Beef Shish Kabobs

Easy beef shish kabobs are perfect for outdoor grilling!

We’re just about to come out of COVID-19 lockdown here, which means it’s also spring. Accordingly, we’re firing up our grill in preparation for summer celebrations and cookouts.

Since we’re still in COVID-19, however, meat is whatever we can get and freeze in order to avoid the store for as long as possible. Mr. Alexander came home with some round steak the other day and we needed to find a use for it.

It doesn’t grill as nicely as ribeye and isn’t thick enough to be a crock pot roast, so we decided to cube it up and make shish kabobs.

Easy Beef Marinade

Marinade is usually 1 part acid to 2 or 3 parts oil to tenderize and flavor the meat. For this marinade I chose a ratio of 1:2 and added in a bunch of goodies.

Also, some people say you should not marinate beef for 24 hours because the meat it becomes mushy, but if you’re cubing it and grilling the steak, it’s perfectly fine. The flavor holds up, and if you have a tough cut of meat a longer marinade is better.

I concur if you are cooking a NY strip or ribeye though. Please, please don’t marinate for 24 hours.

Simple Ingredients

You will likely have most of these ingredients on hand in your pantry and refrigerator already. This marinade is a simple mixture of lemon juice, canola or olive oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, garlic, and ginger.

I don’t recommend substituting dried ginger or garlic for fresh ingredients. However, you can definitely use pre-minced garlic, usually available in your produce section. You may also find jarred ginger, but I recommend using fresh ginger root.

If you like ginger and garlic, give Mr. Alexander’s Stir Fry a try!

For this marinade, use 2 tablespoons each of garlic and ginger and 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary.

Just an FYI, with a marinade it’s hard to goof the measurements of these add-ins, but you can always increase or decrease based upon your palate.

Also, I used 1 tsp of dried rosemary because I don’t have any fresh or frozen on hand at present (more on that later). You can go up or down with this, but if you use fresh, I would recommend pulling the leaves off the stalk and mincing them to release the flavor. 1 tsp of dried herbs usually equals 1 tbsp of fresh, so keep that in mind.

Um, I learned that the really hard way.

The really, really, really hard way. I wish I had a picture of the herbed veggies I made circa 2005. The recipe called for 2 tablespoon each of fresh basil and parsley. 2 tablespoons of dried herbs are not the same as 2 tablespoons fresh herbs!

Skewer It Up

Let all those flavors meld for at least a few hours if you can. I know it’s hard on a busy weeknight, which is why I say the marinade on this steak can go for 24 hours. It’s perfectly fine for a kabob, so plan ahead if you have the opportunity and let those flavors come together.

Skewer the beef with other vegetables such zucchini, onions, mushrooms or bell peppers if you prefer. For even cooking, we chose to keep the mushrooms separate from the beef.

We typically use a set of metal skewers, but if you use wooden skewers, you can soak them prior to grilling to prevent charring.

Heat the grill to medium heat and grill for 10-12 minutes, turning the shish kebobs periodically for even cooking and caramelization.

Serve!