Easy Grilling: Do-It-Yourself Kebab Party

F&W’s Tina Ujlaki has a sneaky party strategy: She sets out chunks of meat, poultry, fish and vegetables, then lets guests make and grill their own kebabs.

By Tina Ujlaki

When I want to entertain outdoors in the summer but don’t feel like standing over a hot grill, I throw a kebab party. I start with quick-cooking cuts of meat, poultry and fish (beef and pork tenderloin, chicken breasts, salmon fillet), plus grill-friendly vegetables, then slice them into pieces of equal thickness. I mix up a few flavorful oils to brush on the kebabs before grilling and sauces to serve with them afterward. Then I let my guests do the rest of the work, assembling their own kebabs, double-skewering ingredients (so they lie flat without spinning) and grilling them. Best of all, to my friends it’s not work—it’s pure pleasure.