Sweet and Savory Beef and Pineapple Kabobs
These sweet and savory kabobs are packed with Asian-inspired flavor, featuring tender beef, caramelized pineapple, and a gingery marinade. Perfect for grilling season!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless short ribs coulotte or sirloin steaks that are 1 1/2 to 2" thick
- 1/2 of a fresh pineapple
- 1 red onion
For Marinade:
- 2 Tablespoons fresh grated ginger
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 Tablespoon creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl large enough to hold the meat. Taste and adjust if needed. Set aside.
- Slice pineapple into 1/2 inch thick planks, and then cut the planks into squares about 1 1/2 inches across. Slice outer rings of red onion into squares about 1 1/2 inch square. Place both in another bowl, add 1/4 cup of the marinade and turn to coat.
- Cut beef into pieces about 1 1/2 to 2" square and add to the bowl you mixed the marinade in. Turn beef to coat evenly.
- Cover both bowls and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours* (2-3 hours is the sweet spot).
- Thread ingredients on skewers alternating beef, onion, pineapple. I usually use 4-5 pieces of meat per skewer but that's completely up to you.
- Grill kabobs using medium heat (clean and oil the grates first so they don't stick!) and turning once (about 5-6 minutes each side). I like to use a meat thermometer to gauge when to take them off and I prefer 135°f for medium rare. If you like them more done you can cook them up to 145°f. Higher than that and they'll be dry and tough.
Notes
If using wooden skewers soak them in water for 30 minutes before using
marinate beef separately from onion and pineapple
30 minutes is long enough to absorb some flavor. 2-3 hours is the sweet spot. Don't marinate longer than 4 hours because the meat will get a "gummy" unappealing texture.
If prepping ahead store cubed meat, marinade, and cut up pineapple/onion in 3 separate containers in the refrigerator. When ready to continue, toss ingredients with marinade and continue from step 4.