Hi and Welcome to Shish Kebab Cooking Tips and Recipes blog!

Before we get stuck in to how to successfully cook shish kebab, let me ask a question… Have you ever wondered what the secret is that distinguish shish kebab from delicious shish kebab?

Yes!  Right tools to make shish kebab, Interesting recipes and ingredients, and… Good mood! That’s it! And you can prepare a meal that is sure to please and surprise family and friends:)

Let’s talk about all these things…

About Grills, Skewers and More

If you know you're going to cook shish kebab, making sure you have the right tools for cooking is important. If you do have access to a grill, this is a great way to introduce yourself to outdoor cooking, like cooking shish kebabs or other foods.

Of course, these cooking ideas are great in the backyard as well: a combination of your favorite seasoned meat and peppers, onions, mushrooms can be thrown on the grill for a healthy kebab that's really tasty.

So, first of all, you’ll need a grill. A wide variety of grills is used for grilling, ranging from the simple ones to the elaborate.

Gas grills: Grills fueled by propane gas are an extremely popular variety of outdoor grill. They are available in a wide range of styles and sizes. Like this one:

 

Charcoal grills: Grills that are designed for use with charcoal. Like gas grills, they are available in a wide range of styles and sizes, and price ranges.  Like this one:

 

Indoor electric grills: If you want to grill shish kebabs at home, you can use indoor electric grill that grills evenly and gets hot enough to cook meat. Or just broil in oven.

However, if shish kebab is grilled outside and there is no grill, you can simply replace it with two piles of bricks or stones and put skewers on them and coal underneath. Or use the traditional fuel source- firewood and kindling- for grilling on a grate over an open fire. Although an open fire may be less convenient to use, it is still preferred by many people, especially when camping and hiking.

The new grill grate must be greased with vegetable oil and heated over the fire, then wiped with wet cloth. Also use the oil cooking spray before cooking.

The skewers can be metal or wooden, and come in different sizes. If using bamboo skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes before using to keep them from scorching. Spray or brush metal skewers with vegetable oil. 

Depending on the kind of grill used, the heat source often reaches a cooking temperature of 650ºF or higher; however, any temperature above 300°F is considered suitable as a grilling temperature.

Shish kebab is grilled not on an open fire, but over the hot charcoal or other heat source, about 5-6 inches above the grill. You should turn the skewers occasionally as cooking. Shish kebabs are grilled not for a very long time. However, depends on the kind and quality of the product you’re cooking, the marinating time and the heat source. Just need to follow recipe's directions.

About Ingredients for Shish Kebab and Recipes

Shish kebab is very tasty and nutritious, and really easy to make. Shish kebab is a meal made of any kind of meat: lamb, beef, pork, goat, wild game meat, poultry and fish fillet, skewered and cooked until tender on an outdoor grill. Cubes of fruit or vegetables are often threaded on the skewer as well. Typical vegetables include tomato, eggplant, bell pepper, squash, onions, and mushrooms.

You must choose the meat of the good quality. The best choice would be young animal’s meat because this meat can be prepared for shish kebab even without marinating. Poultry and fish are not usually marinated. However, to give a special flavor and aroma it's recommended to marinate the meat.

If you have the right recipes and ingredients, you can prepare a meal that is sure to please.

       Click here to get info about delicious shish kebab recipes

The marinade is made by a given recipe. The meat is marinated from 15 minutes to overnight. If the meat is cooked without marinating, then small pieces of meat should be previously soaked in a vegetable oil; bigger ones soaked in cold water. When you cut meat into cubes, depending on their size, you should select a longer or shorter period of marinating and cooking. If the meat has some fat, you should always turn the skewer so that the fat seeps into the meat itself and not leaks down on the coals of the grill.

The best shish kebab garnish is fresh and marinated vegetables, various sauces. Shish kebab is usually served hot; however, also cold, with a dry red or white wine.

Here’s recipe that you can try with the whole family to cook shish kebabs.

Bulgarian Shish Kebab with Squash

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs. boneless lamb

½ lb. squash
2 lbs. potatoes (or some rice)
1 oz. oil
1 egg
Salt and pepper to your taste
Fresh vegetables of your choice

Directions: 

Cut meat into 1 1/ 2 inch cubes. Cut squash into slices. Strew salt on the meat and squash and thread alternately on the skewers. Turning skewers occasionally, grill over hot coals until they done only half way. Let them cool down. Beat an egg in a bowl. Add pepper to your kebabs and dip into egg mixture; and then put back on the grill to continue cooking until meat is done. Serve with fried potatoes or cooked rice and fresh vegetables.

More recipes, even better ones, you can find here (available on Amazon.com  Kindle Store ).

Highly Recommended Summer Recipes you can Find HERE

So, grab the recipe, grab some of your favorite foods, fire up the grill and see what you can cook up! Bon Appetite!

Grilling Tips and Tricks

 There is no doubt that grilling is an art, and getting the food right is a matter of technique and practice. If you are having trouble getting your grilled foods to turn out just right, here are a few simple grilling tips and tricks. If you’ll follow them you can transform your grilled foods into works of art:

1. To make cooking go faster, partially cook food on the range or in the microwave, and then immediately finish cooking the food on the grill.

2. If using bamboo skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes before using to keep them from scorching. Spray or brush metal skewers with vegetable oil.

3. Use tongs or a spatula to turn meat because piercing it with a fork causes precious juices to escape.

4. While cooking, keep the top and bottom grill vents open. Close them when cooking is finished to extinguish the coals. Also, before you start the fire, make sure the grill's vents are not clogged with ashes.

5. The easiest way to clean a soiled grill is to scrub it with a stiff wire brush while it is still warm.

6.How to know how hot is a charcoal grill? A quick and easy way to estimate the temperature of the coals is to hold the palm of your hand about 4 inches above coals. Count the seconds you can hold your hand there before the heat forces you to pull it away. Then use this simple determination of temperature: 2 seconds – coal temperature is 375⁰ F or more; 3 sec – 350⁰ to 375⁰; 4 sec – 300⁰ to 350⁰; 5 sec – 200⁰ to 300⁰.

7.To light a charcoal fire, place the coals in a pyramid shape 20 to 30 minutes prior to cooking.
To start with lighter fluid, soak the coals with about 1/2 cup fluid. Wait 1 minute to let the fluid soak in, then light with a match. Do not use gasoline or kerosene because either one can cause an explosion.

To use an electric starter, place the starter in the center of the pyramid and plug in. Once ash begins forming, after about 8 -10 minutes, unplug the starter and remove it. Remember, the starter will be very hot and should cool in a safe, heatproof place.

8. Charcoal briquettes are ready for cooking when they are glowing red and their surface is covered with gray ash. Coals will take 20 to 40 minutes to reach this stage. Once coals are ready, spread them out for even heat.

9.Cleanup is easier if grill rack is coated with nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil before grilling. Do not spray the grill over the fire, because this could cause a flare-up.

10.Charcoal readily absorbs and holds moisture, so better to store it in dry place.

Also, remember about some safety things, like: position the grill on a heatproof surface, away from the bushes and trees that could catch a spark and out of the path of traffic; have a spray bottle with water to control wild sparks and very small flare-ups on a charcoal grill; but do not use water to quench flare-ups on a gas grill, just close the hood and turn down the heat until the flames subside; and etc.

Follow these simple tips and tricks and you will be able to grill quickly and easily with great results. Good luck and have fun!