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Bring the Mediterranean to your own backyard with my tasty shish kabob! Skewers of tender meat marinated in traditional spices, paired with fresh veggies!
Get ready for an exotic backyard barbecue event with a shish kabob feast everyone will remember! Our simple, flavorful, and tenderizing marinade yields some tasty meat skewers! So that you’re in the know, the Turkish word “shish” essentially means skewer.
So, fire up the grill for a night of Mediterranean celebration! The shish kabob origin dates from long ago in the Middle East. As you might imagine the variations through that region as well as throughout the world are endless.
The great thing about shish kabobs is that you can conjure up all sorts of meat and veggie combinations. And why not throw a little fruit on the skewer every now and then? Like shish kabob shrimp with pineapple… good stuff!
And hey, if the weather’s not so peachy, make up shish kebabs in the oven feast, using a grill pan. Hunger necessitates resourcefulness!
Looking for more grilling and smoking recipes? I hope you’ll try our Greek chicken, grilled flank steak, grilled cilantro lime chicken, and barbecue smoked ribs.
Let’s grill these!
WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT BEEF SHISH KABOB RECIPE
First of all, I love to say shish kabob. I also love the rich spices in this recipe. It really needs no alteration. I think you’ll be pleased with the flavors, too. However, another great thing about kabobs is the almost limitless number of options you have for ingredients and marinade components.
HOW TO MAKE SHISH KABOB?
- Marinade Shish Kabob first: Mix together the first 6 ingredients to make a quick shish kabob marinade, then place the meat and marinade in a ziplock bag. Place the bag in a bowl and put it in the fridge for at least 4 hours, (24 is best) – turn periodically.
- Get the grill going on high and toss the veggies with olive oil, salt, and pepper on it. Skewer the meat and shish kabob veggies, leaving a little space between each piece. Grill prepared shish kabob sticks, covered, for 1-2 minutes on each side.
- That’s all there is to it! Eat them right off the stick or slide them onto a plate!
SHISH KABOB INGREDIENTS
- Oil: Fat-soluble flavors are transferred to the meat by their fat components.
- Mustard: I love the flavor Dijon adds to these kabobs.
- Vinegar: Having an acid is important to help the flavors in a marinade to penetrate the meat by breaking down its connective tissues, also allowing the meat to tenderize. I like the flavor and mild sweetness balsamic vinegar adds.
- Thyme: Because we’re grilling we use dried thyme in the marinade. Fresh thyme would simply incinerate.
- Worcestershire Sauce: This condiment is used as a flavor enhancer. Out of Worcestershire, sub with a few teaspoons of soy sauce. The flavor is of course going to taste different, but both will bring the umami.
- Garlic: Please use fresh garlic cloves, not the stuff that comes pre-minced suspended in that gross-tasting liquid. Want a shortcut, buy garlic already peeled in a bag.
- Salt + Black Pepper: Our foundational seasoning.
- Meat: Kabobs were originally made with lamb, but my family prefers beef. I generally use top sirloin. I don’t love using pork for this recipe because for me it’s been bread to be too lean.
- Tomatoes: I prefer grape or cherry tomatoes.
- Onion: I like red onion but use whatever type you have on hand.
- Bell Pepper: Red peppers are my favorite but all colors work equally well.
- Zucchini: These add nice color and nutrition.
- Mushrooms: I don’t show them here on the skewer but mushrooms are a favorite at our house. Use white or cremini.
SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS
We love these kabobs with our crispy KFC coleslaw, Asian coleslaw, or pineapple coleslaw, carrot salad, grape salad, my Grandmas cucumber tomato salad, cucumber tomato feta salad, or our incredible Mexican corn salad.
Looking for a macaroni or pasta salad to pair with this beefy deliciousness? They’re wonderful with tortellini salad, classic macaroni salad, authentic Hawaiian macaroni salad, pasta salad with Italian dressing, pesto pasta salad, or dill pickle pasta salad .
If you want to lean in and go all Mediterranean, serve these with our Mediterranean salad, Greek pasta salad, Mediterranean pasta salad, are also wonderful with Greek specialties like Greek rice, hummus, and Greek salad!
RECIPE NOTES FOR STEAK KABOBS:
- Marinating time: With meats a 24-hour marinade time is best, but 4 hours often is adequate. The proper marinating times is a debatable/controversial topic, that said – you gotta trust someone.
- Spacing: Allow a little bit of air space between the elements on the skewer for proper cooking.
- Skewer design spoiler alert: Although kabobs are much more attractive when you mix in multi-colored veggies with the meat on the skewers (like I generally do!!!), the cooking times for each vary, reality is one or the others not gonna be happy. That said, a lot of people suggest putting the vegetables and the meat onto their own individual skewers so as to control the cooking time for each.
- Wooden skewers: If you’re using bamboo skewers, remember to soak them for a few hours before you thread them. Alternatively, if you don’t want to mess with the extra step of soaking you can always invest in reusable metal skewers. I like these flat-style skewers (they come in 12 inches or 17-inch lengths) because they help to prevent the meat from rotating as you flip the skewers. I think they’re amazing!)
HOW TO COOK SHISH KABOBS IN THE OVEN
Here’s How:
-
- Marinade beef cubes per recipe. Soak bamboo skewers in water. Be sure to submerge them and hold them underwater. I fill a 9×13 baking dish with water, add the skewers, then place a few salad plates on top of them to weigh them down.
- Line a large-rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Thirty minutes before you plan to cook the kabobs, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- As the oven heats, assemble the skewers.
- Place the assembled skewers on the baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven, making sure to flip the kabobs halfway through, until the beef is lightly browned on the outside and just lightly pink in the very center.
STORING + FREEZING TIPS
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes, without the veggies, this can last in the freezer for 2-3 months.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
MORE YUMMY GRILLED RECIPES
- Spiced Beef Kabobs
- Grilled Chicken Marinade
- Huli Huli Chicken
- Amazing Grilled Beer Brats
- Grilled Pork Tenderloin
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Shish Kabob
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds steak cut into 1 1/2 inch square cubes x 1/2 thick
- 1/2 red onion sliced
- 1 bell pepper sliced
- 1 zucchini sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Make the marinade by mixing the first eight ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Pour the marinade into a resealable 1-gallon ziplock bag and add the meat, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag well. Turn the bag over a few times to distribute the marinade evenly over the meat. Place the bag in a bowl in case it leaks and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours minimum, ideally 24 hours, turning periodically.
- Heat the grill to high. In a medium bowl, toss the veggies with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season them with salt (1 teaspoon) and pepper (½ teaspoon).
- Thread meat and veggies on skewers, leaving a little space between each piece so the pieces cook more evenly.
- Lightly oil the grates of the grill. Place prepared skewers on a heated grill; cover grill and cook, turning skewers once, 1-2 minutes per side or to the desired doneness.
Notes
- Marinating time: With meats a 24-hour marinade time is best, but 4 hours often is adequate. The proper marinating times is a debatable/controversial topic, that said – you gotta trust someone.
- Skewer design spoiler alert: Although kabobs are much more attractive when you mix in multi-colored veggies with the meat on the skewers (like I generally do!!!), the cooking times for each vary, reality is one or the others not gonna be happy. That said, a lot of people suggest putting the vegetables and the meat onto their own individual skewers so as to control the cooking time for each.
- Bamboo skewers: If you’re using bamboo skewers, remember to soak them for a few hours before you thread them. Alternatively, if you don’t want to mess with the extra step of soaking you can always invest in reusable metal skewers. I like these flat-style skewers (they come in 12 inches or 17-inch lengths) because they help to prevent the meat from rotating as you flip the skewers. I think they’re amazing!)
Nutrition
What kind of steak do you use for the kabobs? Sirloin?….
Yes, Sirloin most often <3
What cuts of steak do you use for shish kabob? I would love to prepare this recipe. Since I don’t own a grill, I will try to broil the kabobs.
Hi Ines! Broiling works great. I generally use Sirloin for Kabobs <3
Can you cook these any other way that’s not on a grill?
Hi Jessica. They’re great broiled! Enjoy
Just tried the shiskabob marinate and my picky guy love them and of course i did too..thanks for the receipe
Thanks Sue so happy you both enjoyed! 🙂