For Bon Appetit, by Nikita Richardson.
The magic of skewering and grilling your food is how ridiculously easy it is. You just poke a stick through it, add a marinade or some seasoning, and then get to grilling. We love doing this with sausages or chicken thighs or bacon. But things get a little trickier with shrimp skewers, which, unlike vegetables and most meats, tend to engage in a fair bit of inconvenient spinning. Their natural slipperiness also doesn’t help.
There is a solution, though! It involves sticking two skewers through your shrimp, which prevents them from twisting and turning when you rotate them on the grill, and ensures even cooking. We consulted assistant food editor Amelia Rampe for the proper technique:
1. Thread one 8”-inch skewer through the thickest part of five or six large shrimp, making sure that you don’t place it too close to the end. If using bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them in water for 20 minute before threading so they don’t burn on the grill.
2. Take a second skewer and thread it near the tail end of the already skewered shrimp, working your way up. Give them a trial turn to make sure none of the shrimp spin.
3. Adjust the shrimp so that there is a bit of space in between each one. This allows heat to circulate properly and therefore cook evenly. Pro tip: If you want juicier shrimp, place the shrimp close together, while those who prefer crispy, charred shrimp will want to place the shrimp slightly apart. Now get that grill fired up. There's no time to waste.
Get the recipe: Grilled Garlic-and-Black-Pepper Shrimp
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