Here’s a fun roundup that will make you feel like a grilling maestro: my favorite skewers recipes! Skewers, which are also known as shish kabobs, are a freakin’ delicious way to grill lots of different kinds of meats and veggies at once. Since we’re cutting the protein into pieces, then marinating and basting with some incredible seasonings, these skewers recipes have the best flavor and can feed the whole family.
Why You’ll Love These Skewers Recipes
One of the best things about cooking with skewers is that this method exposes a lot of surface area on our meats and veggies. Because you have pieces of meat rather than one big steak or roast, you get even more browning and charring on the individual chunks. And we know what that means: even more freakin’ delicious flavor! Also, because you’re placing all those individual chunks on one skewer, you save time by just flipping the skewer instead of a bunch of pieces.
Guess what restaurants often serve with skewers or kabobs? Fries! Check out my recipes for Buffalo Chicken Fries, Birria Fries and Loaded Chili Cheese Fries to pair with your skewered food!
The Ingredients You’ll Want for Your Skewers Recipes
- Meats: I’ve made chicken skewers, shrimp skewers, beef skewers, lobster tail skewers, chorizo skewers and more. Pick your protein (or three) for your skewers recipe and go for it!
- Veggies: Red onions, bell peppers, zucchini slices and even juicy pineapple are all great for shish kebabs, because they’re easy to thread on the stick. You’ll want veggies that are thick and won’t fall apart on the grill grates.
- Seasonings: To prep our meats, we’ll often want to marinate them for maximum flavor. Olive oil or canola oil, soy sauce, lemon juice or lime juice and zest, fresh herbs like rosemary and a favorite dry rub are some of my go-to ingredients for marinating and basting. Kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder are also essential here.
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Tips for The Best Grill Skewers
Cut your protein and veggies into pieces that are the same size. That way, everything will cook evenly and at the same time.
Avoid tough cuts and marinate as long as possible. While the marinade can help soften some meats, you want to avoid stew meat or other cuts that have a tendency to be chewy. Also, allowing the meat plenty of time to marinate gets us the best flavor.
Place the same type of protein or veggie on one skewer. Chicken thighs cook differently than steak pieces, which cook differently that shrimp, and shrimp cook differently than bell peppers and red onions — I could go on and on. So, because of this, we don’t want to mix up all these proteins in our skewers recipes and mess up a delicious cut while trying to match cooking times. The best way to avoid this pickle is to make one skewer all with steak pieces, for example, another with all chicken thighs, another with red peppers, and so on. I know it doesn’t look as pretty this way, but everything will cook evenly and taste much better.
Once you’re done cooking, push the meat and veggies off the prepared skewers to serve. Because it’s hard to eat off a skewer, honestly. You don’t want one of your guests to get stabbed in the mouth by something that looks like the equivalent of a grilling sword, do you?
Metal or Wooden Skewers?
I’m definitely in the metal skewers camp. First off, you can reuse them. Also, having a flat surface makes the food more stable so it doesn’t rotate or slide while you’re grilling. But some cooks say the metal heats up faster than a wooden skewer and cooks the inside of the meat too quickly. I haven’t found this! But if you want to go with wooden skewers or bamboo skewers, make sure you get products with a smooth finish so they’re less likely to splinter. Soaking them in water helps with splintering and charring issues too.
The Best Skewer Recipes
Beef Skewers Recipes
Meat Skewers Recipe
Black Pepper Steak Skewers
Parmesan Crusted Steak Skewers
Strip Steak Skewers with Salsa Vinaigrette
Garlic Basted Sirloin Skewers
Teriyaki Bourbon Steak Skewers
Skewered Picanha with Bone Marrow Chimichurri
Cheesy Skewered Skirt Steak with Salsa Verde
Skewered Flap Steak
Skewered Picanha with Salsa Vinaigrette
Cheesy Steak Pinwheels
Churrasco Picanha with Jalapeño Vinaigrette Salsa
Chicken Skewers Recipes
Cherry Coke Chicken Skewers
Chicken and Scallion Skewers
BBQ Chicken Bacon Ranch Skewers
Mojo Chicken Drumstick Skewers
Spicy Mezcal Drumstick Skewers
Fire Roasted Chicken Kebabs
Pork and Lamb Skewers Recipes
Pizza Sausage Skewers
Parmesan Herb Pork Loin Skewers
White Wine Herb Lamb Skewers
Spiced Lamb Kebabs with Mint Chimichurri
Harissa Rack of Lamb Kebabs
Zesty Lamb Kebabs with Mint Yogurt Sauce
Seafood Skewers Recipes
Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Skewers
Spicy Tequila Lime Shrimp Skewers
Shrimp and Sausage Skewers
Lobster Skewers with Bang Bang Sauce
Grilled Lobster Tail Skewers
Honey Sriracha BBQ Shrimp
Shrimp Al Pastor
What to Serve with Skewers
Because there are so many skewers recipes, we’ve got tons of choices for sides! Depending on what kind of summer cookout you’re having, I’d go with a salad — bean salad, Greek salad, orzo salad, cucumber salad — or aromatic rice or homemade flatbreads.
Leftovers and Reheating
If you have any leftovers from these skewers recipes, store them in an airtight container in the fridge. You can reheat them on the grill with the meat tucked inside aluminum foil packets. Or, use an oven method by wrapping the skewers in aluminum foil and heating them at 350 degrees F until warmed through.
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FAQs
You’re going to love this answer: both! Kabob (or kebab) are terms that originated in the Middle East. Both refer to skewered meat grilled over an open flame. Typically, the “kabob” spelling is used by people from countries like Armenia and Iran. Then, “kebab” (or even “kabab”) is used by people from countries like Lebanon and Syria.
For red meat, New York strip or sirloin tip work well. For chicken pieces, I love chicken thighs for their juicy flavor on the grill. Just keep an eye on your cooking times and temperatures, since different meats require different things to make sure they’re both safe and delicious to eat.
Use a digital meat thermometer. With a digital thermometer, you can get quick and accurate readings. It makes it easy to ensure your meat in your skewers recipe reaches the perfect internal temperature. They are especially handy for grilling, where precision is key. I don’t grill without one!
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