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Ally Phillips Aussie grassfed beef harissa meatball fruit kabobs

  • Prep 20Min
  • Cook 20Min
  • Style
  • Meat
  • Cut
  • Serves 12

The Aussie grassfed meatballs are one of Ally's favorite dishes to prepare for parties! During the holidays, this is a go-to!

Ingredients

16, 10" or 4-6" sizes Water soaked Wooden skewers
2 cans divided Dole Sunshine Tropical Fruit, liquid set aside for use
1 ½ lbs. grassfed ground beef
3 teaspoons dry Harissa seasoning
1 cup divided Plain greek yogurt
½ cup Italian herb breadcrumbs
¼ cup finely chopped fresh herb mixture (Basil, chervil, terragon)
1 ¼ teaspoons divided salt
2 teaspoons divided, coarse ground black pepper
½ cup orange marmalade
4 tablespoons + more for garnish fresh mint, leaves and stems
8 ounces crumbled, divided goat cheese
As needed cooking spray
As needed olive oil
As needed finishing salt

Preparation

To prep: Coat grill with cooking spray. Turn on and heat to 500-600 degrees. You will need 5 (10") wooden skewers previously soaked in water. Drain the tropical fruit liquid. Put liquid in a saucepan. Put 25 pieces of well-shaped fruit on a plate to use for the skewers. Finely crush & chop the remaining fruit that will be used in the sauce.

To prep the sauce: Put the saucepan with the liquid over a medium high blaze. Add the marmalade, one teaspoon of pepper, one-fourth teaspoon of salt, and crushed/chopped fruit. Bring to simmering boil and let thicken about 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool somewhat. Add one-third cup of yogurt, one-fourth cup of crumbled goat cheese and two tablespoons of chopped mint. Blend. Remove from blaze. Set aside.

For the meatballs: In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, harissa, one teaspoon of salt, one teaspoon of pepper, one half cup of yogurt, breadcrumbs, and fresh minced herbs and blend. Roll into 16-20 same size meatballs (about 2 to 2 ½ tablespoons per meatball—you can use a spring release scoop to get the approximate amount). Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

For the kabobs: Skewer one piece of fruit about 2" from the base of the stick. Add a meatball. Add two pieces of fruit. Add a meatball. Add two pieces of fruit. Add a meatball. Repeat this process with the remaining skewers (3 meatballs & 5 pieces of fruit/per kabob). Put kabobs on the cookie sheet. Coat well with cooking spray.

To cook: Place kabobs on hot (500-600 degrees) grill. You will cook about 12-15 minutes rotating the kabobs about every 3 minutes to achieve grilling on all sides of the meatballs. Close the lid between rotations. When done, remove skewers to a cookie sheet with clean parchment paper, cover with foil & let rest 5 minutes.

To serve: Serve with a drizzle of sauce on the kabob and equal amounts of crumbled goat cheese and chopped mint garnish. Put remaining sauce in bowl for serving.

:
  • If you don't want to use pork, then add more grassfed beef, preferably 85/15 or 80/20.
  • If using this recipe for appetizer size skewers, adjust cooking time.
  • These skewers can be grilled on a stovetop grill, but the outdoor grill flavoring adds more flavor! 
  • This meatball recipe can be used with a simple pasta sauce. Pan sear the meatballs in a hot skillet then add a large jar of marinara sauce. Reduce heat and just simmer to cook.
  • Have a long pair of tongs for carefully turning skewers on the grill when cooking.
  • You can substitute just pineapple chunks on the skewers if you prefer! They grill very well, holding their shape and not falling off.