Skewer

Travel the world's barbecue trail and you’ll find meat on a stick almost everywhere. South Africa's version goes by the Afrikaans name sosatie. Like all good Cape Malay meat dishes, fruit and curry are never far off—the former (usually apricots) interspersed with the meat on the skewers, the latter used to flavor the marinade and sauce. "Cape Malay," by the way, refers to the descendants of Indonesian and Malaysian slaves and indentured servants brought to Cape Town to work in farming. "There is perhaps no other single dish that can be regarded as more genuinely Afrikaans than sosaties," wrote South African poet and food writer C. Louis Leipoldt. Writing in the 1940s, Leipoldt was to Afrikaans food what James Beard was to our own. Like all great food writers, Leipoldt dispensed not only recipes but the wisdom gleaned from considering cooking a manifestation of culture. The following sosaties are based on Leipoldt's.

Musa Dagdeviren is the go-to guy if you want to know about Turkish barbecue. Spend a couple of hours with him in the open kitchen of one of his Çiya restaurants (in Istanbul), and you'll wonder if there's anything he doesn't know about Turkish cuisine, let alone grilling. He'll start with chicken thighs marinated in creamy Turkish yogurt, chile paste, and garlic—to be grilled on skewers over charcoal. Before you know it, he's grilling meatballs, quinces, shallots, even bread dough loaded with ground beef. Here’s one of the "simpler" dishes in Musa's repertoire—if simple means merely marinated, spice-crusted, and grilled—and the combination of creamy yogurt, pungent garlic, and smoky pepper flakes produces the sort of chicken that has made the Turks the Near East's undisputed grill masters for centuries.

Cooking Method: Direct Heat Suggested Supplies: 4 Bamboo Skewers Barbecuing gets a bad rap sometimes as being the domain of fatty meats and high-calorie sauces, but the truth of the matter is that smoking and grilling don't add fat to a dish, only flavor. With the right ingredients the outdoor cooker can be the focus of cooking for a healthy diet. These charcoal-grilled fruit skewers, with their spicy flair, make eating fruit exciting. It's a versatile dessert or side dish recipe that can be made with any number of fruit combinations. Pair it with grilled chicken and enjoy a guilt-free meal.

Use gas or hardwood charcoal when grilling fruits. Fruits absorb too much smoke flavor when grilled over wood or briquets. The trick to grilling fruit is to use fruits that are ripe but not overripe or too soft, then brush them with a glaze to bring out the sweetness. Turbinado is a natural, unrefined sugar; you can find that and cane syrup (a thick, sweet syrup used in Caribbean and Creole cooking; I use Steen's brand) at specialty markets, some grocery stores, or online. When you're grilling fruit and using a sugary glaze, it's most important to start out with a clean, oiled grill grate so the fruit is less likely to stick or taste of previously grilled foods.

The chicken sausages are a terrific time-saving ingredient: They're already cooked and full of flavor.

Purchased tapenade gives rich, briny flavor to the fish and the couscous.

Anticuchos are skewers of meat (traditionally beef hearts) or fish that are marinated in vinegar and a paste of ají panca, a Peruvian chile with a deep, woodsy spice. These savory morsels are easy to eat and easier to love, so it's no surprise that they are a popular street food all over the country. Their bite-size nature also makes them a fine appetizer. Here, flatiron steak takes the place of beef hearts; that more accessible cut has a robust flavor that stands up well to the bold marinade and the heat of the grill.

Rosemary does something splendid for chicken livers, and using sprigs of the herb as skewers perfumes the livers while they cook gently in butter. The unexpected bite of peppery radishes is a stroke of genius—thinly sliced, then tossed quickly in the pan butter and lemon juice, they help offset the richness of the dish.

Tzatziki is a popular Greek sauce made from yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, and dill. Here we've subbed in shallots for garlic and used it to top skewers of shrimp. Serve any leftovers with pita chips, as a substitute for mayo on roast chicken sandwiches, or as a sauce for grilled lamb.

We've added an editor's note about broiling the chicken rather than grilling it. If you use regular skewers without decorations, feel free to skewer the chicken before you place it on the grill.

Fresh leaves give the classic lamb and mint sauce pairing a new twist. Great with jasmine rice and bok choy.

Polynesian-Style Hors d’Oeuvres A blend of crisp, soft, and chewy textures combined with a parade of flavors—sweet, salty, beefy—makes this playful platter an irresistible hit at parties.

This shrimp appetizer almost has the iron of steak but far fewer calories.

Whether used as a marinade or as a sauce, a versatile chimichurri complements most any grilled fish, chicken, or meat.

This dish embodies what's great about grilling: Just a few minutes over the coals transforms a handful of simple ingredients into a tasty dinner that's fuss-free and sure to please everyone.

Okay, so maybe they're more like footballs. You can serve this Mediterranean-influenced dish with a dipping sauce made with Greek yogurt (about a cup), 1 diced cucumber, and a pinch each of parsley, cumin, and salt.

Food editor Melissa Roberts owes the inspiration for this recipe to her brother in Boston, Jeff, whose signature summer dish is grilled sirloin tips marinated in bottled Italian dressing. Melissa marinates the steak in a homemade, full-flavored red-wine vinaigrette before grilling it alongside skewers of juicy tomatoes and okra.

Chicken's dark meat is great for grilling because it stays very moist and really soaks up the flavors of a marinade—in this case, an Asian-inspired blend that balances sweet and savory. The addition of meaty mushrooms and bright green baby bok choy makes this a one-dish dinner you can take straight from grill to picnic table.

Shrimp get a wake-up call from a bold spice paste that really packs a punch. A brief 30-minute swim in the marinade imbues the shrimp with intense flavor—jalapeño, ginger, and garlic lend heat, while garam masala contributes depth. Sparkle comes from a splash of lime juice. Think of the mango chutney as a fresh Indian salsa; it's crunchy, colorful, tart, and very refreshing.

A spin on Nobu's famous miso-glazed black cod, these tuna kebabs are uncommonly satisfying—like umami on a stick. Shiro miso—aided and abetted by mirin and lush mayonnaise—asserts itself beautifully against the meaty tuna. The sugar in the marinade caramelizes over the hot grill, giving the quickly cooked tuna some tantalizingly crisp edges.