Venison Shish Kebab

[Salmonsmoker]

Well, here it is - another weekend. Friday's seem to be a time to think about cooking over the campfire.

Today, the memory of campfire's past popped into mind - a particular evening when we prepared venison shish kebabs. When the guests arrived, they were delighted with the
idea of taking the sticks of delicacies right from the fire and indulging.

Here's how we did them.

First, make a maranade by combining:

1/2 cup flavored vinegar (onion or garlic works well - see Recipe section)
add 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup minced onion, 1 T ground coriander
1 T seasoning salt (see recipe section)

Mix well and let stand while preparing the meat.

Second, take 2 lbs of venison (shoulder or rumb roast works well here) and cut into 1.5" cubes and place in a bowl.

Shake the jar of maranade vigerously to mix the vinegar and oil. Then, just cover the meat with the marinade for 8 hours (overnight works too) - stirring occasionally. (The vinegar in the marinade accomplishes two things. First, it tenderizes the meat. Second, it makes it tast delicious.)

Put bamboo skewers in a pan of water and let soak while doing the following:

Prepare Vegies:

Cut several green bell peppers into 1" squares. Place in a small dish.

Peal then cut a red onion into quarters - and separate the layers. Place in a small dish.

Clean a box of fresh button mushrooms. Place in a small dish.

Wash a box of cherry tomatoes. Place in a small dish.

Next, get the meat out of the frige, and drain.

Line up the small dishes of vegies and the meat so that all are easy to reach.

Now, it it time to take a break and get the fire going. Place a few characoal briquets in the fire bed, then lay in the fire, and light. I have constructed a work table near my fire circle so I do the following where I can also tend the fire.

Get a skewer and - start with a chunk of meat: put the skewer square to the grain of the meat (Keep the meat grain verticle and the skewer horizontal.) Then add one kind of vegie, then another chunk of meat, and another kind of vegie. Keep doing until the skewer is filled. Place on a tray, then get another skewer and repeate.

Somewhere between the first and last Skewer, there will be hot coal to rake aside. Add more wood to keep the coals coming. Place a clean grill (presprayed with Pam or some other nonstick spray) over the coals and let it get hot.

While the grill is heating, finish skewering the food and brush the shish kebabs with the olive oil from the maranade. Then, place on the grill and cook just as you would a 1.5 inch steak. Use tongs to turn and again to lift the finished products onto plates. Plan on making 3 to 5 per person and this recipe will feed 4 people.

Again, let me know how it turns out.

ss

[This message has been edited by Salmonsmoker (edited 07-29-2000).]

[Steve]

That one's got me licking my chops SS.

[nywhitetailhunter]

Here in Upstate NY we have a nice variation on the shish ka bob. We call the speidies and it is one of the best ways to eat the tougher cuts of venison such as the round steaks.

Cube 3-5 pounds of the cut of your choice (I perfer the round)

Marinate it in the sauce of your choice for 24-48 hours in the fridge. (You can use any oil and vinegar combo you want for this. Good Seasons salad dressings work wonderful). Make sure the meat is covered and once and a while shake the containers to mix the seasonings well.

Light a hot fire on the grill.

Using metal or bamboo skewers put 8-12 cubes on the skewer packed nice and tight to each other.

Grill for 8-12 minutes or until the meat is done to your tasting. While on the gril you want to rotate the skewers 1/4 turn every 2-3 minutes to ensure consistency in the grilling

Serve on fresh sliced Italian bread either by themselves or with a little mustard or Worchester sauce.

Enjoy

ps-you can make smaller batches with no problem. However the meat will stay in the fridge in the marinade for 7-10 days. I usually make a big batch and get 2-3 meals out of it.

[Salmonsmoker]

nywhitetailhunter,

One of the problems with a traditional mix of items on one skewers is that items like mushrooms, and peppers cook faster than the meat, onions, and tomatos. We have used a variation of the technique that you describe - putting each item on separate skewers. The items that need to be cooked longer go on first, and can get done before other items are overcooked. They are served by each person taking a skewer of the items that they want and mixing them as they eat.

Thanks for the posting.

[Salmonsmoker]

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