Spiced Yogurt-Marinated Beef Kebabs

more grilling tips to come!

Don your aprons and gird your loins because it’s officially time to dust off the grill and see whatever situation we left in there last fall.

Wooden skewers work just fine for this, but if you want something reusable, metal skewers are even better. These ones are 22 inch and these are 12 inch

This is one of my favorite grilled dishes that we make at Scratch Made. The yogurt marinade makes the beef more tender and juicy, and the spices become even more robust when charred by the grill.

Before we get too far here, I want to be clear that this is a situation where you should marinate your meat the night before, or at the very least, the morning before you want to grill. More acidic marinades only need a couple of hours to work their magic, but this is not that. Lemon juice and vinegar make up a small percentage of the overall mixture, and yogurt needs a little bit of time to penetrate the meat. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

That being said, planning ahead is the hardest part of this whole meal. Otherwise, it comes together easily with very little effort or extra dishes. You only need to marinate your meat before you go to bed or after your morning coffee and then let the grill do the rest.

My ideal dinner would be these kebabs served over rice pilaf with grilled veggies for the perfect warm-weather feast! Bonus points if it’s served family-style on a big platter. If grilled veggies aren’t doing it for you, any of the vegetable side dishes below would also make a welcome addition to the table:

• Braised green beans with burst cherry tomatoes

• Ensalada mix with salsa criolla vinaigrette

• Grilled zucchini salad

• Lemony wax beans with brown butter and toasted almonds

• Marinated grilled lunchbox peppers

• Radicchio salad with fennel, feta, and olives

• Seared Romano beans with marinated peppers and capers

While we’re on the topic, I made a roundup of platters worth considering for summer hosting. It’s my opinion that a nice big platter is a hosting necessity, so I put together a little list of various prices and styles here.

Also on the topic (and then I promise, we’ll get to the recipe!), my number one tip for grilling is to clean the grates properly and oil them before cooking. I promise this will make your life so much easier. Here’s what I do before anything touches the grill to avoid sticking:

• Turn the flame on medium and allow the grill to preheat for about 5–10 minutes. This allows anything stuck to the grates to burn off.

• Then, use a grill brush to scrape away any residue. Be thorough here!

• I like to roll up a cheap kitchen towel (I buy these by the pack and use them for a whole host of kitchen tasks) and drizzle about 1/4 cup of neutral oil onto an 1/8 sheet tray. Use tongs to rub the towel in the oil and then rub the towel over the hot grates before any meat touches the grill. This both cleans the grates and coats them in oil.

• To be completely transparent, if I’m grilling at work or for a party at home, I use the bar towel to grease the grates and then throw it away after grilling. If it’s just Collin and I, or I’m only grilling for a few more people, I use a paper towel.

Spiced Yogurt Marinated Beef Kebabs