Korean Barbeque Steak Kabobs

KOREAN BARBEQUE STEAK KABOBS

7/26/2021

What are your favorite smells of summer? Blooming flowers, suntan lotion, damp earth after a summer thunderstorm, campfires....does sunshine have a smell? One of our favorites are the smells of backyard grilling. And whenever someone in the neighborhood is cooking something on the grill, everyone plays a guessing game as what they're making! Whether its hot dogs over a campfire, burgers on the grill, or ribs on a smoker, it's all good!

But one of our favorites this year is Korean Barbeque Steak Kabobs! The smells wafting thru our backyard and into the house were WONDERFUL! And even the neighbors were coming over to ask "What the heck is that fabulous smell coming from your grill - and what time should we be there for dinner?" Korean Barbeque....it will change your life!

Korean Barbecue Steak Kabobs

START WITH A FABULOUS KOREAN BARBECUE MARINADE & GLAZE

I start with a wonderful savory and sweet Korean barbeque sauce that serves as the base for a Korean Barbeque Marinade and Korean Barbeque Glaze. You'd expect the ginger, onion, soy sauce and brown sugar, but my secret ingredient is a splash of Sweet Asian Chili Sauce and grated ripe fresh pears. Doesn't matter what variety of pear you use, as long as they are totally ripe and sweet. THIS SAUCE IS AMAZING!

The beauty of this delectable Korean spiced sauce is that you can use it on beef, pork or chicken. Marinate for several hours, throw it on the grill - either kabobs or whole steaks or chicken breasts, it's all good! I slather on some of the glaze during the last few minutes on the grill so that it caramelizes into perfection. Drizzle or brush with additional glaze just before serving, and a fabulous Korean dinner is calling your name!

Korean Barbecue Steak Kabobs with Korean Barbecue Sauce, Marinade & Glaze

It's also the perfect compliment to sweet red onions, and sweet summer peppers - I like to use a rainbow of red, yellow and orange sweet peppers. Green peppers have a stronger flavor, but feel free to use those if you'd like.

This is a great dinner to start the night before you have a special dinner to prepare for. You can cut all of the vegetables up in advance and have them ready to thread on skewers with the marinated meat the next night, and grilling only takes a few minutes. And these taste as wonderful as they smell! You might want to plan on making extras, just in case the neighbors make an appearance!

RECIPE VARIATIONS:

Swap protein: You can swap the steak for chicken breasts or thighs, pork tenderloin or pork medallions, or shrimp.

Mix up the veggies. Add your favorite summertime vegetables for color and flavor – cherry tomatoes, cremini or white button mushroom, yellow squash, asparagus. You can also par-boil or roast carrot slices, summer squash or sweet potatoes and skewer them as well!

Spice it up: Add additional Sweet Asian Chili Sauce, red pepper flakes or sriracha seasoning to kick up the heat!

Add fruit: For a flavorful twist, add chunks of fresh pineapple to the skewers.

Korean Barbeque Beef Kabobs

HOW TO GRILL KABOBS:

CLEAN grill before adding kabobs. Heat your grill to medium-high heat with the lid closed. Once it’s fully heated, clean it thoroughly with a grill brush, which ensures direct contact of the kabobs with the heat to create a beautiful sear and grill marks and to help prevent sticking.
Grease your grill with olive, canola or vegetable oil. Even though the marinade contains oil, it is important to still grease your grill. To do this, first clean grill per directions above, and then saturate a wad of paper towels in oil and use tongs to rub along the grill grates.
Add skewers to the grill and grill until lightly charred all over. Grill for approximately 2-3 minutes per side, or 8-12 minutes total. Some kabobs might cook more quickly than others depending on their thickness and location, so watch them closely and rotate as needed. Remove the kabobs when the steak registers between 140-145 degrees on an instant read thermometer.
Let the kabobs rest for 5 minutes. After you remove the kabobs from the grill, let them rest before serving so the juices can be redistributed and absorbed giving you beautiful and juicy steak chunks. If you skip this step the juices will seep out – and you don’t want dry beef.

HOW TO COOK KABOBS IN THE OVEN:

If you don’t have an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan, you can bake your kabobs in the oven. They won’t boast the same smokiness, but they can be roasted and taste delicious!

Prepare baking sheet. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy clean up and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Place prepared baking sheet in oven and allow it to heat up as well.
Add kabobs. Evenly space kabobs on baking sheet so they aren’t touching each other – you want them to roast and not steam.
Bake. Bake for 8-10 for medium rare (135 degrees) and 10-12 minutes for medium (140-145 degrees), turning once. Baking time will vary depending on steak chunk size, marinating time, and actual oven temp, so make sure to check the internal temperature of the steak with a digital thermometer.

Let the kabobs rest for 5 minutes. After you remove the kabobs from the oven, let them rest before serving so the juices can be redistributed and absorbed giving you beautiful and juicy steak chunks. If you skip this step the juices will seep out – and you don’t want dry beef.

KOREAN BARBECUE STEAK KABOBS with KOREAN BARBECUE SAUCE, MARINADE & GLAZE

Korean Barbecue Steak Kabobs are out-of-this-world wonderful – these are the kabobs that had the neighbors running over to ask “What the heck wonderful thing are you grilling now?”

Korean Barbecue Steak Kabobs

INGREDIENTS:
Kabobs
2 lbs. beef top sirloin or tenderloin, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
2 red sweet bell peppers, sliced into 1-1/2 inch pieces
2 orange sweet bell peppers, sliced into 1-1/2 inch pieces
2 yellow sweet bell peppers, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
1 large red onion, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces

Korean Barbecue Sauce:
¾ cup peeled & grated ripe fresh pear
½ cup grated yellow onion
6 garlic cloves, finely minced
½ teaspoon finely grated ginger
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
¼ cup Sweet Asian Chili Sauce
½ tablespoon red pepper flakes or Asian Srirachi Seasoning (optional)

FOR MARINADE:
1/3 of the Korean Barbeque Sauce
¼ cup toasted sesame oil

FOR GLAZE:
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
3 Tablespoons water

HOW WE MAKE THESE:

Prepare Korean Barbecue Sauce: Whisk all of the Sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. You will be dividing the sauce – 1/3 for the Marinade, and 2/3 for the Glaze.
Prepare Korean Barbecue Marinade: Combine a third of the Korean Barbeque Sauce ingredients together with the sesame oil. Reserve and refrigerate remaining Korean Barbeque Sauce.
Place cubed beef tenderloin in a large freezer bag and pour the Korean Barbeque Marinade over the top. Seal bag and gently squeeze/toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 4 to 6 hours.
Prepare Korean Barbecue Glaze: Place the reserved Korean Barbeque Sauce into a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it just starts to simmer. Stir cornstarch into water and pour mixture into pan, stirring constantly, continue to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. While it is simmering, give it a taste, and if you want it a little bit hotter, add another teaspoon of red pepper flakes or Sriracha Seasoning. If you want it sweeter, add brown sugar to taste. Remove from heat and cool. Sauce will thicken as it cools.
Assemble Kabobs:

(NOTE: If using wooden skewers, soak in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling or broiling – otherwise they can catch on fire. If using metal skewers, skewer away!
Thread marinated beef and veggies onto skewers.

GRILLING INSTRUCTIONS

Grease and preheat grill to medium high heat.
Grill kabobs until lightly charred all over, approximately 2-3 minutes per side, brushing lightly with half of the Korean Barbeque Glaze.
For the juiciest steak, the perfect place is cooking to 140 degrees, especially when grilling vegetables. The temperature will rise a few degrees after being removed from the grill or oven. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Serve with reserved Korean Barbecue Glaze.

BAKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy clean up. Lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Evenly space kabobs on baking sheet, brush with half of the Korean Barbecue Glaze and bake 12-16 minutes, turning once OR until meat reaches desired doneness (cooking time will vary depending on meat size, so you can check a chunk of the meat for doneness if desired). Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Serve with reserved Korean Barbecue Glaze.

YIELD: about 12-14 kabob skewers

RECIPE VARIATIONS:

Swap protein: You can swap the steak for chicken breasts or thighs, pork tenderloin or pork medallions, or shrimp.

Mix up the veggies. Add your favorite summertime vegetables for color and flavor – cherry tomatoes, cremini or white button mushroom, yellow squash, asparagus. You can also par-boil or roast carrot slices, summer squash or sweet potatoes and skewer them as well!

Spice it up: Add additional Sweet Asian Chili Sauce, red pepper flakes or sriracha seasoning to kick up the heat!

Add fruit: For a flavorful twist, add chunks of fresh pineapple to the skewers.

Originally published September 2017; revised and reposted July 2021.

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