Recipe: Shish Kebab of Beef

Shish Kebab of Beef

Serving Size: 2
Preparation Time: 0:15

Ingredients

20 oz. sirloin steak, Prime/Choice, 3/4 " trimmed
1 each marinade steak
4 each skewers bamboo—soak in water
1 lg onion
1 lg pepper green or red
4 oz mushrooms porcini
2 each tomatoes plum
1 tsp thyme leaf
1 tbl oil olive

Preparation

Marinate cubes of steak on skewers in steak marinade. Leave a little room between cubes. Skewer all steak on same axis so cooking will be uniform. You are putting steak back together, but in a straight line.

Make skewers of green peppers and onions, Paint with oil.

Marinate porchini slices in with steak, Paint with oil.

Roll tomatoes in olive oil with leaf thyme. Cut some slits in them and rub in oil and herb.

Grind black pepper over everything (optional) You can start veggies first and hold them on side and replace a moment when steak is ready.

Grill on a med-hot grill. (Put your hand where the meat will be—almost) You should only be able to keep it there for about 4 seconds. The coals will be covered with a thin gray ash and the glow will be clearly seen inside the coal.

When you turn the meat, turn it at right angles each time to make nice grill marks. Time to turn it over (first side) is when a little blood comes thru the top.

Grill the oiled mushroom slices and tomatoes by themselves, flat on the grill. Grill the skewers of peppers and onions by themselves.

Brush the veg lightly with any leftover marinade, or olive oil and garlic. Brush all again with butter or olive oil just before serving to make them shine. Cheat a little. Cut into one cube to check doneness. Serve that cube with its cut side down. Having 2 skewers allows you to cook to different donenesses. The reason we do the veg separate from the meat is that they have different cooking times.

If you are rushing and see big flames, your fire is TOO HOT. (Most common problem) Use a water gun on the hot spots to slow them down (This always gets a laugh, but if kids are around they will want to do it until you go nuts!...so use a rag soaked in water and squeeze it. If you are squirting like crazy and getting ash all over everything, calm down, rinse the ash off everything, repaint and... Wait a While...your fire is too HOT )

nb: You can use richly marbled center chuck steak for this with excellent results. It will be less expensive and very good tasting. The center chuck is the rectangular strip of meat in the center of the chuck steak. I braise the rest as swiss steak, or cube it for beef stew. A nice thick Choice Chuck steak is three steaks in one, but that is another story for another time.

Suggested Wine: A jug Red Calif or Australia

Serving Ideas: Serve on a bed of Basmati Rice Pilaf with Grilled Tomatoes

Notes: Take everything off the skewers onto the bed of rice to serve. Shish kebabs may be presented but aren't served. Got Guts? Flame them. Warm brandy in a pan. Ignite, and pour down the sticks. Then serve. You can stick the skewers into a base of some veg like a cabbage, wrapped in foil or such, and reuse the cabbage. A few pokes won't hurt it.