How to Grill Beef Kabobs

For making kabobs, most people buy bamboo skewers at the grocery store. These are inexpensive and work well—but since they are made of wood, they will catch fire very easily. To prevent burning, soak them for an hour in water prior to threading on the meat and vegetables.

Start by cutting your beef into cubes or chunks 1 to 1½ inches squared. If the meat chunks are too small, then your kabobs can easily overcook and dry out. Place the meat in a dish and apply your favorite marinade. A marinade with a good amount of oil is preferred in order to keep the meat moist and help the exterior caramelize and form a good crust. Meanwhile, cut your vegetables into chunks about the same size as your meat chunks—1 to 1½ inches. Good choices for vegetables include onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, or even fruit like pineapple. You can marinate the vegetables for additional flavor if you like, but do so in a different container.

Thread the meat and vegetables onto the soaked bamboo skewers, making sure not to crowd the ingredients too much. The meat and vegetable pieces should be touching, but not too snugly. If they are packed too tightly, they may not cook through in some places. If they are too loose, you run the risk of overcooking and drying out the meat.

Set up your coals in a two-zone configuration. Keep all your hot coals on one side of your grill, leaving the other side empty. It’s a great way to sear the kabobs over high heat and keep a void space in case of flare-ups.

Place your beef kabobs directly over the coals on the hot side of the two-zone fire. Let them sear and get some good color, then rotate the skewer to brown the other side. If flare-ups occur or the sticks start to burn, move the skewers over to the cool side of the grill.

Once browned, move to the cool side to finish cooking. Beef reaches medium rare at 135°F. A digital, instant-read thermometer will really come in handy for indicating a temperature reading quickly. In general, beef kabobs take about seven to eight minutes total cooking time, depending on the size of the beef chunks.

Unlike larger cuts of meat, there is no need to let your beef kabobs rest. You can serve them immediately with the side dishes of your choice.