Marinating Kabobs

Hi M.-

I LOVE kabobs for parties...and I make my GUESTS do the work!! I marinate in containers several meats (beef...lamb...chicken...ham) and then place out (on picnic table) peppers, onions, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, pineapple etc...and have them build their own kabob. *plenty of paper towels on hand*

Serve a side of nice pilaf...YUM!!

What time does the party start??

Michele/cat

My son says to definitely assemble first and then marinate overnight.
For one thing, if you marinate first, like your pineapple, it might be too mushy to get on the skewer and stay. Pack things pretty tightly together so that they stay on the skewers as you grill.

My son is an AMAZING cook, so he knows these things. He is the one who does all the grilling at our house.
He also suggests some bell pepper and onion chunks.
Yummy!

I would marinate and then put them on the skewers... you might end up getting a woodish taste if you have them on the skewers soaking. I don't know much about the wood skewers... I agree with the other mom they will catch on fire if they aren't soaked

Marinade first. Takes up less refrigerator space. I don't marinade my vegies, just the meats and if using potatoes-those. Be sure to soak the bamboo skewers in water for about 1 hour so they don't burn!
You can also (if planning further ahead) cut your meats, put in freezer bag and add your marinade and freeze! Just be sure to mush the marinade on the meats before freezing and then take out of freezer early that day so that the marinade continues to soak in. Squish around a few times as they thaw. I get much better flavor on the meats when I do this. Works great for camping-use as the first or second meal since you can't keep them frozen longer than that.

I do it both ways (as long as the meat is cut to size). It just depends on when I think I'll have the most time.

A benefit of marinating IN the skewers (if they're wood) is that the skewers don't burn as easily, because the wood absorbs moisture as well.

go to allrecipes.com and check it out.

I seem to remember my mom marinating first, then assembling just prior to grilling. Wooden skewers need to be soaked in water first so they don't catch on fire. My mom used metal ones, so she could have done it that way because they couldn't fit in the marinade bag. HTH!

Marinate first. In a Ziploc bag.
Then skewer.
Takes up less room in the fridge that way.

ALSO, soak the skewers (if it is bamboo), for at least 1/2 to 1 hour in water, first. So they don't burn on the grill.

Pineapples don't have to be, marinated. Or just marinate it less.
It will get sweet when grilled anyway.
Sometimes soaking them for awhile will make them soggy... because the acids in the marinade can break down the fibers in the pineapple... and it sort of loses its shape and is harder to handle.

You are grilling Ham. Ham cubes are typically firm, not like soggy raw meat/beef.
So, yes, marinate first.

Or, assemble, then brush marinade on them AS it grills.

Ham/pineapple kabobs, are done either of those ways.

The marinade for this, is Teriyaki. Which is to me, the best with ham/pineapple.

all the best,
Susan

If the marinade has oil in it, the skewers will absorb and burn a little easier. Soak the skewers in water first, then load them, then marinade. It is no fun loading soggy food on skewers.