Schaschlik aka German meat skewers

This has been one of my favorite recipes since I was a child and my family was stationed in Germany. I didn't like the onions or bell peppers, but meat + sauce + BACON is just kind of a winner. It's an interesting take because unlike most skewer recipes, this one is braised rather than grilled. Here's a from-scratch recipe I found that looks pretty good:

http://thehobbycook.blogspot.com/2011/08/german-street-food-greats-schaschlik.html

But I generally go a much, MUCH simpler route. The flavor to me has always been pretty close to barbecue sauce - Kraft Original to be specific. I add a couple other things to it, but it means that prep time is much shorter and I think the taste is very similar to my nearly 40-year-old memories.

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs meat (I use beef, specifically some kind of steak cut like ribeye), cubed into 1" cubes
1-2 large onions, 1" dice
1-2 bell peppers, 1" dice
3 bottles Kraft Original barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried thyme
1 lb of thick-cut bacon, cut into 1" dice****

Directions:
1. Place the meat, onions, and peppers into a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, combine barbecue sauce, paprika, curry powder, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme and mix well. Set aside.
3. Thread meat mixture onto skewers: put on a piece of meat, then a piece of the bacon, then either an onion or pepper (alternating). Repeat until each skewer has 3-5 pieces of meat on it.
4. Working in batches, brown each skewer in a large pan over medium-high heat. Remove skewers from pan and place in a large 15"x10" baking pan or casserole dish.
5. Pour the sauce over the skewers. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 375 for 1 hour.
6. Pull the pan out and remove the aluminum foil. Check to see if the meat is fully cooked and tender. If it is not, put pan back in oven, uncovered, and check after an additional 30 minutes.
7. Remove from pan and serve. I generally serve it off the skewer and with Spaetzel; if you can't find that, rice works, cabbage works, or just eat it out of a bowl as-is!

**** I normally use precooked bacon because I like my bacon much more cooked than this approach generally results in. You could par-cook the bacon as well.

Spiedies

I first had these when I was in the Marines and stationed in Panama. Spiedies are basically meat that's marinated in an Italian dressing of sorts for an extended period (think several days) and then grilled. The dressing basically chemically cooks the meat as it marinates. Our recipe started with a bottle of Everclear; I don't recommend that recipe. If I don't feel like grilling, I cook this as a stir-fry and it works equally well.

Note that this recipe only uses beef or pork; you can do it with chicken as well, but the marinate time should be only a few hours because at about 12 hours it will start to change the texture of the chicken in a not good way.

Ingredients:
5 lbs of beef and/or pork
1 cup onions, sliced into large pieces for skewering
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4 large or 8 small lemons)
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup olive oil
1 tbsp crushed garlic or 3-5 cloves of garlic sliced very thin
1 tbsp fresh oregano, minced (can substitute 1 tsp dried oregano)
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Cut meat into 1" cubes and place in a large bowl with a lid. Add onions.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine thoroughly. Pour over meat.
3. Cover meat with lid and refrigerate for up to 7 days. Every day, pull the bowl out, remove the lid, and stir the meat mixture then replace in refrigerator.
4. When it's time to prepare, remove meat from refrigerator. Thread meat (and onions, if desired) onto skewers and grill over direct heat 7-8 minutes or until desired doneness. Remove from heat and let rest 2-3 minutes.
5. Using a soft bread such as an Italian roll, remove the meat from the skewer and enjoy.