Whiskey BBQ Sausage Kabobs Perfect for Summertime Entertaining

I’m not sure how it happened, but somehow last Friday night, I found myself inviting five families over for dinner the next day. When Saturday morning rolled around I wondered what exactly am I going to feed 10 adults, three teenagers and so many kids under 10 years old that I stopped counting?

According to my son, my homemade hamburgers were a must for the kids, but for the adults, I wanted to serve something a little fancier, still easy and cost-effective for the number of people who were coming over.

I thought about all the grill-able meats and debated sausage on a bun for a bit, until I landed on BBQ Whiskey Sausage Kabobs.

Stay with me…

I know they sound fancy, but that’s only because I added a splash of whiskey to store-bought BBQ sauce and while kabobs can sometimes be a pain to prep and assemble, these came together surprisingly easy.

Here’s what you need:

12-15 bamboo skewers
10 Italian sausages (mild or spicy)
Selection of grilling vegetables such as mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, onion, peppers, zucchini
1 cup BBQ sauce
1 oz. Whiskey

Here’s what to do:

Pre-soak your bamboo skewers in cool water (from the tap is fine).
In a small bowl, combine your favourite BBQ sauce with your favourite whiskey. Set aside.
Cut your sausage into bite-sized pieces. I use a combination of spicy and mild Italian sausage and cut them using sharp kitchen scissors which help keep the sausage from falling apart when you cut them.
Chop your chosen veggies into bite sized pieces. I use cherry tomatoes (these can be skewered whole), onion, zucchini colourful peppers and mushrooms. Tip: Button mushrooms tend to fall apart when skewering so use larger mushrooms for your kabobs.
Assemble your kabobs alternating a piece of sausage with a few pieces of vegetables. Personally, I like to have at least four pieces of sausage on each skewer.
Brush each kabob with whiskey BBQ sauce, careful to coat all sides. Discard all remaining sauce.
Grill until sausage is fully cooked (approx. 10-15 minutes on medium heat) turning occasionally.
Serve with extra whiskey BBQ sauce (just repeat step #2) and your favourite BBQ side dishes.
Make ahead and leave covered in the refrigerator overnight.
Grill until sausage is fully cooked (approx. 10-15 minutes on medium heat) turning occasionally.
Serve with your favourite BBQ side dishes.