An unexpected rain shower can put a damper on your mood if you are planning to serve up grilled kabobs at your next family gathering or weekend dinner. But if you have a conventional oven, you can still prepare colorful kabobs. Although it takes slightly longer than grilling, roasting your meat and vegetable kabobs in an oven is an effective β and equally as delicious β method for cooking your kabobs.
Soak your wooden kabob skewers in water overnight. This prevents the sticks from drying out and burning in the oven, which can seriously affect the taste of your meat and vegetables.
Chop your desired vegetables into bite-size pieces that can be easily threaded onto a wooden skewer. Choose vegetables based on your personal preferences. Common kabob vegetables include button mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes, squash and zucchini. Small vegetables, such as cherry tomatoes or button mushrooms, can be left whole. Set the vegetables aside for later use.
Cut your desired meat into bite-size cubes. To ensure thorough cooking, the meat cubes should be roughly the same size. Popular meats for kabobs include beef sirloin, boneless chicken, pork tenderloin, lamb and shrimp.
Marinate the meat for at least 30 to 60 minutes before cooking. While some people choose to use a prepackaged marinade, you might also make your own with olive oil, garlic and a variety of herbs and spices. Keep the meat in the refrigerator while it marinates. If desired, add the vegetables to the marinade for a flavor boost.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Thread the marinated meat and vegetables onto your soaked wooden skewers. Feel free to arrange the kabobs as you please; there is no rule or etiquette for assembling kabobs. However, leave at least 1/2 inch between each piece to allow for proper cooking.
Arrange the assembled kabobs onto a baking sheet that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray. Leave at least 1 inch between kabobs on the baking sheet.
Cook the kabobs in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, turning every five to 10 minutes. Brush extra -- fresh -- marinade on the kabobs during the last five minutes of cooking.
warning
Although your vegetables will almost certainly cook thoroughly in the 20- to 30-minute time frame, you'll want to keep a close eye on your meats. If you have a meat thermometer, this will help ensure your meat is cooked to a safe internal temperature. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, steak should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, pork to 160 degrees F, chicken to 165 degrees F and seafood to 145 degrees F.