Shish Kabob with the best beef shish kabob marinade. This Middle Eastern beef kebab recipe has been in the family for so long, I’ve made it several times and I never failed to impress.
Interested in more skewers recipes, try this Middle Eastern chicken kabobs or this ground chicken kabob, look fancy and tastes so good.
Shish kabob/kebab has been in the Middle East since ages, chunks of beef and veggie skewers that are usually cooked over a charcoal grill and served over a bed of rice or with pita bread, so delicious and eye catching.
Summer is all about grilling, right? keep burgers and hot dogs in the freezer for now and let’s try some beef shish kabobs. We always end up with flavored, well balanced and tender beef skewers. The acidity in the marinade helps tenderize the meat perfectly.
I’ve prepared this on the grill and sometimes in the oven when it is snowing or raining out there, it is good either ways. Sometimes, when I have time, I also use the coal trick I showed you before while making the Libyan Merayesha and it gives it the sweet smell of grilling on a charcoal grill.
As I told you before in the Shish Taouq recipe, there is something about food in skewers that makes it so fancy and appealing to everyone.
My kids get thrilled when they see bamboo or metal skewers on the dinner table and they get so motivated to try whatever is in there.
The secret in this recipe really is the marinade itself, you can use this with chicken as well.
Shish Kabob Marinade
Here are some tips to consider while making this marinade
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- Do use fresh garlic in this recipe: it really makes a huge difference and do not ever use powder garlic.
- Do not be afraid of using yogurt: and let it marinade all this time, it is really very tenderizing.
- Do use a good olive oil if possible: I’ve tried it before with vegetable oil and I could taste a big difference.
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- Do prepare ahead of time : I like to marinade my beef for at least 8 hours, but sometimes I can get away with 4. The longer the better in my opinion, but watch out for toughness. Do not overcook the meat as it might get chewy.
- Do not add salt : This recipe calls for a big amount of soy sauce, so really no need for salt.
- Do marinade veggies in a different bag : and put them on different skewers as cooking time is drastically different between veggies and meat, even between different kinds of veggies.
That’s all I can think of right now, and I hope I’ve covered everything I want to say and did not forget something, as I tend to be Dory these day :).
I hope you’ll like this recipe and please if you make this recipe, snap a pic and hashtag it #amiraspantry — I love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter!
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Shish Kabob with the best beef shish kabob marinade. This Middle Eastern beef kebab recipe has been in the family for so long, I've made it several times and I never failed to impress.
- 4 lb beef steak cut into 1 inch cubes. I use sirloin
- 3/4 cup soy sauce.
- 2/3 cup oil- preferably olive oil.
- 1/2 cup yogurt.
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce.
- 2 Tablespoons white vinegar.*
- 1/4 cup lime juice.*
- 3 garlic cloves - minced.
- 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard.
- 2 teaspoon freshly ground black peppers - or to your liking.
- 2 teaspoon ground cardamom.
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- Sweet bell peppers or bell peppers cut into chunks.
- 1 bag pearl onions. 10oz
- 16 small mushroom caps.
- Cherry tomatoes.
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Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a zip lock bag, take 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the marinade and set aside.
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Add the cubed meat to the bag and coat well. Squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag then marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
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Add the veggies to the other bag with 1/2 to 3/4 of the marinade and set aside for an hour.
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Thread meat pieces into metal or bamboo skewers, grill until cooked. Watch out not to overcook it as overcooking toughens the meat.
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Do the same with the veggies as well.
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Serve with rice or pita bread.
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Enjoy!!
* Just wanted to mention that one of the readers complained that the marinade was very acidic for them, so I suggest cutting back the lime and vinegar by half and test the marinade yourself, if you feel it is not tangy enough then add the rest of the lime and vinegar. I've tested this recipe in several occasions and never got any problem with it.
** Nutrition facts calculated on meat skewers only without the veggies.
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Can be served with…
Thanks for this recipe! I did it in summer on the barbecue and it was delicious! I want to try it again with the oven method. Also, I’ll be using lamb instead of beef. Can you tell me how long will I need to cook it in the oven so it’s not over done?
Dimah, thank you for your feedback and I am happy you liked the recipe. Unfortunately, I am not a lamb expert, but I did some searches and it is recommended to cook it on 400F pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes (for medium), or until cooked to your liking. I hope this will help.
Excellent oven directions!!
Baraak Allaahu lakum
Rabia, thank you so much I hope you’ll like it.
I HAVE MINE IN THE MIX AT THIS MINUTE FOR SUNDAY, sure hope they are good as they look,,,!!!!
Thank you for trying this out I hope you’ll like it and I always encourage you to taste it as well so you can adjust more to your liking. But really, this marinade has never failed me before.
Can this be made ahead of time and froze?
Shyla, some people freak out from the idea of a yogurt based marinade. Personally, I’ve tried marinating and freezing many times with yogurt and it all went well. So I do not see why not, if it is ok with you. Thanks and please try to come back and tell me what happened.
This marinade sounds amazing. I love barbecuing and will definitely try it out. Lots of great tips in the article!
Thanks Katrin, I hope you’ll try it out and give me your feedback. Thanks for stopping by.
Excited to try out this recipe! But would you mind sharing the details of the oven method you mentioned? I don’t have the option to grill unfortunately 🙁
Well, I hope you’ll like it. For the oven method, I like stacking them on an oven dish, cover with aluminum foil until it is almost done and tender. Then I finish them up on a rack in the oven or if you have an indoor grill put them there just to get the grilling marks.
I made this last night and followed the recipe exactly, and marinated for 10 hours using Sirloin and found the marinade way too acidic unfortunately with the high ratio of vinegar/lime juice and yogurt compared to the rest of the marinade. This has 2-3 times the acid ratio of a typical marinade and was a bit unbalanced for us, unfortunately.
Hmm this is really strange!!, I’ve tested this recipe on multiple occasions and it pleased everyone. I’m really sorry it turned out this way for you. I will mention your comment in the recipe notes so people will know your opinion and adjust the recipe regarding the acidity. Thank you for your feedback.
I often use yogurt or soy sauce in marinades all the time, but don’t believe I’ve ever used them together. Have to try this! This does look most excellent, and who doesn’t love a kabob? I’ve yet to meet that person! Good stuff — thanks.
Hello Amira,
These look so yummy. I’m going to try them with lamb. Another great recipe I’m sure. May God bless you and your family.
Thanks Gina, I think it will be even tastier with lamb meat. God bless you too my dear.
I love your blog! I’m always so excited when I see it in my email. Many blessings for sharing your love of cooking.
I am going to try this recipe soon Amria and can already tell it’s wonderful….looks delicious too!
Thanks Joanne, I hope you’ll like it dear.
What type of beef would you suggest? Would Chuck roast work? thanks
Judy, thanks for being interested in the recipe. I actually experiment a lot, using whatever cut I can get a good deal on at the market, and I use mostly sirloin and ribeye. If we want to splurge, I use big chunks of filet mignon. I did not use chuck roast in kebab, I only use chuck for stews and pot roast. My guess is it will be tough, although flavorful. I hope this will answer your question, if you need anymore help please do not hesitate.
Hi Amira.
M from India. The recipes u share are really awesome this one too “seesh kebab”. We call it seekh kebab here. I wanted to share my recipe of this and the dip serve with this. may I.
Shaima, I am happy that you’ve liked the recipe and ofcourse you are welcome to share yours, this adds to the flow :). Thanks for sharing the love of food.