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 12 pieces
  • 1/2 cup low sugar apricot preserves
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Directions:

Heat gas or charcoal grill and oil grill grates. Sprinkle pork chops with seasoned salt; cut each chop into 4 pieces. Alternately thread pork pieces, zucchini, mushrooms and bell pepper equally onto each of 4 (12- to 14-inch) metal skewers.

In small bowl, mix preserves and vinegar.

When the grill is heated, place kabobs on a gas grill over medium heat or on a charcoal grill over medium coals. Brush kabobs with preserve mixture; cover grill. Cook 5 to 7 minutes.

Turn kabobs; brush with preserve mixture. Cook covered 5 to 7 minutes longer or until pork is no longer pink in the center. Meat Thermometer should register 160°F.

Grilled Vegetable Kabobs

8 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium zucchini
  • 2 medium yellow squash
  • 1 red and 1 green bell pepper, seeded
  • 2 medium red onions
  • 16 cherry tomatoes
  • 8 ounces fresh whole mushrooms
  • 2 medium ears sweet corn
  • Olive Oil cooking spray

Sauce

  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions:

Cut zucchini, squash and bell peppers into 2-inch chunks. Cut red onions into wedges. Combine the cut vegetables with the tomatoes and mushrooms in a bowl.

Cut the corn into 1-inch pieces and cook in boiling water for 5 minutes. Add the cooked corn to the other vegetables.

Mix the vinegar, mustard, garlic and thyme in a measuring cup and pour over the vegetables. Mix well.

Heat gas or charcoal grill and oil the grates.

Thread vegetables on skewers. Place the skewers on the grill over medium heat.

Baste occasionally with extra sauce.

Grill 20 minutes, turning several times or until tender. Remove to a serving platter and pour any remaining sauce over grilled vegetables.

Pizza Chicken Kabobs

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb uncooked chicken breast tenders (not breaded)
  • 1/2 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (1/2 cup)
  • 1/2 package (8-oz size) fresh whole mushrooms
  • 2 tablespoons Italian salad dressing
  • 1 teaspoon pizza seasoning or Italian seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup pizza sauce (homemade or store bought)

Directions:

Heat gas or charcoal grill and oil the grates.

On each of two 12-inch metal skewers, thread chicken, bell pepper and mushrooms alternately, leaving 1/2-inch space between each piece. Brush kabobs with salad dressing and sprinkle with pizza seasoning.

Grill kabobs, covered, over medium heat 9 to 11 minutes, turning once, until chicken is no longer pink in the center (160 degrees F. on a meat thermometer.). Remove to a serving platter and sprinkle with cheese.

Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, heat pizza sauce over low heat. Serve kabobs with warm sauce for dipping.

Rosemary Swordfish Skewers with Sweet Pepper Salad

Use a colorful assortment of bell peppers in this salad.

4 Servings

Ingredients:

  • 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 4 small assorted sweet peppers, 2 sliced into 1/4” rounds, 2 cut into strips
  • 1/2 small onion, cut in half lengthwise, thinly sliced, soaked in ice water
  • 1 jalapeño, seeded, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
  • 4 ounces arugula (about 8 cups loosely packed)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 pound 1”-thick swordfish steaks, trimmed, cut into 1” cubes
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 lemon, quartered
  • 4 bamboo skewers (soaked in water for 1 hour before using) or 4 metal skewers

Directions:

Build a medium fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill to medium-high. Oil the grill grates.

Bring oil and garlic to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until garlic is toasted and light golden brown, about 6 minutes (remove from heat if garlic is cooking too quickly). Pour oil through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl and let cool. Discard garlic.

Combine peppers, onion, jalapeño, vinegar and 1/4 cup garlic oil in a large bowl. Add arugula; toss to coat. Season salad with salt and pepper. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Place an equal number of swordfish cubes on each of  4 skewers. Brush fish with remaining garlic oil; sprinkle with rosemary and season with salt and pepper.

Grill swordfish until opaque in the center and lightly browned in spots, about 2 minutes on each of the 4 sides.

Divide salad among 4 plates. Place a skewer atop each. Garnish with lemon quarters.

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