Beef Kebabs

Kebabs are so much fun. There’s something primitive, sort of deeply ancestral about eating food off a stick. Also, it’s really easy, so it’s got that going for it too.

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But this kebab recipe is better than just hunks of meat and vegetables. This is more like pure joy with a giant toothpick crammed through it. If you’re using wooden skewers like I am (bamboo, actually, which is a grass rather than a wood, but that’s beside the point,) you’ll need to soak them in water beforehand so they don’t burn. It doesn’t take long, you can just let them sit long enough for you to finish prepping the rest of the ingredients.

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Did I mention this kebab recipe involves bacon? I’ve been finding all sorts of wonderful new uses for bacon recently. This is Hormel Natural Choice, which is not only gluten free, but nitrate- and nitrite-free as well. [As always, the brands I use were GFCF at the time of posting, but manufacturers can change recipes without warning. Always check your labels!] We want it separated into half-strips, so I just cut right down the middle of the package to open it. Done and done.

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Also cut your beef into bite-sized chunks. I forgot to take a picture of that, silly me. I think I used a round roast, but don’t quote me on that. Any solid piece of meat will do, including chicken or lamb if that’s more your thing. Next you’re going to set up two bowls. In the first bowl, put about 2-3 Tablespoons of chili powder.

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Take a piece of meat and dip half of it in the chili powder.

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Then flip it around and dip the other half in your second bowl, which you should have coyly filled with sugar without taking a photo of it. I was really off my game the night I made this, I tell you what. But yes, half chili powder, and half sugar. It is so good. And it gets better…

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Now wrap a slice of bacon around your hunk of beef. It’s like a teeny tiny filet mignon!

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Skewer it so that the bacon stays in place, and try to fill at least some of the space in between with things that are not meat. I’m using pineapple and red bell pepper, because they’re a fantastic combination. There is nothing in this world better than grilled pineapple.

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Do you grill? Because I totally don’t. I just can’t see the point in firing up an entirely separate cooking appliance, outdoors in the cold no less, when I have a perfectly good oven with a broiler. Direct heat is direct heat, and I honestly don’t see the difference, blasphemy though that may be to some of you grill acolytes. Anyway, this is a foil-lined pan, with my kebabs sitting on a little raised rack, so the drippings have somewhere to go. Turn the broiler on high, put the pan close to the top (where the broiler element lives, if you’ve never used it,) and give the kebabs about 6-8 minutes per side. It’s going to depend a lot on how thick your meat pieces are, so keep an eye on it.

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It’s done when it looks like this. You, however, won’t be done until there’s none left.

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Happy Eating!

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Beef Kebabs

1-2 lbs. beef steak or roast
2-3 TBS chili powder
2-3 TBS sugar
1 pkg Hormel Natural Choice bacon
2 cups pineapple
1 red bell pepper