Kabobs on the Grill: Strike While the Coals Are Hot

If the grill hasn’t been fired up yet, late summer’s the time! And if burgers and dogs have been the fare so far, perhaps tweaking the menu is in order too. Skewering chunks of veggies onto kabob sticks takes some time, but it's worth it; fresh-grilled vegetables are a tasty and healthy addition to the meal. Another plus about kabobs: small pieces are easier to turn when on the skewer.

Add marinated Ginger Chicken to round out the menu. Serve whole pieces of roasted chicken thighs, or skewer marinated, bite-sized pieces onto skewers. Boneless, skinless thighs will be most juicy; whole pieces of breast meat can dry out before cooking through. A marinade for the chicken is easy enough; add it to the chicken in a Ziploc bag and marinate for 1-3 days. (Marinate raw chicken and veggies in separate bags.)

A gas grill certainly makes things easy, but we do enjoy the flavor of the charcoal grill on occasion. At our house we also like the challenge of lighting the charcoal without lighter fluid (it does have a fairly noxious smell). We heard recently of a ruined batch of chicken; the lighter fluid hadn't burned off adequately and had tainted the meat—a definite strike against that method! To start the coals, an Electric Charcoal Starter works well (it's a metal loop attached to a handle, which plugs into a power outlet). Or a "Chimney Starter" can be used (found where barbecue supplies are sold). We went primitive at our campsite this year, layering the charcoal on top of rolled up newspapers, dried leaves and twigs, lighting it all with a match. It worked!

Coals are ready when they have a layer of grey ash on their surface. Once the food's on, any food that's cooking too quickly can be moved to the cooler, outer areas of the grill. To speed things up, big pieces of chicken can get a head start by pre-baking them in the oven for 30 minutes. Finish them off on the grill, for that great barbeque flavor.

Once the barbeque's lit, it makes sense to utilize the hot coals fully. A few veggie kabobs, or any other spare vegetables on hand, can be roasted and added to dishes later in the week; they'll lend plenty of flavor. To marinate vegetables ahead of time, use favorite veggies, cut into bite-sized chunks; add to a Ziploc bag with a splash of olive oil and a little soy sauce and vinegar. More elaborate marinade recipes work well too.
 
Note to the reluctant barbecuer: The oven works just fine as an alternative to grilling. Just bring the meal outside after cooking, and enjoy the great outdoors of late summer!

Click here for Ginger Chicken and Kabobs Recipe