Good morning. July 4th has come and gone.If you’re looking to keep using the grill or host another backyard BBQ,give kebabs a try.

• Today’s edition highlights a few ways to make them, with or without an outdoor cooking setup.

RECIPE BREAKDOWN🤯

The Kebab blueprint

In general, kebabs deliver a ton of flavor for very little effort. If you want to impress, they are great for prepping in large batches ahead of time and cooking up for a crowd (or just meal prepping for yourself.)

• Even if you don’t have a grill, these can still be made indoors.

A cultural note on kebabs

Kebabs have origins in over 22 countries in the Middle Eastern world, and you’ll find endless variations across different borders.

The essence of a kebab is grilled seasoned meat on a stick. Famous examples include the:

1. Adana kebab from Turkey

2. Seekh kebab from India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan

3. Yakitori from Japan

We could do a deep dive into all of these and more, but kebabs across cuisines share base characteristics that will help you understand them and start trying various versions for yourself:

The kebab blueprint

The 5 components of a kebab are:

1. Meat

2. Salt (usually ~1.5% by weight of the meat)

3. Minced aromatics (herbs or vegetables)

4. Dry spices

5. Sauces or glazes

Ground meat example

Ground meat method

Mix the meat with the salt, spices, and aromatics, shape it onto skewers, grill, and serve with sauces.

Pro-tip: you’ll need a fatty blend, at least 15-20% fat or higher (ideally), and mix the seasonings into the meat until it is tacky, which will hold its shape on the skewer and result in a slightly bouncy, satisfying texture (instead of a loose burger texture).

Whole meat example

Whole meat method

Make a glaze with the spices & aromatics, and sauces. Salt the meat, cut into pieces, add it to skewers, grill, glaze, and serve.

Pro-tip: use fattier cuts like chicken thighs instead of breasts that will avoid drying out on the grill.

RECIPE RECCOMENDATIONS🥡

Cook Well kebabs

While we want you to use the kebab blueprint to grill up different meats and skewers for yourself, we’ve put together a collection of a few example recipes, which includes:

• Harissa spiced lamb kebabs (a great ground meat example)

• Honey chipotle glazed chicken kebabs (a whole meat, yakitori style example)

FOOD TRENDS 🚀

Stocking up at the restaurant supply store

Two editions ago we floated the idea of buying restaurant-style hotel pans for the home kitchen, which was met with mixed opinions.

But what about other restaurant-grade items? Is seeking out a restaurant supply store worth it as a home cook?

• Absolutely. If you haven’t been inside one, they are like the Container Store, Williams Sonoma, International Grocery Store, and Home Depot all in one place.

For the average home cook, these restaurant depots are most useful for buying small items, instead of ordering online: A spatula, a squirt bottle, or a ladle, or a set of food storage containers.

• It’s great for niche items too: they’ll have cake molds, any size mortar & pestle, and tortilla warmers, just to name a few.

Often their prices are even cheaper than what you can find online. How is this possible?

1) Economy of scale

• Because restaurants buy all of these items in bulk, they’re offered at a lower rate, unlike online consumer direct shopping.

2) Limited branding

• Because everything is mostly unbranded, you get a lower price. When you buy a name-brand product, the marketing that comes with that company is baked into the price. Someone has to pay for it (you do).

We’ll admit, it’s quite the experience to walk through one of these: it’s overwhelming, and inspiring all at the same time. So whether you go simply for entertainment or to just buy a few small items, definitely go check out a restaurant supply store if you have one nearby.

• If you don’t live in a major city with one of these nearby, no worries. Check out our shop with all of our recommended gear in one place:

READER Q&A 🧠

Learning to cook w/ spices

Answer: First focus on mastering how to use salt. All beginner home cooks should learn that proper seasoning means using enough salt, while all other spices are just flavorings. But you’d be shocked at how flavorful even basic vegetables or proteins are once properly seasoned — without any added spices.

Go try this with some roasted potatoes and chicken breasts, and experiment with just using salt. Once you’ve got that down, start using freshly ground black pepper, and then check out:

• Beginners guide to assembling a spice rack

• Cooking with spices 101, with testing

Have a culinary question? Reply to send it in for a chance to be featured and get your question answered.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Top tier tepache

This week’s dinner winner is Alejandra M, who submitted homemade tepache in response to the trend covered in a previous summer edition.

Alejandra shared: “We’ve been experimenting with tepache for a few months now. My husband, Mike, has been adding different ingredients to our base recipe such as raisins, chile seco, and even tea bags.”

Sounds incredible.

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: Wait, nuts go bad?

In a minute or less: Cast iron tips

What we’re watching: The World of Japanese Cocktails

Food science: Why Cooking Chicken Breast Is So Difficult

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