Colourful and juicy, these Beef Kabobs are made using marinated steak pieces to infuse with extra flavour and tenderise. I’ve used capsicum/peppers, red onion and mushroom here, but there’s a plethora of other vegetables that could be used!
I don’t know if it’s “normal” to marinate beef for kebabs, but the reason why I do it is because I reserve premium beef cuts for cooking as steaks or roasting to medium rare for special occasions. So I use better value beef cuts for kebabs and as a consequence, I’ve always marinated them to tenderise, add juiciness and a hint of flavour.
I don’t mean to talk down Beef Kabobs, because they are fabulously moorish, and if your budget stretches to using $50/kg beef fillet to make kebabs for a backyard barbie, I want your life!😂
THE BEEF KABOB MARINADE
The marinade I use for these Beef Kabobs is my everyday Steak Marinade. It’s savoury with a hint of sweet, and made with pantry essentials – soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, pepper and oil.
And yes, you read that right – soy sauce is in the marinade. No, it doesn’t make it taste Asian-y in the slightest! It’s basically the brine for the marinade, making it ultra juicy.
THE ART OF KABOB THREADING
Just kidding – it’s not an art at all!
There’s no science behind the order in which I thread the beef and vegetables onto the skewers. I always start it with every intention of making them look the same, but I lose focus very quickly. So as you can see below, my skewers are a hodgepodge of random order.
Having said that though, I do follow these Kabob-Threading-Rules:
1. Don’t smush everything together tightly. Thread pretty loosely so some heat can get in between – this helps cook the vegetables more evenly (rather than charred edges and crunchy raw in the middle);
2. Cut your veggies so they are the same size as the meat to encourage even cooking (sometimes I even trim the veggies after threading); and
3. Two pieces of veggies between each piece of beef – it just makes the beef go further so you get 8 big kabobs from 750g/1.5lb of beef, and a nice hit of veggies per serving.
Just to be clear, I totally made these rules up myself. In case it wasn’t obvious…😂
Hands down, the best way to cook Beef Kabobs is on the barbie. But of course, when I went to do just that for the video, I found that I was out of gas. So I had to try to cook them on the stove – but the skewers are too long for my skillets so I could only fit in 2 at a time on the diagonal.
They looked ridiculous.🙄
But they were still just as tasty!! – Nagi x
PS I don’t know for certain if it’s kabobs or kebabs. I’ve seen skewered meats onTurkish/Lebanese restaurants as kebobs and when I think of kebabs, I think of Doner Kebabs. So I’ve gone with Kabob!
Try these on the side for a summer grill out
- Avocado Corn Salad
- Pasta Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes
- Israeli Couscous Salad
- Easy Soft Flatbread
- Juicy Greek Salad
- Macaroni Salad
And for something different, try a starter of Gozleme Turkish Stuffed Flatbreads – brilliant on the BBQ!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
As noted above, I had to cook these in a skillet because I ran out of BBQ gas. Because the skewers are so long, I could only fit 2 in at a time – they look ridiculous!!
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Marinated Beef Kabobs
Ingredients
- 750g / 1.5 lb beef tri tips , sirloin steak tips or other steak cut, (Note 1)
- 3 capsicum / bell peppers (red, yellow green)
- 1 large red onion
- 16 small mushrooms , 3.25cm / 1.3" wide
Marinade:
- 1 tsp minced garlic (2 large garlic clove)
- 1 tsp onion powder (or sub with garlic powder)
- 2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil (or other neutral flavoured oil)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Cooking:
- 16 flat metal skewers , 25 - 30cm / 10 - 12" (Note 3)
- Olive oil , for drizzling and cooking
- Finely chopped parsley , garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the beef into 3.25cm / 1.3" wide cubes.
- Mix Marinade in a bowl. Add beef. Marinate for 1 - 24 hours, minimum 20 minutes.
- Cut capsicum and onion into 3.25cm / 1.3" wide squares.
- Thread beef (reserve Marinade), vegetables and mushrooms on each skewer. I use 2 pieces of vegetables between each piece of beef. Thread loosely - don't smush together tightly (helps even cooking).
- Brush kebabs lightly with Reserved Marinade (including vegetables), then drizzle with olive oil.
- Heat BBQ or large skillet over high heat. Add 1 tbsp oil, then when smoking, cook kebabs in batches for 2 minutes on each side until slightly charred (4 sides = 8 minutes in total), basting with Reserved Marinade as you go.
- Transfer to plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 3 minutes before serving. Garnish with parsley if desired. See note for pictured Pink Dipping Sauce.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Headed down south of Sydney to a country cabin on the weekend. Dozer spent the entire time gazing (like below) and grazing (on wallaby poo and all other manner of animal droppings littered all over the property 😝).
He managed to wiggle out of his collar once* and took off after something he heard rustling in the bushes. His pursuit led him to a tight shrub in which he got stuck, so I managed to catch up to him and had to literally haul him out by grabbing his tail, then his butt fur, then eventually grabbing his collar. He got in so much trouble!!!
* For those playing catch up: Dozer busted his knee a couple of months ago and had to undergo surgery. We’re 8 weeks into a 12 – 16 week post op recovery period, and he thinks he is 100% healed.
Omg…super amazing and wonderful! I had beef stew meat in my freezer…I don’t make stew in summer lol..38 degrees, too hot. So tried your recipe, marinated for 27 hours, skewered then bbq, absolutely wonderful! Tyvm. My hubby dreweled over it!
Great kabob marinade! I made a double batch of the marinade and marinated sirloin steak chunks overnight using half the marinade mixture, and then I marinated the veggies in the other half of the “clean” marinade for about six hours before cooking. The end result was both the meat and veggies were infused with the wonderful marinade flavor. Will definitely make it again!
Oh. My. Goddess. Nagi. I have had a lot of good food ever since I found your website, a LOT, but these kabobs/kebabs/skewers go straight to the very top of the list of my all-time favourites! They are right up there alongside your Chicken Shawarma and your Cashew Chicken. And your Baked Fried Rice. And your Blue Cheese and Pear Salad. And all your orzo dishes. And of course the Mango Pancakes.
I used rump steak, and was lucky enough to get hold of some fresh peppers (which is a challenge in the UK atm), so I followed the recipe as written. Also opted for the Pink Steak Sauce from the notes, and I agree with you, the skewers are super delicious with OR without the sauce, but the sauce is simply too good to not include.
I am in awe again and again at what wonderful recipes you are coming up with. Thank you so much, again! xx
The marinade was delicious. I baked these in the oven and they came out so tender and tasty!
Happy Christmas Nagi and Dozer , Greetings from Dublin Ireland .this was Delicious ,Thank you xxx
Another amazing recipe Nagi. Made these for a bbq with friends the other night and they were delicious. I also added some cubed halloumi cheese and it was amazing. The marinade was amazing.
My son has asked for kangaroo meat ones next time so I’ll try that. Love all your recipes!
Haven’t tried these yet .. wondering could they be frozen, veg and all?
We always enjoy your recipes, Nagi, but this is one of the best! Thanks for sharing!
So tasty thankyou!! The marinade was absolutely delicious yum yum yum. 😋
Hi Nagi, if using rump then do we need to add baking soda to the marinade to tenderise the meat? I’m worried it’ll be too chewy. Thanks! xx
Hey Nagi… Can I do this in the oven? What temperature and how long do you reckon is needed for medium done? Probably need to turn them halfway?
Hi Nagi,
Love your recipes. I have some veal cubes in the fridge, do you think it would work with this recipe? Thanks
Hi Gina, I’m not sure you’d get the right sear in an oven unfortunately – a grill or BBQ would be my recommendation for these. N x
Excellent! Great way to add vegetables to our plate!
Do you have any recipes for chicken kabobs? We use rosemary and marinate before cooking. It would be a great addition for your recipes!
These are amazing! Thanks for such a great recipe. We used sirloin from Costco and the longer you marinade the better. I will make another batch of marinade to use for the vegetables tomorrow. Yep, we’re doing them again for the third time in 2 weeks! We all just sit around the table and say Yummm while eating these.
I used skirt steak because that’s what I had. I marinated the meat for about 5 days on accident (due to a busy schedule). I was concerned the meat would be tough but it wasn’t. Actually, it was extremely tender. I cooked the meat on kabobs and also in a whole cut and both ways turned out so tender that the meat could be pulled apart with my fingers. I’ll definitely make this recipe again.
Delicious!! I made this for Father’s Day and it was a hit! And that pink sauce was so simple to make and very yummy. I love every single one of your recipes and I’ve made many of them – you have never steered me wrong, thanks so much!!
I’m so glad it was a hit Gail, that’s great to hear!! N x
Delicious!! I made this for Father’s Day and it was a hit! And that pink sauce was so simple to make and very yummy. I love every single one of your recipes and I’ve made many of them – you have never steered me wrong, thanks so much!!
Loved it and such great tips for kabobs I always struggle with them… flavour was excellent and kids agreed and we used the old school Tupperware marinade container and kept shaking it 😊
The beef was very tasty and juicy. Had it with your garlic butter rice with kale, and a side of roasted vegetables. Scrumptious. Thank you for the recipes!
Is it possible to bake it in the oven on a shallow tray? xx
Hi Avi – yes, however I’d use a grill/broil function to cook 🙂 N x