03 Oct Beef Shish Kabobs from Scott Woolley’s Cookbook
Shish kabobs are just made for the BBQ or even your indoor grill. They hold everything you want all in one place and all those fabulous ingredients all cook together and share their flavors.
Kabobs are also a great way to keep everyone happy. You can get people to pick their own ingredients, or better yet, make their own. Beef kabobs can handle almost any type of veggies that you want to add to them.
When planning beef shish kabobs, you don’t want to settle for just any cuts of beef. The tougher cuts are going to get even tougher when cooked quickly on the grill.
Choose a better cut, like beef tenderloin, porterhouse, or sirloin. If you are using something tougher like chuck or round steak, you need to marinate them and soften them by cooking them slowly in your marinade on low heat. That will make them more tender.
As for the marinade, you can make up anything you like. Popular ingredients are:
Olive oil
Soy sauce
Garlic
Onion
Mustard
Brown sugar
Lemon or lime juice
Worcestershire sauce
Honey
Red wine
Red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Oregano
Hot sauce
Anything will work, as long as the ingredients blend together. Soak the beef for about 30 minutes in the fridge before grilling. You can go longer or even as short as ten to 15 minutes. Don’t leave them for more than 8 hours.
Assembling the Skewers
Putting the skewers together can be fun and even get the younger ones involved to help. Get everything ready before you start. Chop up onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, baby corns, and so many more.
Some will cook faster, so make those items slightly bigger. Space them so the ones with lots of flavors, like onions, are dispersed evenly across. Mix up the colors, as well.
Cut the meat and the veggies to be about the same size. Make sure they are larger than the spaces on your grill to avoid losing them. Don’t crowd them too much on the skewer.
Put two pieces of veg between each cut of beef. That will help you stretch it out and add more color and variety to each one. They will also cook more evenly.
Grilling Your Beef Shish Kabob
Place the kabobs on the grill, careful not to crowd them too badly. They are thin enough you should be able to get plenty of them on. If your cuts of meat are fairly thick, you can cook them with the lid down for a few minutes, just to build up a bit of heat.
Of course, you want the crispy grilled outsides of the beef and the veggies. Make sure all four sides get their time on the grill. They will cook pretty quickly, but give all four sides a few minutes each.
If your skewers are made of wood, they need to be soaked before you assemble them. This will help prevent the kabobs and the skewers from burning.
Once they are done, remove your lovely bits of beef and veg with a fork or a gloved hand. If the skewer isn’t metal, leave it on and eat them off the skewer just as they are.
Beef Shish Kabob
Ideally, you can make these however you like. If you are making for a group, keep in mind there may be vegetarians so have some tofu or other non-meat options to offer them.
Shish kabobs are an ideal, worry-free way to enjoy a backyard BBQ with friends and family and keep everyone happy. Make sure you check with your guests regarding allergies or other food concerns they may have.
These are so easy to make and cook very quickly. They work really well as a main or fun food for a backyard party. You can cook them up and plate up the kabobs and snack food for people milling around.
Add a few pitas or some nice bits of bread for people to make their own kabob slider. Make sure you have some condiments out for them to add and don’t freak out if someone asks you for ketchup.
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