How to safely grill meat/fruit/veggie skewers
This weekend we grilled kebabs with steak, onions, peppers, and big pineapple spears. No ill effects, but I noticed that the pineapple was still cool where it was touching the meat, and the meat still reddish where touching the pineapple. This made me wonder whether having the chunks all snugged up against each other is truly safe or not, it seems like any bacteria on either piece would still be safely alive and dangerous where they were touching. Any good knowledge on this, or recommended practices for grilling safely?
Best Answer
Honestly, while your typical "combination" skewer looks more impressive, I find it's much better to grill them in separate skewers. One for beef, one for chicken, one for peppers, one for onions, etc. That way, you can cook each to their preferred temperature and not have to worry about the exact problem you're running into.
As far as cross contamination, you'll definitely minimize any risk grilling them as separate skewers, but since you didn't have chicken in the mix you should be relatively safe anyway. Once you sear the outside of the beef, you should be safe.
I picked this method up from an Alton Brown recommendation on a Good Eats episode (Scene 10), and found that I get considerably better results when I do it this way.
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Quick Answer about "How to safely grill meat/fruit/veggie skewers"
Thread fruit and vegetable pieces on to the skewers, beginning and ending with a piece of zucchini. Spray (carefully) grill plates with nonstick spray specific for grilling. Lay kabobs on grill and cook for 2 minutes. Using tongs, carefully flip kabobs to the other side and cook for 2 more minutes.How do you grill kabobs without burning vegetables?
To prevent meat and veggies from falling off the skewers while cooking, cut them slightly larger than the spaces between the grill grates, about \xbd to 1-inch thick. Make sure to thread each piece right through the center. To avoid the tragedy of an entire kabob falling into the coals, place it across the grill grates.How do you grill vegetables and meat together?
Heat and grill time for veggie kabobsHow long should you grill vegetable kabobs?
Just about any fruits can go on the grill as long as they are fairly firm and not overripe. Peaches, melons, pineapple, pears, avocado, tomatoes, bananas, and figs are just some of the fresh fruits that will hold their shape over the coals. Cut peaches in half and grill each side for a soft and sweet treat!Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Pixabay, samer daboul, Francesco Paggiaro, RODNAE Productions