A simple beef kabob marinade with only 3 ingredients is the secret to our juicy and flavorful Marinated Beef Kabob for grilling or in the oven. We love this quick and easy weeknight dinner recipe for two using sirloin steak with added veggies.
🐄Ingredients
Beef—top sirloin or other beef
Marinade—Worcestershire sauce. soy sauce, garlic powder
Oil—vegetable or olive oil for brushing
Optional ingredients—Bell peppers, red onion, mushrooms, yellow squash, zucchini, cherry tomatoes and fresh pineapple
Jump To (scroll for more)
Featured Comment by Cathie :
"OMG !!! Tried this recipe out and loved it !!!!! 😋 it really is a kabob summer look forward to testing and trying more of your home cooked kabobs . Thank you for posting them . Great job !"
Beef kabobs are a perfect Mediterranean-style casual and cheap meal that any home griller can master with simple instructions. Make them meat only like Greek shish kabobs, or add veggies for traditional American beef skewers.
Most marinade recipes have ten+ ingredients and involve overnight timing. This simple marinade recipe only has 3 ingredients, adds great flavor in 30 minutes, and will tenderize the beef when used longer.
👨🍳How to Grill Marinated Beef Kabobs—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. If using wooden bamboo skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes.
2. Trim beef of any fat and cut it into about 1 to 1 ¼ inch cubes, keeping the pieces about the same size.
3. Whisk together the marinade of Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and garlic powder with some water.
4. Pour the marinade over the meat and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until needed—30 minutes to 4 hours.
5. Preheat the grill to high. Clean and oil the grill grates.
6. Prepare any desired fruit and vegetables. Cut into chunks about the same size as the meat.
7. Prepare kabobs by threading on alternating ingredients. Brush lightly with vegetable or olive oil.
8. Grill over direct high heat, rotating every few minutes for about 8-10 minutes to an internal temperature of 140°-145°.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
⏲️How long to grill beef kabobs
Grill for about 8 to 10 minutes over high heat for medium, which most people will prefer.
Rare—cold red center has an internal temperature of 125°-130° and will probably take only 5-6 minutes. It is hard to get right and may not cook the veggies well. Remember, you can cook a bit longer later, but you can not uncook meat.
Medium Rare—warm red center has an internal temperature of 130°-135° and should take 7-8 minutes usually.
Medium—pink and firm has an internal temperature of 140°-145° and will usually be done in 8-10 minutes. This is good for most people.
Medium Well—minimal pink has an internal temperature of 150°-155° and should be about 10-12 minutes.
Well Done—firm and brown will have an internal temperature of 160°+ and is not recommended.
✔️Tips for perfect beef kabobs every time.
I suggest top sirloin steak, but other steaks, like strip steak or beef tenderloin, may be used. But cuts like chuck roast, stew meat, round steak, or eye of round are not good choices.
Marinate for 30 minutes to 4 hours. Most of the flavor will transfer into the meat in about 30 minutes, but 2 to 4 hours will tenderize more—overnight is fine (up to 24 hours) but not needed.
If you use wooden bamboo skewers, soak them for 30 minutes. I prefer wood for beef because metal skewers will transfer heat more and cook the center faster, which most people don't want.
Be sure to give any added fruit and vegetables a good coat of vegetable or olive oil and a bit of salt and black pepper if you want.
Root vegetables like potatoes and carrots will cook in a different time frame and are not good choices.
Can I add meat tenderizer?
While the suggested marinade will give moderate tenderization in 2 to 4 hours, you can get additional effects from chemical meat tenderizers.
I add a teaspoon of Accent®️ or Adolph's®️ meat tenderizer. Accent has MSG, which will also enhance the flavors, but some people have issues with the MSG. However, Adolph's relies on bromelain, an enzyme from pineapple.
Other Kabob recipes
Check out my Best Steak Kabob Marinade, which is similar but with more complex flavors with a longer prep time.
Or try some chicken kabob recipes, like Honey Garlic Chicken Kabobs, BBQ Chicken Kabobs, and Buttermilk Ranch Chicken Kabobs.
🍴What to serve with grilled beef kabobs?
This classic grill recipe needs traditional side dishes, like Grilled Corn on the Cob, Grilled Carrots, Spinach Salad with Bacon, Macaroni Salad, and chips or potato salad. Top it off with some lemonade by the glass.
Storage of leftovers
Leftovers should be sealed in an airtight container and refrigerated for 4 days. The meat will store well, but the vegetables will lose some texture and are better freshly grilled. You can also freeze for 3 months.
❓FAQs
Yes, you can use a 425°-450° oven for about the same time as grilled. Put them on a sheet pan and use a rack if you have one. Give everything a good spray of PAM, then add the kabobs—no need to flip.
As always, you cook to a final internal temperature, not by time alone. Time varies by the oven, the tray, and the size of the beef chunks.
I didn't use any salt and black pepper during the preparation. I feel there was lots of sodium in the Worcestershire and soy sauces, so most people don't want more. Black pepper can be added later at serving to taste, but there is so much flavor I never do.
🐄About Sirloin Steak
The sirloin is behind the short loin, where most of what we usually call "steak" comes—like strip steaks and t-bones. In other parts of the world, what we call the loin area is called the sirloin, and what we call the sirloin is called the rump.
I suggest top sirloin, which is the most tender sirloin version. It will be labeled as top to fetch a higher price.
The bottom sirloin, usually labeled sirloin steak, is a bit tougher but an excellent choice with deep flavor. Also, the tri-tip roast comes from the bottom sirloin. Under that will be the sirloin tip roast. If you choose one of these tougher choices, consider adding one of the chemical tenderizers mentioned above.
📖 Recipe
Marinated Beef Kabobs
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs top sirloin - or other beef
- 2 bell peppers
- 1 red onion
- ½ fresh pineapple
Simple Beef Kabob Marinade
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes. Metal skewers are OK, but wood is preferred due to the heat transfer of the metal.
- Trim beef of any fat and cut it into about 1 to 1 ¼ inch cubes, keeping the pieces about the same size.
- Whisk together the marinade of 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons water, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Pour the marinade over the meat and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until needed—30 minutes to 4 hours. Most of the taste will transfer in 30 minutes, but longer will be more tender.
- Preheat the grill to high. Clean and oil the grill grates.
- Prepare any desired fruit and vegetables. Cut into chunks about the same size as the meat.
- Prepare kabobs by threading on alternating ingredients. Brush lightly with vegetable or olive oil, concentrating on the fruit and veggies.
- Grill over direct high heat with the grill lid closed until mild charring on fruits and vegetables and the internal temperature of the beef is to your liking. About 8-10 minutes for 140°-145° usually. Let kabobs rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Want to save this recipe for later?
Get the recipe link via email to comeback later.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- I suggest top sirloin steak here, but other sirloin or strip steak would be great.
- I prefer wooden skewers here because metal will cook the interior more.
- Optional ingredients—mushrooms, yellow squash, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes. Things like potatoes and carrots will take too long to cook.
- Try to keep the size of the meat, vegetables, and pineapple about the same size.
- The grill hood can be open or closed. But closed will cook a bit faster and give more control.
- Cook to the final internal temperature you want. Medium-rare is 130°- 135° and 140° - 145°. The meat temperature will rise a few degrees after being removed from heat.
- Be sure to rest the kabobs for 5 minutes before serving.
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
© 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.
Originally Published September 13, 2010. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Cathie says
OMG !!! Tried this recipe out and loved it !!!!! 😋 it really is a kabob summer look forward to testing and trying more of your home cooked kabobs . Thank you for posting them . Great job !
Miriam Weston says
I am going to try this!
Doug Wheeler says
I realize this is an old post, but I noticed a comment regarding the use of accent. Whenever I use a less tender cut of meat, I just add vinegar to my marinade. It works well. Your other option is to use tenderloin which will not need a tenderizer. I also use LOTS of black pepper when I make any type of beef kabob. Adds so much flavor.
DrDan says
Thanks for the note Doug. I have decided this a Kabob summer so a revision is on the way. I don't think I can ask people to use a nice beef tenderloin for kabobs. I may give some of your suggestions a try.
Thank again for the comment
DrDan
Dr Dan says
I love pineapple on the grill. A sweet and sour would be great if you wanted.
Chris says
Those look good, pineapple and green bell pepper go great with beef. I bet these would also be great with a sweet and sour sauce too. Nice job Dan.