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Shish Kabob Recipe

These Baked or Grilled Steak Kabobs are crazy juicy and exploding with flavor thanks to the BEST MARINADE adapted from my viral flank steak recipe. Readers agree, this kabob recipe is “AMAZING!,” “a big hit,” and “⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️” "delicious!". Best of all, these kabobs are PREP AHEAD FRIENDLY (instructions included), ideal for effortless entertaining that will have everyone swooning!
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 42 minutes
Servings 12 skewers
Author [email protected]

Ingredients

Kabobs

  • 1 1/2-2 lbs. top sirloin steak
  • 1 lb. baby red potatoes cut into 1 1/2” chunks
  • 2 bell peppers (red, yellow or orange) cut into 1 1/2” chunks
  • 2 small or 1 large zucchini cut into 1/4-1/2” slices
  • 1 large red onion cut into 1 1/2” chunks
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Marinade

Instructions

  • Whisk all of the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl or large freezer bag (whatever dish you are going to use to marinate your steak. Remove 1/3 cup (to use later for vegetables and basting).
  • Add steak to remaining marinade and turn to coat. Cover and marinate 2-6 hours in the refrigerator.
  • Add potatoes to a large microwave safe bowl with a tight-fitting lid. Add 3-4 tablespoons water. Microwave, covered, 4-5 minutes or just until fork tender; drain. Add peppers, onions, 3 tablespoons of Reserved Marinade, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 pepper. Toss until evenly coated. Refrigerate.
  • Soak wooden skewers if using at this time (they require at least 30 minutes, but I recommend soaking them when you marinate the beef).
  • When ready to cook, thread steak and veggies onto skewers in desired order. When threading red onions, keep 2-3 slices together so they don’t burn.

Grilling Instructions

  • Grease and preheat grill to medium-high heat. Grill skewers until lightly charred all over, approximately 2 minutes per side, basting with remaining marinade halfway through cooking. Steak should register 140-145 degrees F for medium doneness (recommended).
  • Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Baking Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy clean up. Lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Evenly space kabobs on baking sheet and bake 8-10 for medium rare and 10-12 minutes for medium, turning once. Baking time will vary depending on steak size, marinating time, actual oven temp, etc. so make sure to check the internal temperature of the steak.
  • Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

Don't miss the "how to make" recipe video at the top of the post!

Storage

Remove the meat and vegetables from the skewers and place in an airtight container.  Store in the refrigerator for up to five days.

PREP AHEAD 

Steak kabobs are best if marinated up one hour ahead of time, but you can prepare elements of the steak kabobs ahead of time:
  • Make marinade:  Make marinade up to 3 days ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator WITHOUT the steak.
  • Cube steak:  Cut steak into cubes up to 24 hours ahead of time and store in airtight container in the refrigerator (not in the marinade).
  • Cut veggies: You can prep all of your veggies 24 hours ahead of time and store in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator.
  • Marinate:  Marinate steak and veggies up to 6 hours ahead of time.
  • Assemble: Assemble the steak kabobs up to an hour before grilling while the meat comes to room temperature.

Tips and Tricks

  • Chop steak into 1 ½-inch cubes in order to keep them juicy. To that end, purchase steaks that are nice and thick and avoid petite sirloin steaks as they’re too thin. Try and cube your steak as uniformly as possible so they cook evenly. 
  • Marinate the steak kabobs for at least two hours. If you are short on time, then marinate one hour in the refrigerator then finish marinating one hour at room temperature.  This will make the marinade more effective.
  • Don’t marinate the steak longer than 6 hours.  You don’t want to over-marinate the beef because the acid in the marinade will begin to break down the beef proteins and make it mushy.  You can only get away with marinating for longer periods of time in other recipes when the cuts of beef are larger or when marinating a tougher cut of beef.
  • Don’t worry about threading kabobs evenly.   If you get to the end and have more ingredients left than another - don’t stress! You can make an all veggie kabob or all steak kabob or all potato kabob, etc.
  • Enlist the help of family or friends to help thread the kabobs – many hands make light work!  Individuals can even customize their individual kabobs. You can even ask guests to each bring a bowl full of their favorite veggies for kabobs prepped into bite-sized pieces. Add all the veggies to a big bowl with the reserved marinade, give it a stir then thread together.
  • Start with a clean, hot grill. Make sure your grill is clean and completely heated before you add your steak kabobs.  The hot grill will sear the outside of the meat resulting in juicier steak vs a tepid grill which will slow cook the steak without developing much color which can result in dry steak kabobs.  Note, that “hot” doesn’t mean high heat.  It simply means the grill is fully heated to the set temperature.