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Gas-Grilled Shish Kebab

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 22, 2007

Time

1 hour, plus 2 hours marinating

Yield

Serves 6

Gas-Grilled Shish Kebab

Ingredients

2 ¼ pounds boneless lamb leg (shank end), trimmed of fat and silver skin and cut into 1-inch pieces3 bell peppers, 1 red, 1 yellow, and 1 orange (about 1 ½ pounds), each cut into twenty-four 1-inch pieces1 large red onion (about 12 ounces), cut into thirty-six ¾-inch pieces (see illustrations below)lemon or lime wedges for serving (optional)

Before You Begin

For marinade suggestions, see related recipes.

Instructions

  1. Toss marinade and lamb in gallon-sized zipper-lock plastic bag or large, nonreactive bowl; seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible, or cover bowl and refrigerate until fully seasoned, at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
  2. Turn all burners on gas grill to high, close lid, and heat grill until hot, 10 to 15 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, starting and ending with meat, thread 4 pieces meat, 3 pieces onion (three 3-layer stacks), and 6 pieces pepper in mixed order on 12 metal skewers.
  4. Grill kebabs covered, until well browned, grill-marked, and cooked to medium-rare, about 8 minutes (or 9 minutes for medium), turning each kebab one-quarter turn every 2 minutes to brown all sides.

Gas-Grilled Shish Kebab

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Time

1 hour, plus 2 hours marinating

Yield

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 ¼ pounds boneless lamb leg (shank end), trimmed of fat and silver skin and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 bell peppers, 1 red, 1 yellow, and 1 orange (about 1 ½ pounds), each cut into twenty-four 1-inch pieces
1 large red onion (about 12 ounces), cut into thirty-six ¾-inch pieces (see illustrations below)
lemon or lime wedges for serving (optional)

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 ¼ pounds boneless lamb leg (shank end), trimmed of fat and silver skin and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 bell peppers, 1 red, 1 yellow, and 1 orange (about 1 ½ pounds), each cut into twenty-four 1-inch pieces
1 large red onion (about 12 ounces), cut into thirty-six ¾-inch pieces (see illustrations below)
lemon or lime wedges for serving (optional)

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 ¼ pounds boneless lamb leg (shank end), trimmed of fat and silver skin and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 bell peppers, 1 red, 1 yellow, and 1 orange (about 1 ½ pounds), each cut into twenty-four 1-inch pieces
1 large red onion (about 12 ounces), cut into thirty-six ¾-inch pieces (see illustrations below)
lemon or lime wedges for serving (optional)

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

To avoid over- or undercooked meat and/or vegetables in our shish kebab recipe, we chose the right cut of lamb (boneless leg) and vegetables that cooked at the same rate as the meat (onions and peppers). Marinating the meat for at least 2 hours gave it great flavor, and grilling over high heat gave it a good crust and a juicy interior.

Before You Begin

For marinade suggestions, see related recipes.

Instructions

  1. Toss marinade and lamb in gallon-sized zipper-lock plastic bag or large, nonreactive bowl; seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible, or cover bowl and refrigerate until fully seasoned, at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
  2. Turn all burners on gas grill to high, close lid, and heat grill until hot, 10 to 15 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, starting and ending with meat, thread 4 pieces meat, 3 pieces onion (three 3-layer stacks), and 6 pieces pepper in mixed order on 12 metal skewers.
  4. Grill kebabs covered, until well browned, grill-marked, and cooked to medium-rare, about 8 minutes (or 9 minutes for medium), turning each kebab one-quarter turn every 2 minutes to brown all sides.

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