Overview
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Kebabs (sometimes referred to "kabobs" or "shish-kebabs") are a time-honored dish. They have their origins in the Middle East, and they are a staple of Turkish cooking. A breeze to prepare and marinate ahead of time, kebabs are an ideal dinner for a busy family. This quick and tasty meal-on-a-stick can be made with any kind of meat -- denser cuts of beef, pork, chicken or shrimp are perfect choices -- and can be made super-colorful and nutritious with the addition of firm vegetables. Kids love them because they have a cool, play-with-your-food aspect, and their ease and healthy nature is sure to make you smile as well. Here's how, step by step, to create tasty beef kebabs.
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Prep Your Skewers
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A kebab simply wouldn't be a kebab if its components weren't impaled upon an instrument before cooking. You may choose either wooden skewers (available cheaply at most grocery stores) or metal versions (you may have to venture into a cookware shop or visit an online merchant to find them; the advantage to this investment is that you can use them over and over). If you choose wooden ones, submerge your skewers in water (for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours); if you go the metal route, place them on a cookie sheet and coat liberally with nonstick cooking spray.
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Marinate for Flavor
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You can prep your kebabs in the morning and even start your beef marinating the night before. Good cuts for kebabs include sirloin, tri-tip, top round and tenderloin. To get the most flavor, cut the beef into one-inch cubes and soak them in an oil-and-vinegar mixture with spices (basil and parsley, as well as salt and pepper, are great picks) or make life even easier and use a prepared salad dressing -- any type of vinaigrette will work perfectly -- as your marinade.
beef image by Ramon Grosso from Fotolia.com
Prep the Veggies
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It's best to choose sturdy produce for grilling (avoid delicate vegetables like tomatoes that might soften with the heat and fall into the coals). Pick up some peppers (red, yellow or green), onion (red or yellow) and other firm veggies like zucchini. Cut the onions into quarters, peppers into one-inch squares and zucchini into one-inch thick rounds.
bells peppers and onions image by leafy from Fotolia.com
Assemble the Kebabs
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Now that you have your beef marinated and your veggies prepped, begin loading them onto your skewers, alternating items for a colorful combination. If your kids are old enough, they'll love helping with this portion of the prep. After your skewers are full -- and pack them on tightly, especially if you're using wooden ones, you don't want to leave room for a fire to take hold -- brush the entire kabob with fresh marinade. (Or as previously suggested, prepared salad dressing.) This will ensure that the veggies won't stick to the grill or pan.
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Cook on Hot Grill or Stove-Top
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For the most flavor, either a coal-fueled or gas grill is probably your best kebab-cooking choice. The intense heat produced by a grill cooks the meat and veggies quickly, sealing in the moisture, and giving the kebabs a crispy, smoky taste. If a grill is too much work on a busy evening (or on one when the weather is inclement), there is a simpler option. A good stove-top grill pan (sometimes called a riffle pan) is one made of solid cast iron. These cooking implements, rather than the usual flat bottom, have ridges, evenly spaced, that leave the classic "grill marks" on your food, and do a perfectly good job of cooking kebabs.
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Serve Them Up
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Once your kebabs are complete, you can serve each diner a skewer (or two) alongside some rice or a green salad. Or, especially if you have preschoolers, you might want to deconstruct the skewers and serve them in a pita for a super-tasty sandwich.
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