Colourful and juicy, these Beef Kebabs are made using marinated steak pieces to infuse with extra flavour and tenderise. Iโve used capsicum/peppers, red onion and mushroom here, but thereโs a plethora of other vegetables that could be used!
Marinated Beef Kebabs
I donโt know if itโs โnormalโ 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, Iโve always marinated them to tenderise, add juiciness and a hint of flavour.
I donโt mean to talk down Beef Kebabs, 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!๐
The Beef Kebab Marinade
The marinade I use for these Beef Kebabs is my everydayย Steak Marinade. Itโs savoury with a hint of sweet, and made with pantry essentials โ soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, pepper and oil.
And yes, you read that right โ soy sauce is in the marinade. No, it doesnโt make it taste Asian-y in the slightest! Itโs basically the brine for the marinade, making it ultra juicy.
The art of Beef Kebab threading
Just kidding โ itโs not an art at all! ๐
Thereโs 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.ย So as you can see below, my skewers are a hodgepodge of random order.
Having said that though, I do follow these Kebab-Threading-Rules:
1. Donโt smush everything together tightly. Thread pretty loosely so some heat can get in between โ 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 โ it just makes the beef go further so you get 8 big kebabs 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 wasnโt obviousโฆ๐
Hands down, the best way to cook Beef Kebabs 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 โ 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.๐
But they were still just as tasty!! โ Nagi x
PS I donโt know for certain if itโs kebabs or kabobs. Iโve seen skewered meats on Turkish/Lebanese restaurants both ways, though here in Australia I fine โkebabโ is used more commonly for skewers and also for Doner Kebab wraps. So Iโve gone with Kebab!
Try these on the side for a summer grill out
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 โ they look ridiculous!!
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Marinated Beef Kebabs
Ingredients
- 750g / 1.5 lb rump (picanha), beef tri-tip, sirloin steak or other steak cut suitable for quick cooking (Note 1)
- 3 capsicum / bell peppers (red, yellow green)
- 1 large red onion
- 16 small mushrooms , 3.25cm / 1.3โณ 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 โ 30cm / 10 โ 12โณ (Note 3)
- Olive oil , for drizzling and cooking
- Finely chopped parsley , garnish (optional)
Optional sauce:
- Pink sauce , pictured in post โ Note 4
- Lemon Yogurt Sauce (this goes well with the flavours here)
Instructions
Marinade beef
- Cut the beef into 3.25cm / 1.3" wide cubes.
- Marinade โ Mix Marinade in a bowl. Add beef. Marinate for 3 โ 24 hours.
Making the kebab skewers
- 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 โ don't smush together tightly (helps even cooking).
- Brush kebabs lightly with Reserved Marinade (including vegetables), then drizzle with olive oil.
- Cook and baste โ 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.
- Rest and serve โ 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:
- flank, skirt, hanger, bavette and other steaks that need to be sliced thinly against the grain (think โ South American grilling cuts);
- slow cooking cuts โ chuck, beef ribs, cheeks
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 ๐).
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!!!
* ย For those playing catch up: Dozer busted his knee a couple of months ago and had to undergo surgery. Weโre 8 weeks into a 12 โ 16 week post op recovery period, and he thinks he is 100% healed.
Omgโฆsuper amazing and wonderful! I had beef stew meat in my freezerโฆI donโt 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 โcleanโ 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 Iโll try that. Love all your recipes!
Havenโt tried these yet .. wondering could they be frozen, veg and all?
Hi Sarah. You could make up the meat alone on skewers and freeze those. Then when its time to BBQ you can make up the vegetable skewers. Unfortunately you canโt freeze the vegetables because they will become mushy, but the meat will be fine.
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. ๐
Hi Nagi, if using rump then do we need to add baking soda to the marinade to tenderise the meat? Iโm worried itโll be too chewy. Thanks! xx
Hey Nagiโฆ 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 Gina, Iโm not sure youโd get the right sear in an oven unfortunately โ a grill or BBQ would be my recommendation for these. N x
Hi Nagi,
Love your recipes. I have some veal cubes in the fridge, do you think it would work with this recipe? Thanks
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, weโre 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 thatโs 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 wasnโt. 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. Iโll definitely make this recipe again.
Delicious!! I made this for Fatherโs 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 Iโve made many of them โ you have never steered me wrong, thanks so much!!
Iโm so glad it was a hit Gail, thatโs great to hear!! N x
Delicious!! I made this for Fatherโs 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 Iโve made many of them โ you have never steered me wrong, thanks so much!!
Loved it and such great tips for kabobs I always struggle with themโฆ flavour was excellent and kids agreed and we used the old school Tupperware marinade container and kept shaking it ๐
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 โ yes, however Iโd use a grill/broil function to cook ๐ N x