A few weeks ago, I almost overdosed on meat. I made some pulled pork for my family - along with some tasty appetizers that contained bacon, and Lil Smokies - and I just ate too much meat.
I know, I can't believe I'm saying that either.
Last night I decided to make some kebabs (or kabobs).
Before I get into last night's meal, let me tell you something I have learned about kebabs. You can't cook everything together. Most people will get their skewer and put a piece of meat, then a slice of onion then a slice of pepper then a mushroom then another piece of meat, etc.
While that is a good concept, the fact of the matter is, all of those things cook at different rates. By the time your meat is cooked, the onions and peppers will be burned and the mushrooms will be inedible.
This is why you put all your peppers and onions (they cook at about the same rate) on one skewer, mushrooms on another and the meat on their own.
Start cooking the meat first because it will take the longest. Once you have turned them, put on the other skewers and they should finish at about the same time.
Here is my list of kebabs that I made last night:
Pineapple in coconut milk - If you've never had grilled pineapple, you are missing out on one of the greatest flavors you could ever experience. I buy a can of pineapple chunks, drain the juice out (I saved it for the meat, which I will tell you about in a minute) and then I poured about half a can of coconut milk into the pineapple can, covering all of the pineapple. I let it "marinate" for a few hours and then thread them onto the skewers. Most of the coconut milk evaporates during the grilling, but it does leave a nice hint of coconut with the pineapple. It's like a grilled Piña Colada
Onions & Green Peppers - I cut these into small pieces and then I baste them with a lemon butter. (1 stick of butter, juice of one lemon, 2 tablespoons parsley)
Mushrooms - Button mushrooms with lemon butter baste.
Squash - I hate squash, but my wife wanted some so I made it for her. I used the same lemon butter on this.
Potatoes - I took a bunch of potatoes, cut them into small pieces and boiled them for about five minutes. Put them on the skewer and basted them with the lemon butter and grilled them until they were crispy brown on the outside. (About 5 minutes per side)
Smoked Sausage - I bought a package of John Morrell smoked sausage. (You can also use polish sausage). Cut however many sausages you need into small pieces and drop them in the bowl with the reserve pineapple juice. Let them marinate in there for at least an hour. Put them on the skewers and grill until golden. The pineapple juice not only adds a nice flavor to the meat, it puts a nice glaze on it that makes the outside crispy.
I didn't take any pictures, but I promise that I will be better at taking pictures for this blog from now on.
And I promise that I will post more here also.
