7 Tips & Recipes for Grilling The Perfect Kabob

Beef kabobs are a winning pick for your next backyard grill out. Quick and easy to make and extremely versatile with nearly infinite ingredient variations, kabobs are sure to delight guests of all ages. Seriously, who doesn’t love eating beef on a stick?! However, without basic grilling or skewering know-how, even the best-intended efforts can turn out dry or lackluster. Kick up your kabob grilling game with these seven tips, along with recipe suggestions, that produce consistently delicious results.

1. Choose the Best Beef Cut for Kabobs

After years of trial and error, I’ve found that the various cuts of Sirloin are the best for kabobs. Relatively tender, without a need for extensive marinating, Sirloin (from top to tip) is lean and fits into a balanced diet — plus, it’s budget-friendly . Other good beef choices for kabobs are Flat Iron or Strip Steak and even Tenderloin.

2. To Marinate Or Not

Sirloin doesn’t require marinade to break down muscle fibers for tenderness. But, if you’d like to impart a distinctive flavor, pour a marinade (bottled brands are fine) on your beef cubes for about 15 to 45 minutes prior to grilling (discard marinade after use). Or, keep life super simple and let the beef flavor shine through with just a little sprinkling of salt and pepper or a steak seasoning. Pro tip: For food safety reasons, always marinate in the refrigerator. Never marinate at room temperature or outdoors when grilling

3. Co-mingle Consistently

Allowing beef and produce to co-exist on the same skewer is perfectly fine, and it also looks beautiful. Keep beef chunks, and similar-density vegetables and fruits cut into approximate 3/4-inch to 1 1/2-inch pieces for even cooking. For example, beef, onions, squash, or pineapple chunks would be paired well on the same skewer, as they can all handle the same heat and cooking time.

4. Separate Strategically

If you have distinctly smaller or larger ingredients or produce that is extremely delicate (like tomatoes), these should be skewered separately and removed from the heat earlier. Hearty ingredients like raw potatoes or chunks of corn-on-the-cob can be partially cooked prior to grilling and placed on their own individual skewers or threaded alongside the beef.

5. Give Space

Human nature directs us to cram all we can fit onto a single skewer. But, by leaving a small amount of space between each ingredient (1/4-inch), heat can better circulate and cook food evenly.

6. How Hot, How Long

Grill kabobs over direct heat of approximately 400°F. Kabobs with 3/4-inch cubes require approximately 8 to 10 minutes of total time on the grill, flipping halfway through. Bigger chunks will take a few more minutes. If you notice that some skewers are cooking faster than others, move them toward a cooler zone or to indirect heat. For medium-rare kabobs, the internal temperature should be 145°F after you’ve completed cooking. Protip: Kabobs will continue to cook a little more and gain a few more degrees while resting on the platter.

7. Make It A Party

Create a skewering station and ask guests to each bring a bowl full of their favorite produce prepped into bite-sized pieces. You can also provide popular veggies such as mushrooms, colorful peppers, squash, tomatoes, and onions or experiment with Romaine lettuce, asparagus, brussels sprouts and more! Fruits that hold up well on the grill include pineapple, citrus with skin on and stone fruits — grapes and watermelon are good too!

Ready to get grilling? Here are some kabob ideas to get you started: