Tonight Shish Kabob is on the menu, and who can resist juicy beef or lamb shish kabob, fresh off the grill? Wouldn't this Shish Kabob Recipe be perfect for dinner tonight? Serve these Shish Kabobs with Baghali Polo and Marinated Sumac Onions for a delicious Middle Eastern feast!
Have you ever wondered how to make juicy shish kabobs? Well, I'm about to teach you everything I know about this tasty Middle Eastern entree. Whether you call them shish kebabs or kabobs, there is one thing we can hopefully all agree on, how tasty they are! I'm about to show you how to make tender, flavorful shish kabobs at home!
Jump to:
😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The recipe is pretty flexible, which means you can use beef, lamb, or game meat for the kabobs.
- You can also use your favorite vegetables including mushrooms, green peppers, red peppers, and zucchini.
- The marinade has simple ingredients that you most likely have in your kitchen already, ok, maybe not the sumac powder (unless you're Middle Eastern).
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
- Meat: Although cubed lamb and beef kebabs are more traditional, feel free to experiment with pork or chicken breast! If using beef consider a tender cut of meat like ribeye. Strip steak is a more affordable option.
- Veggies: Use your favorite veggies including cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, button mushrooms, and sliced zucchini.
- Spices: You'll need allspice, sumac powder, Middle Eastern seven spice or baharat spice mix, salt, and black pepper.
🥩 How to Make Delicious Shish Kabobs
Step 1: Add the following to a food processor: Onion, garlic, red wine, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, allspice, and seven spice. Pulse until there are no chunks remaining.
Step 2: Pour the marinade over the meat. Cube onion and bell pepper and mix in with the meat mixture. Marinate for at least four hours.
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Step 3: Skewer the meat on metal skewers, alternating with the onions and peppers.
Step 4: Sprinkle the skewered meat and vegetables with 2 teaspoons of sumac spice. Barbecue over medium-high heat until the meat is cooked to your liking. Medium-rare to medium is how I like it.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
So what does "Shish" Kabob mean anyways? And what's the difference between shish kabob/kebab and kofta kabob/kebab? Let's first define "Shish." "Shish" is the Arabic word for "skewer."
"Kabob or kebab" is the name of the spiced chunks of meat that are skewered. The meat is usually alternated on the skewers with onions, green pepper, and cherry tomatoes.
On the other hand, “Kofta” is a word used throughout the Middle East, meaning "ground meat." So Kofta Kabob/kebab is skewered seasoned ground meat.
The meat used to make both kinds of kabobs is usually beef, lamb, or chicken. However, I have used this particular marinade to make venison, bison burgers, and elk kabob, all with great results!
Unlike many Middle Eastern recipes, this Shish Kabob Recipe is very easy to prepare. Luckily, there are no major kitchen gadgets required to pull this recipe off either.
Although metal skewers would be handy for this recipe, you can easily use soaked wooden skewers instead. But for a very small price, you can have reusable skewers that will last forever. So if you plan on making kabobs on a pretty regular basis, investing in some metal skewers wouldn't be a bad idea.
Need some serving suggestions to go with this shish kabob recipe? Why not serve the kabobs accompanied by Lebanese Tabbouleh, Chickpea Rice, and Pickled Turnips?
Or how about serving the kabob in a Pita Bread sandwich, along with Pickled Mangoes? You can also go the less ethnic route if you choose. What do I mean by that? How about some grilled corn, rice, and a salad?
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Other steak options include top sirloin and beef tenderloin. Avoid stew meat which is meant to be slow-cooked for a long period.
- Serve shish kebabs with hummus, or tahini sauce on the side.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for about a week.
🥙 More Middle Eastern Recipes!
📖 Recipe
Juicy Shish Kabobs
Ingredients
- 1 lb. beef or lamb cubed
- 1 small yellow onion divide in half
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoon red wine
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon Middle Eastern seven spice
- 1 red or green bell pepper
- 2 teaspoon sumac
Instructions
- Add the following to a food processor: Onion, garlic, red wine, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, allspice, and seven spice. Pulse until there are no chunks remaining.
- Pour the marinade over the meat. Cube onion and bell pepper and mix in with the meat mixture. Marinate for at least four hours.
- Skewer the meat on metal skewers, alternating with the onions and peppers.
- Sprinkle the skewered meat and vegetables with 2 teaspoons of sumac spice. Barbecue over medium-high heat until the meat is cooked to your liking. Medium-rare to medium is how I like it.
Notes
- Other steak options include top sirloin and beef tenderloin. Avoid stew meat which is meant to be slow-cooked for a long period.
- Serve shish kebabs with hummus, or tahini sauce on the side.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for about a week.
AR says
Just tried this recipe - doubled it and used it to marinade 2 pounds of sirloin, cubed into 2-inch pieces. Skewered with bell peppers, sweet onions, and cherry tomatoes. Grilled indirectly on a high-heat grill, 2 minutes each side (8 minutes total). The meat turned out so juicy and flavorful.
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you for the review. I'm happy that you liked the recipe. 🙂