Published May 1, 2000.
Most beef kebabs are disappointing, with overcooked meat and vegetables that are either raw or mushy. Using inexpensive beef, we set out to find a simple one-skewer recipe that cooked everything perfectly.
While the concept of the kebab is simple, the pitfalls of grilling on skewers are many. It's easy to pick the wrong cut of beef. There are dozens of choices. It's also easy to overcook the meat because it's cut into small pieces. Another easily but unintentionally accomplished end is charring the outside of the meat over a hot fire while leaving its interior (not to mention the vegetables) nearly raw.
Our goal was to develop a recipe that would reliably deliver juicy, flavorful beef, cooked from rare to medium on the inside and richly caramelized on the outside, and perfectly cooked, crisp-tender vegetables.
Choose a tender but flavorful cut of beef, such as top blade steak or top sirloin. Marinate the meat in an oil-based marinade and squirt some lime juice onto the kebabs after they come off the grill; the oil keeps the meat from drying out on the grill and the lime juice contributes a nice, fresh flavor. Skewer the meat with quick-cooking vegetables that do not need to be pre-cooked before grilling; skip the mushrooms, eggplant, and zucchini in lieu of onions and bell peppers. Cook quickly over a hot fire for richly caramelized meat with a perfectly cooked, juicy interior.
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