Marinated Beef Kebabs
Colourful and juicy, these Beef Kebabs 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!
- 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 / 1.3" wide)
- 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
- 16 flat metal skewers (, 25 - 30cm / 10 - 12" (Note 3))
- Olive oil (, for drizzling and cooking)
- Finely chopped parsley (, garnish (optional))
- Pink sauce (, pictured in post - Note 4)
- Lemon Yogurt Sauce ((this goes well with the flavours here))
- Cut the beef into 3.25cm / 1.3" wide cubes.
- Marinade - Mix Marinade in a bowl. Add beef. Marinate for 3 - 24 hours.
- 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.
- Cook and baste - 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 - 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.
Marinated Beef Kebabs
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 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!😂
The Beef Kebab Marinade
The marinade I use for these Beef Kebabs 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.
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 Kebab-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 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 wasn’t obvious…😂 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 – but the skewers are too long for my skillets so I could only fit in 2 at a time on the diagonal.
But they were still just as tasty!! – Nagi x
PS I don’t know for certain if it’s kebabs or kabobs.
I’ve seen skewered meats on Turkish/Lebanese restaurants both ways, though here in Australia I fine “kebab” is used more commonly for skewers and also for Doner Kebab wraps. So I’ve gone with Kebab!
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!! Hungry for more?
Making the kebab skewers
- flank, skirt, hanger, bavette and other steaks that need to be sliced thinly against the grain (think – South American grilling cuts);
- slow cooking cuts – chuck, beef ribs, cheeks
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.