These sesame soy sauce marinated beef kabobs are an excellent excuse to get outside and grill – one of my favorite cooking methods. Speaking of which, try out my juicy burger recipe if you also love grilling. Like a true Minnesotan, I grill all the way through the winter – although I grumble about having to wear shoes on the deck. Fun fact, your grill cover can, in fact, freeze to the top of your grill. When it happens, don’t listen to your husband who is going to tell you to just turn the grill on and wait a minute to pull the cover off – when you inevitably do listen to your husband – you’ll find that a thin layer of the grill cover is now a part of your grill.
How to prepare steak and vegetable kabobs
Anyway, like I was saying, grilling is the best. Something I like almost as much as grilling? Organization. I’ll bet that wasn’t your guess and you’re wondering why I am even bringing it up. Hear me out though…Kabobs. Get your vegetable-based organization going. There is no “wrong” way to do distribute the skewers. You can mix and match ingredients on each skewer or make skewers with just one ingredient. I will say, cooking the kabobs properly is a little easier if you do each ingredient individually, particularly when it comes to separating the steak from the vegetables. You may not be able to organize your life but you can definitely organize your kabobs.
Besides organization, the key to a great kabob is the marinade. It is hard to go wrong with a sesame oil and soy sauce base. This marinade is full of rich and tangy umami flavor. As written it is also somewhat spicy. Take or leave the red pepper flakes as necessary for your spice tolerance. What you really should follow is the marinating time. You want the ingredients soaking in the marinade for at least two hours. Don’t skimp or else…it won’t be as good, did you really need a threat to do it right? And look, if this marinade isn’t your style, try seasoning the kabobs instead with homemade southwest seasoning, no wait time required.
My final kabob advice: try your best not to overcook them; they will dry out and you will be sad. You only need to cook these for 10-15 minutes, depending on how big you cut your ingredients. The good news is that after you wait the initial two hours, you’re practically done, which is great, because once you smell them cooking, you’re not going to want to wait anyway.
FAQs
You do not HAVE to marinate the ingredients but they will be extra flavorful if you do. If you don’t have the time or energy to do the marinade, just make sure to season them with at least salt and pepper, and then brush a little olive oil on the grill before placing the kabobs down to cook.
While the grill contributes excellent flavor to skewered meat and vegetables, it is not required to cook kabobs. You can instead bake the kabobs on a baking sheet set to 375 °F for 20-25 minutes, turning them at the 10 minute mark.
Yes, a little extra time on a skewer isn’t going to hurt these babies a bit. Leave the skewers on a covered baking sheet in the fridge. Let the kabobs sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before grilling to help with even cooking.
I prefer to use metal skewers, primarily because there is no prep time involved and they can be washed and re-used. However, if you want to use wooden skewers, they will also work just fine. The downside is that you’ll have to soak them in water for at least an hour or overnight. For this recipe you can start soaking them while the ingredients are marinating.
Now, get out there in the sunshine, or snow, and grill yourself some marinated beef kabobs. Then thank yourself for getting outdoors today.
Keep your belly full, your mind engaged, and your heart open.
Lillian
Sesame Soy Asian-Inspired Beef Kabobs
Ingredients
Marinade
- 3 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp sesame oil
- 1 ½ tsp chili oil
- ¾ tsp hoisin sauce
- ¾ tsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp water
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ tsp white sugar
- ¼ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ginger powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes optional, or add more if you love spice
- ½ tsp black pepper
Kabobs
- 1 lb sirloin trimmed and chopped into cubes
- 2 red peppers
- 8 oz button mushrooms
- 1 zucchini
- ½ red onion
Instructions
- Chop all kabob vegetables into about ½" pieces
- Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a large bowl
- Add cubed meat and cut vegetables to the marinade and stir to coat well
- Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours
- Pre-heat grill to medium
- Thread skewers, alternating meat and vegetables however you see fit
- Lightly oil grill grates
- Place kabobs on the grill and cook for 10-15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes
- Serve with rice or cous-cous
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