Labor Day marks the end of the official summer grilling season. Say goodbye to summer in style with these cool kebabs. To make kebabs, you can use metal skewers, but wooden ones are even better (and less expensive, too!). Find these long bamboos sticks at pretty much any grocery store. You’ll need to plan ahead and soak the skewers for at least 30 minutes before you place them on the grill, so they don’t end up burning once they hit the heat. Now it’s time to pick out your ingredients. Steak, pork, chicken, lamb, tofu, bell peppers, even strawberries are great for kebabs. Let the skewering begin!
Beef Kebabs
Here’s the classic take on skewers – a beef kebab dish from Simply Recipes. To keep the beef extra moist and flavorful, cut up top sirloin into cubes and marinate in a combination of olive oil, soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger and red wine vinegar. Once the beef has had a thorough soaking, place the cubes in between bell peppers, onions and mushrooms. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes for a surprisingly hearty meal that’s fun to eat.
Chicken Kebabs with Creamy Pesto
Twenty minutes. That’s all you need to make these chicken kebabs with creamy pesto from Cooking Light. You don’t even need a grill for these kebabs. Use your broiler to heat up the chicken kebabs that are stacked with cherry tomatoes, bell peppers and onions.
Pacific Pork Kebabs with Pineapple Rice
This recipe for Pacific pork kebabs with pineapple rice from Martha Stewart only sounds hard to make. Start by draining a can of pineapple chunks then whisking the juice with honey. Baste pork cubes and pineapple chunks with that mixture while grilling. Toss extra pineapple chunks, green onions and ginger in with cooked rice and you’ve got an impressive meal (shhh … you can let everyone think it took hours to make).
Grilled Cilantro Lime Shrimp Kebabs
Shrimp can be tricky to grill – they curl up as they cook making it easy to lose one to the grates. This recipe for grilled cilantro lime shrimp kebabs from Skinny Taste has you put not one but two bamboo skewers through the shrimp so they stay flat while they’re heating up. Plus, turning the skewers over to cook on both sides is easier!
Grilled Lamb Kebabs
Channel the best of Middle Eastern cooking with this grilled lamb kebab recipe from Smitten Kitchen. There are step-by-step instructions to lead you through marinating the lamb in yogurt and then creating a traditional Tzatziki sauce to serve on the side.
Grilled Strawberry Shortcake Kebabs
Naturally sweet strawberries soak in the smoky flavor of the grill in this recipe for grilled strawberry shortcake kebabs from Sunset. Layer each skewer with fresh strawberries coated in strawberry jam followed by a square of angel food cake. Serve these desserts-on-a-stick with whipped cream for dipping. Now that’s the way to finish off a meal!
