Barbecued Venison Kabobs

When deer season meets grilling season, these kabobs are what happens.

Cubed venison steaks and fresh mushroom caps soak together in dry red wine for a couple hours. The wine tenderizes the lean game meat while the mushrooms drink up all that boozy, savory flavor.

Then everything gets threaded onto skewers with par-boiled potatoes, green pepper chunks, and cherry tomatoes for a colorful, loaded kebab that cooks in about 15 minutes on the grill.

Ten generous skewers means this is the kind of recipe you make when the hunting buddies come over, or when you need to feed a big table and want to show off what you brought home.

Kitchen Tips

• Par-boil the potatoes and green peppers before threading. Raw potatoes won’t cook through in 15 minutes on the grill, and raw peppers will still be crunchy.
• Don’t overcook the venison. It’s extremely lean, so medium-rare to medium is the sweet spot. Anything past that turns tough and dry.
• Use a bold, dry red wine for the marinade. Cabernet or Merlot work well. Save the drinking wine for the table.
• If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes first so they don’t catch fire on the grill.