Marinated Beef Kabobs with Simple Marinade

Time: 1 15

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)

🐄Ingredients
👨‍🍳How to Grill Marinated Beef Kabobs—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
⏲️How long to grill beef kabobs
✔️Tips for perfect beef kabobs every time.
Can I add meat tenderizer?
Other Kabob recipes
🍴What to serve with grilled beef kabobs?
Storage of leftovers
❓FAQs
🐄About Sirloin Steak
📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions

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.

cubes of sirloin steak on a white board.

2. Trim beef of any fat and cut it into about 1 to 1 ¼ inch cubes, keeping the pieces about the same size.

ingredients for a simple beef kabob marinade.

3. Whisk together the marinade of Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and garlic powder with some water.

mixing sirloin steak with marinade in white bowl.

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.

Save this recipe!

Enter your email address and we'll send the link straight to your inbox!

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

Can beef kabobs be cooked in the oven?

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.

Do I need to add salt and pepper?

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.

Location of Sirloin on copyrighted image. — Licensed from Depositphotos August 2021. Copyright FoxysGraphic. Modified for use.

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.

📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions