Every country has its own take on skewered meat, and beef and lamb are firm favourites when it comes to this style of cooking. Here are few hints and tips so you can make best.
Here’s the knack … tips for preparing kebabs and satay
- Take care to prepare the skewers or sticks. Brush metal skewers with oil before threading the meat; this makes it easier to remove the meat after cooking. Soak wooden skewers in cold water for 10 minutes to stop them from burning.
- Cut the meat into even sized 2cm cubes for making kebabs. For satay style cut the meat into thin, longish strips so it can be easily woven onto the wooden skewers.
- When you’re threading kebabs, don’t pack the meat on too tightly; leave a little space between the pieces so the heat can get to all sides. Placing thickish lemon slices or onion pieces between the meat cubes works well to help space the meat.
- When you weave the meat onto wooden skewers for satay don’t bunch the meat together; it should be spread out so it cooks quickly and evenly.
- When your making kebabs start and end each skewer with a piece of beef rather than vegetables (like onion or capsicum). Why? It’s because the vegies tend to dry out and shrink if placed on the ends. They will often then slip off the skewer and end up burning on the barbecue or grill plate.
Kebabs have four sides, satay only two – cook them like this
- Just before cooking brush the meat lightly with oil rather than adding oil to the barbecue, char-grill or pan.
- It’s best to cook skewered meats over a moderately-high temperature for a short time.
- Cooking on a barbecue over coals or on a char-grill plate gives great flavour, as does cooking in a covered barbecue. Preheat the barbecue, char-grill or pan to moderately hot before cooking.
- Kebabs and satay can also be cooked under a regular oven grill. It’s important to preheat the grill to high and place the skewers on a cold grill tray – this stops the meat sticking and becoming difficult to turn.
- Take care not to overcook skewered meats. Satay style skewers cook more quickly than kebabs, they usually take about 2 to 3 minutes each side to cook.
- Kebabs with cubed meat take about two minutes for each of the four sides. Total cooking time is about 8 minutes.
- Don’t turn them too often; turn them once to cook each side.
- Like all meat it’s best to let the meat skewers rest before serving. Standing the skewers on the serving plate (loosely covered with foil) for 3 minutes before serving to guests.
Which should I use, metal or wooden skewers?
Metal skewers are good for cooking cubed beef or lamb kebabs because they conduct heat well. They also hold more weight than wooden skewers. Buy stainless steel skewers that are square or flat-bladed, rather than round. This will help stop the meat from spinning on the skewer when turned, ensuring even cooking. Metal skewers become really hot, so use tongs to turn them.
Wooden skewers hold strips of meat better than metal skewers, which are more suited to cubes of meat. Wooden skewers are inexpensive and easy to find, shorter skewers are the better choice. Often the longer ones are too long for the amount of meat and vegetables used, and the ends can burn as they are left exposed over the high heat.
Marinating and flavouring kebabs and satay
Marinades and flavourings for kebabs need not be too difficult to put together. Forget recipes, use what you have in the store cupboard and fridge. You don’t need a lot either – for 500g of meat about ½ cup in total of marinade mixture will be enough to flavour. Be mindful of the sugar content of the mixture, as marinades high in sugar will burn before the meat is cooked.
Good combos include:
- Soy sauce, a little honey and orange juice
- Tomato sauce, red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard
- Teriyaki sauce, grated ginger and little brown sugar
- Olive oil, lemon juice and dried oregano and/or rosemary
- Soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil
The easiest way to marinate kebabs is to prepare your skewers, then place them in a shallow dish and cover with the flavourings. Because of their size the marinade won’t take long to penetrate, 15 minutes is usually enough.
Enjoy these great recipes
Beef, zucchini and lemon kebabs
Barbecued ginger lamb satays
Char-grilled beef skewers with tomato vinaigrette
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