Growing up, I spent summers at Sebec Lake visiting my grandparents and cousins. I remember sitting on the porch shucking corn and shelling peas, nightly boat rides, family dinners on the porch, and beautiful sunsets.
There was plenty of lobster to be eaten, of course, but no summer trip was complete without shish kebab night.
My Poppy would go to the butcher and get beef tenderloin, we’d go to a local farm stand and get fresh vegetables, and my Grammie would be in charge of the marinade. We all helped skewer the meat and vegetables, and Poppy grilled, until I proved that I could be trusted!
My mom remembers eating shish kebab growing up, so the recipe has been in our family for decades! Shish kebab is a traditionally Mediterranean dish of skewered meats and vegetables. I wouldn’t say that ours has Mediterranean flavors, but it’s unique and delicious. I remembered the marinade’s distinct vinegary smell, but I had no idea what was actually in it, until I recently asked my mom for the recipe. She sent a photo of the recipe card and laughed when I called back and asked for the instructions.
True to most of my Grammie’s recipes, the recipe had the ingredients and measurements, but no exact directions, leaving lots of room for taking liberties. I like more marinade so I’ve adjusted the amounts to my liking. You do have to plan for this meal because it tastes best if allowed to marinade overnight, and if you’re using wooden skewers you’ll want to give those a few hours to soak.
In my family, the prized bite on the kebabs, second to the meat, was the bacon-wrapped watermelon pickles. Yes, you read that correctly… watermelon pickles. Pickled watermelon rind can be hard to track down, especially if you’re not in the South, so a few years ago, I took it upon myself to make my own.
The sweetness of the pickle combined with the saltiness of the bacon is a delicious combination of flavors and textures. If you don’t have time to make your own, Old South is a common brand and you can find them online if your grocery store doesn’t carry them. This time around, I used what I had I on hand:
You’ll need 1/3-1/2 a strip of bacon depending how large the pickle pieces are. You’ll wrap the bacon around the pickle, secure it with a toothpick, and skewer those, separate from the meat and vegetables. Cook them on the rack of your grill, or indirect heat, for about 20 minutes, until the bacon fat is rendered and then finish then directly on the grill.
When it comes to building kebabs, of any kind, I’m a firm believer that different items should be skewered separately because they all take different amounts of time to cook. It drives me crazy to see the prepared kebabs in the grocery store cooler, or even in magazine photos, alternating meat and vegetables because while they do look pretty, they’re setting you up for failure – either the meat is cooked and the vegetables are incinerated or the vegetables are cooked properly and the meat is undercooked. You can get away with skewering different vegetables if you’re looking to make those beautiful Insta-worthy photos, but make sure to cut everything the same size. Kebabs are definitely kid friendly, so consider these for your next summer get together.
I’m sharing my favorite marinades for beef kebabs and chicken kebabs here, but you can certainly use these marinades interchangeably with pork, turkey, or lamb. There are no set rules on vegetables so use whatever you can find at the farmer’s market and whatever your family enjoys. That means no green peppers in my house, but we love onions, zucchini, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, pineapple, and even olives are delicious when grilled!
You’ll also need to decide what type of skewer to use. You can use disposable wooden skewers, classic metal skewers, or newer flexible metal skewers. I keep all of these on hand because I find them useful at different times if I’m serving a crowd, trying to save grill space, etc. I hope these recipes provide you with some great summer meals!
Beef Shish Kebab
Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe
Servings: 4-6
Active time: 30 minutes
Inactive time: 8-24 hours
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 24 hours
1/2 cup mint leaves, torn
1 Tablespoon basil leaves, torn (the original recipe called for tarragon, but I have trouble finding it!)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon dry mustard
1 Tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 Tablespoon whole cloves
2 pounds of beef tenderloin, cut into 1-2 inch cubes (you can also use sirloin as a less expensive option)
In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, mustard, salt, vegetable oil, lemon zest, brown sugar, and cloves.
Bring to a simmer.
Turn off the heat and let cool for 10 minutes before adding the mint and basil.
Pour the marinade into a plastic bag and add the meat cubes.
Marinate for 8-24 hours in the refrigerator.
Skewer the beef.
Grill over direct high heat, turning to brown each side (about 5-10 minutes).
Whiskey-Honey-Orange Chicken Kebabs
Servings: 4-6
Active time: 30 minutes
Inactive time: 8-24 hours
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 24 hours
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup hot honey
2/3 cup whiskey
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 oranges, sliced
2 pounds of chicken thighs, cut into 1-2 pieces (you can use chicken breast if you prefer)
Mix garlic, oil, honey, whiskey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
Transfer the marinade to a plastic bag and add the sliced oranges and chicken.
Marinate for 8-24 hours in the refrigerator.
Skewer the chicken.
Grill over direct high heat, turning to brown each side (about 5-10 minutes).
Enjoy your grilled meats and vegetables with any side dishes you like, or no side dishes at all. I love that we usually have leftovers, and it’s perfect for salads or wraps throughout the week!
If all this talk of kebabs has you in the mood for grilling, you’re in luck. We have some fantastic grilling classes coming up to close out July and throughout August!