# Kebabs won't stay on their skewers- what am I doing wrong ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 30, 2009, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kebabs-wont-stay-on-their-skewers-what-am-i-doing-wrong/501413 "2009-06-30T00:06:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kebabs-wont-stay-on-their-skewers-what-am-i-doing-wrong/501413/1 "2009-06-30T00:06:53Z")
Made kebabs for the BBQ at the weekend using [this](http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1926,151162-239200,00.html) random receipe I found on Google (despite it not being the most coherent set of instructions I’ve encounters, I like how it says what to do with HALF the bread crumbs, but never says what to do with the rest of them 🙂 ). They tasted fantastic, but their consistency was all wrong. They completely refused to stay on the skewer when turn over, so I ended up with alot of miniature kebab bites, rather than kebabs per se. What am I doing wrong ? Should I be using more/less breadcrumbs ? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kebabs-wont-stay-on-their-skewers-what-am-i-doing-wrong/501413/2 "2009-06-30T00:17:00Z")
Use two skewers. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kebabs-wont-stay-on-their-skewers-what-am-i-doing-wrong/501413/3 "2009-06-30T00:19:39Z")
I make kofta (choose your own spelling :-)) but I don’t use breadcrumbs at all. That recipe also doesn’t tell you what to do with the egg, but you beat it and mix it in, although I don’t use egg either. Do you mean they fell apart? The egg helps things stick together. I also form the meat around the skewer, rather than forming a ball and then trying to slide a skewer into it. Normally with hamburgers you don’t want to pack too tightly but for cooking on a skewer you need a firmer pack. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kebabs-wont-stay-on-their-skewers-what-am-i-doing-wrong/501413/4 "2009-06-30T00:28:25Z")
I never use ground meat on kebabs. Chunks of pork/beef/lamb, big mushrooms, onions, and peppers – it’s foolproof. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kebabs-wont-stay-on-their-skewers-what-am-i-doing-wrong/501413/5 "2009-06-30T00:46:26Z")
they have flat wider skewers for making kebabs out of ground beast, the set i have is just under half an inch wide. I sort of lay out a strip of mixture, lay the skewer on top and sort of form the meat into a rectangle form on the skewer. It doesnt rotissery but you flop it one side to the other ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kebabs-wont-stay-on-their-skewers-what-am-i-doing-wrong/501413/6 "2009-06-30T02:42:06Z")
Another option for this kind of kafta… simply don’t use the skewers. Make the logs/sausages and grill them next to the skewered vegetables ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kebabs-wont-stay-on-their-skewers-what-am-i-doing-wrong/501413/7 "2009-06-30T14:36:38Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > I never use ground meat on kebabs. Chunks of pork/beef/lamb, big mushrooms, onions, and peppers – it’s foolproof. Yeah, ground meat on a stick doesn’t sound like it would go over very well (hee hee). I love marinating squash, onions, large mushrooms and whatever meat in a simple balsamic vinaigrette overnight and skewering those bad boys and grilling them up. So very tasty. ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kebabs-wont-stay-on-their-skewers-what-am-i-doing-wrong/501413/8 "2009-06-30T14:42:19Z")
I agree with **RealityChuck** : use two skewers. Unless I’m doing satay, this is the only way I do grilled on a food any more. Shrimp, mushrooms, scallops; they never spin on the skewer. I’ve done gyro skewers like this, and never had a problem. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kebabs-wont-stay-on-their-skewers-what-am-i-doing-wrong/501413/9 "2009-06-30T14:45:26Z")
You could try refrigerating for a while before grilling. Might help them firm up a little. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kebabs-wont-stay-on-their-skewers-what-am-i-doing-wrong/501413/10 "2009-06-30T15:06:59Z")
Use [square-section skewers](http://fantes.com/images/7172bbq.jpg) (I’ve seen them in both metal and wood) or as mentioned, [flat ones](http://www.fantes.com/images/5710barbecue.jpg). Or more glue. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kebabs-wont-stay-on-their-skewers-what-am-i-doing-wrong/501413/11 "2009-06-30T16:26:01Z")
Yeah, in middle eastern restaurants I see them grilling the kufte on flat, sword-like skewers. A market near me sells a fabulous raw kufte mixture, but in order to grill it at home, I’d need the specialized skewers. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kebabs-wont-stay-on-their-skewers-what-am-i-doing-wrong/501413/12 "2009-06-30T22:45:49Z")
See if you can find the Good Eats episode on kebabs. There’s a lot there on how to choose skewers and choose/prep foods that’ll stay on and stay stable. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kebabs-wont-stay-on-their-skewers-what-am-i-doing-wrong/501413/13 "2009-06-30T23:33:41Z")
Here’s a nice set of [skewers](http://store.grilling4all.com/sm8026.html) like we’ve been talking about. Now I want some kufte kebab. It’s one of my favorite dishes, and I know a nice middle-eastern place that does them just right.