Spiedies: The Best 4th of July Barbeque Recipe

First off, if you aren't from upstate NY you are probably asking yourself, "what in God's name is a spiedie?" Basically, a spiedie is cubed meat that is marinated and skewered then put on a grill. After the meat is cooked to your liking you just slap it on a piece of fresh Italian bread and eat! You can use any meat though originally lamb was the choice meat to use. However, with the price of lamb up except when it's in season I find that beef absorbs the most flavor. Pork and chicken are other great alternatives as well.

Ingredients for Marinade:

Red wine vinegar (Italian dressing can be substituted) - 2 cups
Red - 1/2 cup
Olive oil - about 1/2 a cup
Worcestershire Sauce - 1/2 cup
Couple cloves of garlic minced (more to taste)
Onion Powder - to taste

This is the base of your marinade. The following are the spices you add and all are pretty much to taste. This is where you can get creative and omit or add any that you want. I don't however, suggest removing the fresh mint as it is almost necessary in my book.

Fresh mint
Parsley
Oregano
Salt
Pepper
Basil

If at all possible use fresh herbs. If they aren't available though, dried ones work well also. Once you mix all the ingredients together throw your meat into the mix to marinate. You should marinate the meats from 1-3 days. Don't worry the meat won't go bad as the vinegar literally "cooks" the meat and kills any bacteria. You don't have to worry about cuts of meat either. You can use the cheapest cut out there and still get a great spiedie. Honestly, the more fat/marbling the better as it adds flavor and extra tenderness. Just do me a favor and don't put them on hot dog rolls... that's just blasphemy!