Make the best grilled steak kabobs with the best steak kabob marinade, which uses common ingredients to tenderize and add great flavor. We use strip or sirloin steak for kabobs, but you can use any steak. Just remember how easy it is to make them extra special with this marinade.
🐄Ingredients
Steak— sirloin or strip steak.
Marinade—Olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, dry basil, dry parsley flakes, white (or black) pepper
Optional vegetables—bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and red onion
Featured Comment by Jaime :
"I have become a much better cook thanks to you. This Marinade is delicious."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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I love kabobs. They are just fun. What is better than meat on a stick? You can add veggies between the steak chunks or make separate veggie kabobs.
A marinade is used to tenderize and to add flavor. While we all love grilled steak, adding more taste and tenderness is always good.
Easy Beef Kabobs with a quicker three-ingredient marinade. Or try Honey Garlic Chicken Kabobs, BBQ Chicken Kabobs, or Buttermilk Ranch Chicken Kabobs.
Making and Using Steak Kabob Marinade—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Mix marinade,
2. Trim the steak of trimmable fat and cut into 1-inch cubes.
3. Combine the marinade with a steak cube and mix well. Refrigerate for 2-6 hours, but overnight is fine.
4. Clean, oil, and preheat the grill to high. Place the steak on skewers. The post discusses vegetables.
5. Grill over high direct heat. Flip every 3-4 minutes. Grill to your desired internal temperature—10-12 minutes for medium rare (140°).
6. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
How long to cook steak kabobs on the grill
Cooking time will vary by your grill temperature and the size of the steak pieces. It takes 10 to 12 minutes to grill 1-inch steak cubes over high heat to 140° (medium rare). Add a couple of minutes for medium.
How long to marinate steak for kabobs
Up to 24 hours is fine for tougher steaks like sirloin, flank, or skirt steak, but you will get most of the tenderness in 2-6 hours. For strip steak, 4 hours is my maximum, and for more tender steaks like ribeye or filet mignon, 2 hours is the max.
The flavor transfer will be worth doing in 30 minutes, but better in 2+ hours.
Make it right every time
You can use the steak you want, but I usually use sirloin or top sirloin. You can also use New York Strip, ribeye steak, or beef tenderloin (filet mignon). I find a skirt or flank steak tougher than I like for kabobs, but they may be used.
I suggest wooden skewers instead of metal. They will not transfer the heat as much as metal, allowing you to have a great sear on the outside and a moist and tender inside. Be sure to soak them for 30 minutes (10 minutes minimum) to prevent them from burning.
Kabobs vs. shish kabobs vs. skewers
A kabob usually contains meat, while shish kabobs usually contain vegetables with or without meat. The shish is the Greek word for skewer. It is generally used as an equal to a shish kabob.
While we are talking definitions, a marinade is a liquid, so it is a noun, while marinate is a verb.
Adding vegetables or making vegetable kabobs
I frequently add the veggies on the same kabob as the meat. That usually works out ok. If you elect to do that, some big chunks of green or red peppers, cherry tomatoes, or wedges of red onions are my favorites. They need a light coat of oil. But some veggies vs. the meat may be a grilling mismatch, so if unsure, make separate kabobs.
Serving kabobs
I suggest about ½ pound of meat as a serving size. There is enough marinade here for about 4 servings. If you are doing more, increase the marinade.
For a special treat, serve top garlic butter or steak butter.
We like to serve steak kabobs with a garden salad and a potato side dish, like Grilled Baby Red Potatoes or Oven Roasted Baby Potatoes. Grilled side dishes like Parmesan Grilled Asparagus on a Gas Grill and Grilled Corn on the Cob are good choices. For cold sides, try Broccoli Salad with Raisins and Macaroni Salad.
Leftovers
Leftovers make an excellent topping for a salad. Store them sealed airtight in the refrigerator for 4 days or frozen for 4 months.
FAQs
Yes, but exposure to direct heat will sear better.
The marinade should be considered contaminated and not be reused unless boiled first. If you want to use the marinade for basting, make more and reserve part of it for later use.
📖 Recipe
Steak Kabob Marinade
Ingredients
- 1 pound steak - ½ pound per serving. Use top sirloin or strip steak.
Marinade - Enough for up to 2 pounds of meat
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons dry basil
- 2 teaspoons dry parsley flakes
- ½ teaspoon white pepper - substitute black pepper if no white pepper
Instructions
- Mix marinade. 4 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 ½ tablespoons dry basil, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons dry parsley flakes and ½ teaspoon white (or black) pepper.
- Trim steak of trimmable fat and cut into 1-inch cubes. Use sirloin or strip steak.
- Combine marinade with steak cube and mix well. Refrigerate for 2-6 hours.
- Clean, oil, and preheat the grill to high. Place steak on skewers—soaked wooden skewers preferred.
- Grill over high direct heat. Flip every 3-4 minutes. Grill to your desired internal temperature. For me, 12 minutes to get 145°.
- Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
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Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Wooden skewers work better here since the wood will not overcook the center of the meat. Presoak them to prevent them from catching on fire.
- I generally use top sirloin, but strip steak is great for this recipe.
- Marinade for 2 hours minimum. Overnight is fine.
- This recipe is written for 2 servings. Count on ½ pound of steak per serving. The half-pound of meat will fit nicely on one skewer.
- The marinade is enough to handle up to 2 pounds of meat.
- Use black pepper if you don't have white pepper.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Originally Published August 28, 2017. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Russ Hoblitzell says
I always make extra marinade and baste frequently. For food safety, when I remove the meat from marinade, I bring it to a boil to kill any bacteria and can then serve it on the side at table. Zucchini and marinated artichokes also are great additions on the skewers!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Russ,
Welcome to the blog.
The general recommendation for marinades is to make extra and reserve the extra for later use. And to discard the marinade used on the raw meat. This is what I would do generally.
But boiling and reusing is considered acceptable by the FDA for those readers who are wondering.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Have a great holiday.
Dan
Jaime says
I have become a much better cook thanks to you. This Marinade is delicious.
Amy says
Do u think I could Cook this in the oven? It’s raining outside here where I’m at.
DrDan says
Yes, but it just won't be the same. You will need to get the oven at about 450 convection. If your oven is not super clean, it will smoke perhaps a lot. You will need a meat thermometer since I can't really give you an estimate of time but probably about 15-20 minutes range and you might need some broiler at the end to brown it some.
You might also try pan searing and then into the oven. See my Pan Seared Oven Roasted Strip Steak
I just did some prime ribeye steaks on the grill in the rain (OK my grill is three feet from the door). I'm hot sweaty and wet now. Watch Sunday for pictures.
Good luck with it.
Dan
Tavi says
Can you marinate overnight?
DrDan says
The "official" answer is yes, up to 24 hours. But the acid (lemon juice) can eventually make the meat tougher not more tender. I like to keep beef to a few hours but even 20-30 minutes does a lot. This recipe calls for 2-6 hours so I think 6 hours max is safest. I would prefer 1 hour to overnight here.
Sam Smith says
This looks so good, I would love to try this.
Ron says
Looks to be a solid marinade, I'll be giving this a try this week.
Thanks for another great post!
John Lansdown says
Looking at this makes me want to do K-Bobs
again. I'm like you in that it's best to cook meat
and veggies on a separate stick. When you
distrubute all on a plate, it's all good. I pretty much
season all protein I cook with your 7-2-2. Got the basics, anything more should be sauce, and your
Memphis Sauce is great. Really good after a day in the frig.
marms says
I am so sad! Barbecue and grilling again, and I don't have a barbecue and am NOT turning on my oven at 30 degree weather.
Sigh. But wait. Dog pix!!
DrDan says
Sorry and one more, Grilled Pork Chops, coming this weekend. Working on it today. I promise two good dog pictures. I'm switching to crockpot/tailgate/fall after Labor Day.
Dan