If you’re using bamboo skewers, rather than metal, an hour before grilling, soak them in water to prevent them from catching fire on the grill.

Cut your beef or chicken into cubes or chunks 1 to 1 ½” squared. Just make sure you don’t cut your meat chunks too small, as they can overcook.

Cut your veggies into the same size chunks as the beef or chicken — 1 to 1 ½” square pieces.

If you choose to marinate, place your beef, chicken, shrimp or veggies into separate containers.

Marinate for at least 1 hour, or even overnight.

Once everything has marinated, it’s time to thread the kabobs.

If you choose not to marinate, season the meat, shrimp or veggies with salt and pepper, and brush them with olive oil.

If you’re making shrimp kabobs, it’s recommended to use 2 skewers side by side, per kabob, to prevent the shrimp from spinning.

Place your kabobs directly over the coals on the hot side of the two-zone fire, perpendicular to the grates. Rotate your skewers to grill all sides.

Flare-ups will happen. Don’t worry!

Once the beef is browned, move your skewers to the cooler side of the grate to finish cooking. Beef is safely cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 145°F on a digital meat thermometer. Beef kabobs typically take about 7–8 minutes total cooking time, depending on the size of your beef chunks.

Your chicken kabobs should be rotated to brown on all sides, then moved to the cooler side of the grill to finish cooking through. Chicken is safely cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F on a digital meat thermometer. Chicken kabobs typically take about 8 minutes to grill for white meat and 9 minutes for dark meat.

These will cook quickly. Grill the shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until they're slightly pink with opaque flesh. When the shrimp reach an internal temperature of 145°F on a digital meat thermometer, they’re done. When checking the internal temperature, be sure to stick the tip of the thermometer into the thickest part of the shrimp.

Vegetable kabobs should be rotated every few minutes to grill all sides. Grill them until they are charred and tender, which takes about 10–12 minutes, depending on your vegetables.