If you're from Guam, like me, you'll know that there is always one thing that every fiesta or celebration is never without - a good barbecue. These vegan barbecue skewers bring out the experience that I've been missing for years. It's just absolutely delicious! Full of flavors such as acidity from the pineapple juice, sweetness from the brown sugar, and smokiness from the grill. The smell from the grill brought back so many memories! If you're away from Guam like I am, eating these will bring you back home.
My favorite memories growing up were going to Ypao (ee-pow) beach for any kind of gathering, whether it would be a family member's birthday or even for a huge fiesta. I haven't gone to the beach in quite some time, but back then, I would always be swimming with my cousins, while the parents chatted and cooked the food. I remember smelling the aroma of the barbecue always made me hungry. Especially after a good swim, you'll build up quite an appetite! While barbecuing isn't only for a beach affair, most folks on Guam have a grill in their homes. You can smell the barbecue on your street and you'll know someone is hosting a party.
Where did I get inspiration for these vegan barbecue skewers?
I know what you're thinking, "these vegan barbecue skewers look like kebabs!". And you're right, they look like kebabs. In Middle Eastern Cuisine, kebabs consist of flavorful ground meat, sometimes with vegetables, cooked on a skewer over a flame grill. There are variations of this kebab, such as satay in Southeast Asia or shish kebabs in North America. So, I took this as inspiration for this recipe. I used ground meat, in this case, Impossible Meat, to wrap around the skewers and cook them over a flame grill.
Normally, this kind of recipe uses small meat chunks, like shish kebabs. However, as much as I would like to use mock meat chunks, I just find that they have their distinct flavors. From personal experience, I find that it doesn't matter how long you marinate them, that "artificial" mock meat taste always comes through. So yes, to reiterate, these are inspired by the Middle-Eastern kebabs but using island-style flavors.
Top tips for cooking Guam style vegan barbecue skewers:
- Soak your wooden skewers. Wooden skewers can catch on fire if you don't soak them. Before you start, soak your skewers for 30 minutes in a large baking pan filled with water.
- Freezing the skewers. Freezing the "meat" after you've wrapped them around the skewers will ensure that it stays solid as you cook them. Making them stick onto the skewers better.
- Basting. Since we are not marinating the meat, to get that flavor on the "meat" we will have to baste them with sauce. At every turn make sure to generously baste the sauce over the "meat".
- Keep the lid closed. After basting the "meat" make sure to keep the lid of the grill closed. This will help add the smokey flavor.
If you tried this recipe, let me know what you think in the comments below. You can also share it with me on Instagram, just tag @flouredframe. I would love to see your recreations! Happy cooking!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Barbecue Skewers (Guam Style)
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Metal or wooden skewers
- Parchment Paper
- Small rimmed baking sheet or large plate
- Basting brush
- Outdoor grill or grill pan
Ingredients
- 2 packs - Impossible Meat (defrosted see notes)
- ½ cup - soy sauce (sub for low-sodium soy sauce or tamari)
- ½ cup - pineapple juice
- ½ cup - brown sugar
- 6 garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
- 1 small onion (roughly chopped)
Instructions
- Before starting, if you are using wooden skewers and a flame grill, soak your skewers in water. Fill a large baking pan with water and fully submerge the skewers for 30 minutes. see notes
- Line a small baking pan or plate with a piece of parchment paper, and make room in the freezer to fit them in.
- Next, take your defrosted Impossible Meat and measure out 16 equal-sized balls. They should be bigger than a golf ball. Use a food scale for more accuracy.
- When the skewers are ready, remove them from the water and pat them down with a kitchen towel to dry any excess moisture. Working with one skewer at a time, wrap one Impossible Meat ball onto the skewer. Firmly squeeze it onto the skewer until it’s wrapped tightly all around. Repeat for the rest.
- Place your finished skewers in the freezer to harden for 30 minutes. see notes
- Meanwhile, in a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the soy sauce, pineapple juice, brown sugar, garlic cloves, and small onions. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
- This is the time to start preheating the flame grill it to medium heat.
- Before you start to cook, make sure you have your sauce and basting brush on the side of the grill. Remove the skewers from the freezer and place them directly over the flame, carefully baste the top side generously with sauce, and close the lid. Cook for about 3-4 minutes on one side. Continue to do this while making sure to baste them at every turn. The “meat” will be done cooking once they have nice grill marks on both sides. see notes
- Next, remove the Kabobs from the grill and allow them to rest. Serve with some red rice, finadenne, and enjoy!
Notes
- You can use any other vegan meat that is similar in texture to Impossible meat. If you want, you can also use vegan mock meat chunks, but keep in mind that the flavors might be different.
- If you use a grill pan, the flavors will be different. Because you are not grilling over an open flame, you won't get that same "smokey" flavor.
- Soak your wooden skewers. Wooden skewers can catch on fire if you don't soak them. Before you start, soak your skewers for 30 minutes in a large baking pan filled with water.
- Freezing the skewers. Freezing the "meat" after you've wrapped them around the skewers will ensure that it stays solid as you cook them. Making them stick onto the skewers better.
- Basting. Since we are not marinating the meat, to get that flavor on the "meat" we will have to baste them with sauce. At every turn make sure to generously baste the sauce over the "meat".
- Keep the lid closed. After basting the "meat" make sure to keep the lid of the grill closed. This will help add the smokey flavor.
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