- April 19, 2018
- Gluten Free
Broiled Beef Shish Kebabs
Learn how to broil beef shish kebobs in the oven with this easy to follow step by step recipe! A perfect any night of the week meal you can make in minutes.
Kebabs are an easy, throw together meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights and even meal prep. I love these grilled butter chicken kebobs, these mini cheeseburger kebabs ones, and even these sausage antipasto style ones too! While these flavors are fun, sometimes a good steak style kebob is the way to go.
I grew up eating a version of these kebobs my whole life. They’re a favorite meal to grill up in the summertime for a good charcoal flavor, but are totally versatile for cooking up under your broiler as well (in case you don’t grill year-round or don’t have a grill).
There are a few key components to making a good flavor packed steak kabob in the oven. This includes using the best beef cut of meat for cooking in the oven, marinades for added flavoring and tenderness, and techniques for high heat cooking.
Grab all the details outlined in the post below or jump to the recipe at the bottom of the page and dive in!
“School” Supplies:
- Wooden or Metal Skewers
- Large Bowl or Plastic Bag
- Knife and Cutting Board
- Baking Sheet with Cooling Rack
- Foil
- Meat thermometer
“Class” Notes:
Need to know more about this recipe? Use my culinary notes below to help guide you through. Enjoy!
Best Beef Cuts For Skewers:
Choosing the right cut of beef for making a tender and delicious beef kabob is the key to a successful outcome. This really makes a difference in taste and texture. For this recipe, I really like to work with a top sirloin steak.
Top sirloin comes from a similar area as the tenderloin. It’s a good quality, lean, tender cut of meat and cooks well when broiled. When you go to cut the meat into pieces for broiling, you want to make sure to cut opposite the grain.
This helps keep the meat tender when biting into it (because if you’re like me you have no problem eating it right off the stick). Additionally, look for cuts at your butcher that have thin layers of marbling and trim off any silver skin or large excess pieces of fat too.
Beef Shish Kabob Marinade:
My family always makes this red wine marinade for beef kebobs. You can keep all the ingredients and omit the wine if desired, but it does add a lot of additional flavor and tenderness too.
Here is what I use:
- Red Wine (any wine you like to drink, works)
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
- Fresh parsley
- Large pieces of onion or bell pepper if desired
- Any other spices (I love Aleppo pepper for a bit of a kick)
Place the cuts of meat into a large bowl or plastic bag to marinade. This can rest in the fridge a few hours prior to broiling or overnight if needed. I rotate the bag every few hours to fully coat all the meat as needed.
Pro Tip: Be sure to remove the meat and vegetables from the marinade and pat them very dry with paper towel. Dry meat browns, otherwise you will steam them in the broiler and not sear them! Discard excess marinade.
How to broil shish kebobs in the oven:
Here are a few key tips and techniques for the best results when using the broiler in your oven for beef kebobs-
- Pre-heat your oven on the highest broiling setting it has. You want your oven piping hot!
- I like to line a baking sheet with foil (for easy clean up) and place a cooking rack over the baking sheet. This helps elevate the steak kebobs and keeps air-flow moving through and under the skewers.
- Typically you need to place wood skewers in water if you’re grilling (because of the high heat). For this recipe, it isn’t really necessary for a good outcome.
- After you pat the steak pieces dry from the marinade, place pieces onto the skewer and keep a small amount of separation between each piece. I like to add the onion pieces between each piece of steak too for flavor.
- Place all the skewers onto the cooling rack and under the broiler. Keep the oven rack as close to the broiler as possible as well for best results.
- Cooking length will vary depending on thickness of your steak pieces and the level of doneness you want. I like to cook my skewers for 6-8 minutes total for a doneness of medium rare (I pull them at a temperature of around 125-130 F.).
- I encourage you to broil for 3-4 minutes on the front, then turn the skewers and cook the opposite side for an additional 3-4 minutes. If you prefer your steak cooked through more, continue to cook and rotate as desired.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to rest. Serve with my favorite kebob side dish with this homemade Armenian style easy bulgar pilaf.
Broiled Beef Shish Kebabs
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. Top Sirloin Steak diced into large 2 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup Fresh parsley chopped
- ½ Yellow onion quartered and pieces separated
- 2 cups Red Wine
- 2 tsp. Salt
- 2 tsp. Black Pepper
- 1 tsp. Aleppo Pepper optional
Instructions
- 1. Begin by trimming and fat off the steak. Cut the steak into 2 inch size pieces across the grain.
- 2. Place the pieces into a mixing bowl. Season generously with salt, black pepper, and Aleppo pepper if using it. Add chopped parsley and the quartered onions.
- 3. Add the red wine and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to marinade for at least an hour or two (longer if possible).
- 4. Preheat the broiler so it is set to high on your oven. Make sure the oven rack is as high as it can go with leaving room for the baking sheet to still fit.
- 5. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a roasting rack or cooling rack over the top to elevate the kabobs.
- 6. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side (this cooking time will vary depending on how rare you like your meat). Please note that every oven is different. You want the meat to sear but not get too dry.
- 7.Half way through, flip the kabobs to allow the other side to cook as well. Cook to 125-130 F. for medium rare. Continue to cook as needed if you prefer your steak with more doneness.
- 8. Remove from the oven and allow them to rest for 5 minutes. Remove the steak from the skewers (or eat them off the stick…I’m not judging) and serve with your favorite sides.
What would be a good side dish to serve with this? Thank you in advance.
We love this Armenian pilaf recipe: https://www.bonappeteach.com/easy-bulgur-pilaf/
If you can’t find bulgar wheat, use the same measurement and sub for converted rice (my Grandma always used Uncle Ben’s brand).