Best cuts for Kabobs
…use any Grilling Steak (Tenderloin, Top Sirloin, Rib, Strip Loin, Rib Eye). Season simply with salt and pepper before cooking. Or you can be more adventurous with a steak spice, or other spice blends such as harrisa, Chinese five spice seasoning, smoked paprika or herbes de Provence for example.
Marinating Kabobs
…use any Marinating Steak (Sirloin Tip, Flank, Inside/Outside/Eye of Round). Marinate the cubes in advance of stringing onto the skewer or thread onto skewer prior to marinating. As cubes have more surfaces exposed to the marinade action than a steak, marinate for 3 to 4 hours at most. Marinating kabob cubes while on a stick helps to soak the stick at the same time to avoid burning the skewer if you are using wooden ones. It’s also easier and less messy to manage if you thread the cubes on-stick before marinating – certainly an advantage if you’re camping! Try one of these marinating
Dual or single sticks: using 2 sticks are best to avoid food pieces falling off or spinning when flipping the kabob, but it is difficult to do if the food pieces are on the small side. This video demonstrates the dual-stick method.
When is a kabob not a kabob?
When you pull it off the stick and tuck it into warmed Greek flatbread, pita or naan. Or toss grilled beef kabob cubes with a side salad or grill-basket full of grilled veggies — then, the kabob becomes a warm salad/stir-fry kind of idea, served with seasoned whole wheat couscous or whole grain like barley or quinoa. It’s the food guide instantly created on your plate!
View all of our kabob recipes
TIPS
Does Kabob have to be square pieces of beef?
A kabob can be a slice of steak (like picanha) or ribbon like in a satay. Have fun with it and think outside of the box (cube).
Advantages to DIY kabobs
Cutting your own cubes can ensure that you get your favourite cut for one thing. You can also do all the trimming to and sizing for consistency assured in every meaty morsel. Cut into even-sized shapes so that the pieces cook to the same degree of doneness at the same time. Keep cubes on the larg-ish size to avoid over-cooking – about 1-inch (2.5 cm)
Key Rule of Thumb
Grill veggies and meat separately in order to have them cook to the same degree of doneness, without over-cooking. Or if you want to have a beef & veggie blended kabob, pick veggies that will take about the same amount of time to cook as the beef: mushrooms, onion wedges, chunks of peppers. Grape tomatoes would give you grief – blistered and bursting before the beef is cooked!
Sticking debates
Metal or wooden – both have their advantages. Metal are re-useable and transfer the heat into the centre of the meat so that they cook a bit more quickly. Wooden are generally smaller in diameter and so it’s easier to thread smaller pieces of food on the stick (so best for satay strips for example). They also have a texture to them so food is less likely to spin – use a flat-shaped version to minimize spin-ability (is that a word?). Wooden skewers do need to be soaked for at least 30 minutes to avoid charring. If the sticks burn up on the ends, there is no stick to hang onto.
Tip – Soaking sticks: place in a pitcher, wine or pop bottle filled with water for a soak from end to end
Sticking debates
Consider threading the items on the stick fairly tightly together (without squishing). The veggies and beef will shrink in size as they cook as they loose moisture, so you want to have them close enough together that they don’t fall off or spin on the stick during cooking.
How hot?
Use a moderate heat to avoid overcooking – hot enough so that the beef gets nicely browned and doesn’t steam – but also cooked without being charred.
Flipping
…cook with the barbecue closed for the most even cooking, but flip often as you do have 4 sides to a kabob to cover off. Since these are smallish piece of meat, you will find these generally cook more quickly than a steak. The clam-shell tongs are the best tool for flipping.
Basting rules
Don’t use a marinade that you used on raw meat as your basting or dipping sauce without bringing it to a boil first. To avoid charring, don’t brush kabobs with a sugary/sticky sauce until just at the end of cooking.
