On a Stick: Simple Summer Grilling

Kabobs are magical. I think food on a stick appeals to the kid in all of us. For me it brings back memories of corn dogs, popsicles, and the amazing chicken satays sold by virtually every street vendor in NYC-that I lived on for an entire week during my “Atkins phase” back in 2002.

Also magical, I realized that my stepkids would eat peppers the first time I made kabobs. I had skewered chicken, red bell peppers and onions and basted them with teriyaki sauce, grilled them and served them up. I was surprised to see even the youngest cleaned his plate. This opened up a whole new world of recipes I would soon make them, most including those peppers and onions. It’s such a simple concept yet always impresses.

After varying my methods for many years, I’ve finally settled on a few key ideas that make the whole thing work:

1-Use metal skewers. Every time I used the wooden skewers, no matter how long I soaked them in water, they burnt up on the grill.

2-Keep the pieces of meat and veggies uniform in size. This helps the skewered food cook evenly.

3-Brush on a sweet-based sauce at the end, and savor the blackened bits. It’s so worth it. Cubed meat and veggies provide more cooking area, thus more yummy, crispy edges.

And that’s about it. To make, simply cut the meat and veggies into uniform chunks, thread the meat and veggies alternately through the skewers, and grill as desired.

Here are a few of my favorite items to include:

Choose a meat (or two or three!)

Chicken Breasts

Sirloin Steak

Italian Sausage

Ahi Tuna

Shrimp

Add any of the following veggies:

Green, Red, Orange or Yellow Bell Peppers

Onions

Cherry Tomatoes

Zucchini

And baste the sauce on at the end:

Teriyaki

Jack’s Chipotle Grilling Sauce

Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce

The best thing about eating kabobs is that it’s a self-contained meal- no sides required. I’ve also found that the leftovers make great tacos, so make extra and grill once, eat twice!