Is There a Right Order for Assembling Kebabs? Here’s What Chefs Say

A summer grilling staple, kebabs can hold a whole meal on a single skewer, and are ideal for feeding a crowd. “If I’ve got a big group of friends coming over for a barbecue, I’m definitely doing kebabs,” says Zach Engel, executive chef of Chicago’s Galit and Cafe Yaya.

There are certain time-honored practices for making kebabs, such as soaking wooden skewers ahead of time so that they don’t catch fire and cutting your pieces of veggies and meat to a uniform size.

“Consistency in thickness is the real kebab recipe,” says Lambert Givens, executive chef at Hunter’s Kitchen & Bar in Boston. “If your pieces aren’t the same thickness, they won’t cook evenly.” If something requires a significantly longer cooking process, however, “resize it to ensure it finishes with the rest,” he says. “Don’t try to outsmart science with excitement.”

But when it’s time to assemble perfect kebabs, is there actually a correct order to the ingredients, or is it all a matter of aesthetics? Chefs share their secrets on the best way to order kebabs, plus other tips and techniques for executing restaurant-level skewers in your own backyard.

Work from the center outward

You might think to layer veggies and meat in alternating order (think: steak-onion-steak-onion), but chefs say there’s a better way based on the heat zones of your grill. 

Gas grills tend to be hottest right on top of the burners, or toward the back, whereas charcoal grills tend to have their hottest zone dead center. When you’re assembling skewers to lay horizontally across the gas burners, or for a charcoal grill, “put slower-cooking items like meat and poultry in the center, and faster vegetables or seafood at the ends,” says Givens. Or, arrange accordingly to allow your slowest-cooking items the best access to the highest heat. 

There’s nothing stopping you from putting meat and seafood together on the same skewer, just make sure that your two-minute shrimp isn’t side by side with your 12-minute cubes of steak. For Givens, “skewer order is cook-time order.” Use the center of the skewer for items that require more time, or place your skewers on the grill in such a way to allow the most intense heat where it’s most needed. 

Leave space between ingredients

When assembling kebabs, it’s also important to leave room in between certain items on each skewer. “Crowding the skewer turns a barbecue into a steam room,” says Givens.

“A little space helps the heat circulate and gives you better browning and even cooking inside the meat,” says Jordan Carfagno, executive chef at McCormick. You don’t need much — just enough space to actually see the skewer between the pieces. 

This is especially important if you’re using metal skewers. “The metal itself conducts heat and radiates to the inner part of the meat,” says Engel, “so your proteins are basically being cooked on the outside with the charcoal or primary heat source and inside via the skewer,” he says. “Giving that small space between the pieces of meat allows for higher conduction of heat via the direct exposure of the skewer itself.”

Leaving space is more important for meat than for vegetables, though, so factor that into your overall kebab design. “For veggies I don’t really space the items as much,” says Engel. “You can still eat a vegetable that still has a little crunch, and they’re going to cook quicker than meat,” he explains. Placing them closer together toward the ends of the skewer can actually prevent them from blistering too quickly, or losing their form during the grilling process.

Avoid overcrowding

Don’t compromise the efficiency of your grill by packing it with skewers all at once, but have a strategy for spacing and spreading out that takes into account your grill’s varying heat zones. 

“Leave about 1/2 to 1 inch of space between kebabs so heat can circulate between them,” says Carfagno, “and cook in batches or use indirect heat zones to avoid overcrowding.” This includes rotating skewers from the hottest zones to warming zones once they’re mostly cooked. “If needed, plan your menu or use a larger grill to keep things spaced out,” he adds.

How much to flip? It depends

If you’re looking for a hard sear or a bit of char on your kebab’s proteins, Givens advises flipping only once, as you would for a steak or chop. “Give the proteins time to brown properly rather than moving the skewers constantly.”

For a more even cook, though, “I do like to rotate kebabs constantly, almost like a mini rotisserie,” says Carfagno, “so they brown evenly on the outside while cooking through properly on the inside.”

Consider mono-skewers instead 

A real pro-level tip is to skip kebab design altogether, and instead opt for skewers with just one  ingredient, allowing your guests to mix and match the pieces once they’re off the grill. “Putting every component on its own skewer and cooking them separately ensures that everything will be cooked well according to its individual needs,” says Engel.

This approach can help with both time and space management. “You can also cook things like peppers, onions, and mushrooms early on, remove them from the heat, and flash them to get them hot again,” he says, leaving the prime cooking time to the lengthier cooking proteins. 

Layer flavor in stages

Just as there is a recommended order for assembling kebabs, there are also best practices when it comes to seasoning or flavoring them during the entire process.

“Marinate or season the meat and vegetables before skewering so every piece is seasoned and flavorful, then assemble the kebabs and brush them lightly with a neutral oil before grilling to help prevent burning,” says Carfagno. “Save sugar-heavy marinades and sauces for the finishing stage,” he says, “as flavoring for kebabs should happen in three stages: prep, cooking, and finishing.”