From kids to adults, there are few cookout foods as beloved as kabobs. Originating from the Middle East, the word “kebab” is Turkish for “sword” or “skewer,” and boy is that fitting! Mixed and matched with meats and veggies, kabobs are a favorite at cookouts because there’s a combination for everyone. Whether you enjoy yours with chicken, beef, onions, peppers, or even pineapple, we guarantee you won’t be able to stop grilling kabobs whenever you see an open flame.
Kabobs traditionally come on a wooden or metal skewer, which make them the perfect food for Something On A Stick Day! This fun, food-driven holiday gives you the license to get creative, and we have plenty of recipes that are made just for this annual March 28th celebration. So bring out those skewers, crank up that grill and let’s enjoy a few killer kabob recipes!
Beef Sirloin Kabobs with Roasted Red Pepper Dipping Sauce (Courtesy of BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com)
Beef lovers will be licking their chops when they get ahold of this simple, yet delicious kabob recipe. This kabob calls for beef sirloin, which comes in two parts – the top sirloin and the bottom sirloin. The top sirloin is the more tender cut and is typically labeled as “top sirloin” on the packaging. Using this cut for your kabobs will take the recipe to the next level. Much like most meats, a few spices and seasonings will go a long way to giving your top sirloin steak the best possible flavor. When you’ve cut your steak into 1-1/4 x 1-1/4 x 1-inch pieces, combine a mix of salt, pepper, paprika and garlic in a large bowl. Add in the beef right after and toss around the mixture of spices to coat the steak fully. Where this recipe might differ from how you’re accustomed to eating kabobs is where the veggies come into play. Rather than adding them to the skewers, you’ll be creating an incredibly delicious roasted red pepper dipping sauce. To create it, start by heating oil in a large skillet over medium heat on your side burner. When hot, add onion and three teaspoons of garlic, cooking and stirring for two to three minutes until the onion is tender. Keep the flavors coming by adding red peppers, wine, tomato paste and thyme, stirring until tomato paste is blended. To get the dipping sauce texture, combine broth and cornstarch in small bowl, mixing until it’s smooth. Then stir it into your pepper mixture and bring it to a boil. Finally, reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until slightly thickened, making sure to stir occasionally. When your skewers are finished grilling to your preferred level of doneness, get a heaping bite of that dipping sauce and enjoy your new favorite recipe!
Grilled Chicken and Savory Grilled Pineapple Kabob
Pineapple has the tendency to split opinion, especially when added to pizza. But when you’re making a few kabobs, pineapple can be the proverbial straw that stirs the drink. In this grilled chicken kabob recipe, pineapple has a few main functions. Apart from taste, pineapple is often a staple in kabob recipes because its juices keep your chicken from drying out. The last thing anyone wants to have when celebrating Something On A Stick Day is a skewer filled with dry meat that has no flavor. To get the perfect chicken to pineapple ratio, start by trimming your chicken thighs into one-inch chunks. Then take those chunks, toss them in a gallon storage bag, adding in your ginger dressing to form a marinade. Seal the bag, place it in your fridge for a couple of hours, or overnight if you plan to serve the following day. When ready, bring out your skewers. As a reminder, wooden skewers can burn easily over a hot grill, so be sure to soak them in warm water for 10 to 30 minutes before threading your chicken and pineapple. To begin the grilling process, preheat your grill to medium high and place your chicken and pineapple chunks on your skewers. Let them sit on the grill until the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. You can use a meat thermometer to make sure you don’t under or overcook your chicken. When done, toss the skewers on a plate and enjoy each bite of the sweet pineapple and juicy chicken!
Summer Shrimp Skewers
While the name of this delicious recipe may lead you to believe it can only be enjoyed one season of the year, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Great to have in the summer, during Something On A Stick Day, and just about every day in-between, there’s no doubt these shrimp-filled skewers will satisfy your seafood craving in an instant. The skewers in this recipe serve as much of a functional role as they do an aesthetic one. If any beginner chefs have ever tried grilling shrimp, they quickly learn that it’s not as simple as placing the shrimp directly on the grill and letting it cook. If you do that, you risk your shrimp falling through the grates and turning your next meal into a nightmare. Instead, you can use skewers and lay the shrimp horizontally across your grill to avoid disaster. Before you get to that step, however, you’ll need to season things up a bit! After threading your medium-sized shrimp through your skewers, season both sides of the shrimp with garlic salt, black pepper, and an optional sprinkle of cayenne pepper. Next, generously coat both sides of shrimp with mayonnaise, and place your shrimp skewers on the lightly oiled grates of your grill. To reach the perfect doneness, grill the shrimp until they are bright pink on the outside and opaque on the inside, and the mayonnaise turns golden brown. This should take roughly 5 to 10 minutes on each side. When done, you can enjoy the fruits of your labor by serving the shrimp with a few lemon wedges to give the meal that tasty seafood flavor you’ve been dreaming of all day. Now that’s how you enjoy some shrimp!
Chicken and Bacon Shish Kabobs
Bacon lovers rejoice! We couldn’t forget one of the most influential meats to toss on a kabob, so we saved the best for last. Chicken and bacon have been a winning combination for hungry stomachs for quite some time, but adding the two together on a kabob gives you the ultimate snack or full-on meal. The best part about this dish is that each bite is packed full of flavor thanks to a few key ingredients and the fact that each piece of chicken is wrapped seamlessly with strips of bacon. As for those delicious ingredients, start with mixing soy sauce, cider vinegar, honey, canola oil, and green onions in a large bowl. This will act as a marinade for what’s to come: chicken and mushrooms! Add those two items into your bowl, stir to coat, cover the bowl up, and place it in your fridge for at least one hour. In the meantime, begin preheating your grill on a high heat. When the chicken is ready, wrap each chunk of your well-marinated boneless, skinless chicken breast with bacon, and thread onto your skewers. The key to getting even more flavor is alternating between the bacon-wrapped chicken, marinated mushrooms, and you guessed it – pineapple! Finally, arrange your skewers on the grill and let them cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp and the chicken juices run clear. For added taste, be sure to brush your kabobs occasionally with the remaining bit of soy sauce mixture. And there you have it! The meat lover’s guide to the ultimate kabob is complete.
The Best Kabobs Start With Blue Rhino
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