Warm Weather Parties Made Easy with Lamb Bulgogi Kebabs
[Jump right to the Recipe: Lamb Bulgogi Kebabs]
It’s Spring which means it’s lamb season here on the blog. Okay, I suppose if I’m being honest any season is lamb season here at Fete & Feast, but somehow Spring just feel more lamby. (Is lamby a word? My spell check doesn’t think so but I’m going to throw caution to the wind and use it anyway.)
But I digress.
As much as I love roasting lamb during the winter, I enjoy grilling it quickly in summer because it’s just a bit unexpected. Sure, we all love a cow or pig on the grill, but not everyone thinks of lamb for a fire-roasted dinner which is a shame really. Lamb takes on bold flavors just beautifully and goes with light-bodied wines like Pinot Noir, making it just right for a warm weather dinner party.
And just as I think lamb is sometime overlooked during the warmer seasons, I think skewers are greatly under appreciated as a great way to cook and serve food. I mean who doesn’t love food on a stick? And even thought it may make you think of a state fair or even mysterious desert riders in far away lands, it’s also a fun way to surprise your guests with a presentation that screams casual. Skewers are a breeze to prepare ahead of time and they cook quickly, so you don’t have to fuss much with them after your guests arrive. Just toss them on the grill, pour a glass of your favorite beverage, turn the skewers, take a drink or two, move the skewers to a serving plate, take another drink, and you’re ready for dinner.
Seriously – try skewers at your next party and you’ll be a believer.
This recipe for lamb kebabs is an adaptation of a recipe I came across in Bon Appetit last summer that I’d really wanted to try but was just a little bit more involved than I had time for. I loved the flavor combination and the idea of serving the lamb in lettuce wraps with vegetables, so I simplified the approach to skewer the meat and veggies for quick cooking. It’s just right for easy entertaining.
Recipe: Lamb Bulgogi Kebabs
Take to the grill this spring with easy kebabs that are perfect for entertaining. Adapted from Lamb Bulgogi with Asian Pear Dipping Sauce from the July, 2010 Bon Appetit.
Details
- Difficulty: Easy
- Number of servings: 6
- Active time: 40 minutes
- Total time: 4 hours, 4 minutes
- Meal type: Entree
Ingredients
- 2 lb lamb London broil cut into 1 inch cubes2 green onions, chopped
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1 in. piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin rounds
- 1/3 c. soy sauce
- 1/2 c. mirin
- 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, lightly toasted
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 medium red onion cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 red or yellow bell peppers cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- Cooking spray
Special Equipment
- 6 18 in. long metal skewers
Instructions
Marinade the Lamb
- Drpo the lamb cubes in a gallon freezer ziptop bag. Place green onions, sugar, shallot, and sliced ginger in a chopper or food processor and blend until finely minced.
- Whisk the soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes together in a small bowl.
- Add the onion mixture to the liquid and whisk a bit more to combine.
- Pour the marinade over the lamb cubes and seal the bag (well because you’ll be shaking it and you don’t want marinade all over you and the kitchen).
- Toss the bag around a few times until the cubes in the marinade are well coated.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
Assemble the Kebabs
- Thread a bell pepper piece onto a 18 inch metal skewer then thread on 2 lamb cubes. Add a piece of red onion and two more lamb cubes. Repeat the pepper-lamb-onion combo 3 more times or until you fill the skewer.
- Continue threading vegetables and meat onto the skewers until you have used all of the meat.
- Create additional veggie only skewers with any leftover vegetables.
Grill the Kebabs
- Preheat a grill to medium high for direct cooking.
- Spray the kebabs on all sides with the cooking spray.
- Lay the kebabs on the grill perpendicular to the cooking grates and let cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Flip the kebabs to the other side and grill for another 3-4 minutes.
- The kebabs are done with the internal temperature is 140 degrees. The veggies should be charred and tender but not mushy.
- Let the kebabs rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve over rice, with lettuce for wraps, or with grilled naan.
Recipe for Success
- This recipe doubles or triples easily. The more lamb the merrier.
- While you can marinade the lamb up to 24 hours in advance, I wouldn’t cut the vegetables up more than 4-5 hours in advance or they may start to dry out.
- You can assemble the kebabs a couple of hours ahead and store them on a sheet pan until you’re ready to grill them.
- If you don’t have metal skewers you can use wooden skewers. You mostly likely need 8-12 because they tend to be shorter than metal skewers. Also, be sure to soak the wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes before threading the goodies on so the ends of the skewers don’t burn on the grill.
Variations
- You can use all number of other sturdy vegetables in this recipe, including mushrooms, summer squash, and even pieces of green onion. Pineapple would also add a nice sweet bite to the kebabs if you were so inclined.
- This marinade would taste great with chicken, pork, or beef so select the protein that sounds best or even mix your meats for some variety.
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