The Biggest Mistake You're Making When Grilling Kebabs

Grilling is a fantastic summertime delight. There's no denying the divine smells and flavor explosion that grilled food brings, creating some of our most memorable summer experiences. While humans have been grilling food for millennia, America's love for backyard cooking has made grilling a staple of our food culture.

After all, you can grill anything from vegetables and fruits to meat and poultry. There are so many perfect recipes for the grill that can take your grilling skills and foods to new heights. One of the easiest and quickest ways to cook on the grill is to make tasty and versatile kebabs. Who wouldn't love vegetables and juicy meat pieces on a stick? 

A variety of ingredient combinations make kebabs ideal for any occasion, especially when you have a hungry crowd in your backyard. Moreover, kebabs can satisfy your cravings for meat, vegetables, and fruit all at once. However, cooking these flavorful stacks of meat and vegetables has potential pitfalls, and most home cooks are guilty of making common mistakes when grilling kebabs. But there's one mistake so habitual that failing to avoid it can ruin the best aspects of this dish.

You might be wondering how grilling meat and vegetables on the same skewer is a mistake. After all, you've probably done it yourself while cooking this popular Middle Eastern cuisine. Most people make this common mistake, sacrificing the mouth-watering flavor for the aesthetics. We get it. Grilling meat and produce on the same skewer looks visually appealing.

You see, vegetables cook at a different rate than meat, and the two won't cook adequately at the same time. Doing so could result in undercooked meat or burnt vegetables. It's better to use individual skewers for poultry, meat, seafood, and vegetables. It's okay to combine items with a similar cook time — bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and onions — but you don't want to cook mushrooms and meat on the same skewer (via ThermoWorks). This simple technique ensures your little skewers of happiness cook evenly and at the same speed. And if you want to grill broccoli, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts, you'll need to pre-cook them since they require a longer time to soften (via My Pure Plants).

Also, avoid other common kebab grilling mistakes like improperly placing kebabs on the grill. You can step up your grilling experience further by using this BBQ hack that will change the way you grill kebabs.