Learn how to make shish kabobs, also spelled “shish kebabs,” with this easy shish kabob recipe. A flavor-packed marinade made from basic pantry staples makes these steak kabobs unbelievably juicy and delicious–perfect for your summer BBQs!
Shish kabobs, hot off the grill with a fresh tomato and cucumber salad and Mediterranean dips like baba ganoush, tzatziki, and hummus is my idea of the perfect summer party.
In the Middle East and the Mediterranean, shish kabobs are synonymous with gathering together to enjoy a meal. When I have friends or family coming over, I love to make skewers with whatever looks best at my market. I skewer classics like chicken, shrimp, lamb and pork, to Brussels sprouts and even frozen chocolate-covered grapes (recipe on YouTube). There’s just something about food on a stick that brings a festive feeling to any party!
This shish kabob recipe uses an aromatic spice rub packed with warming Mediterranean spices like nutmeg, allspice, and paprika. Red wine and lemon add depth, and the meat tenderizes as it soaks–allow a few hours to marinate in your fridge for the best results. From there, less than 10 minutes on the grill and these shish kabobs are juicy, incredibly tasty, and perfectly charred.
Table of Contents
- Shish Kabob Ingredients
- Best Meat for Shish Kabobs
- How to Make Shish Kabobs
- At Least 1 ½ Hours Before Cooking: Marinate the Shish Kebabs
- One Hour Before Grilling: Get Ready to Grill
- 30 Minutes Before Serving: Grill the Shish Kebabs
- What to Serve with Shish Kabobs
- You’ll Also Like: Our Juiciest Kabob Recipes
- Bundle and Save!
- Shish Kabob Recipe
Shish Kabob Ingredients
We build big flavor with a homemade spice rub made with what’s likely already living in your spice drawer. Here’s what you’ll need to make this shish kabob recipe:
- Spices: Garlic powder, ground nutmeg, ground green cardamom, allspice, smoked or sweet paprika, salt, and black pepper are the major flavor-makers in this kabob recipe.
- Vegetables: Bell peppers and red onions get sweet and bright and need just a quick char on the grill. You can substitute with any quick-cooking seasonal items you have on hand, like zucchini or cherry tomatoes.
- Meat: I like to use beef tenderloin because it stays super tender without much effort. You can use top sirloin or another cut of steak, just make sure to marinate tougher cuts overnight (more tips below). In fact, you can really use any meat you like here, including lamb and chicken.
- Lemon: Adds a bright flavor to balance the richness of the meat.
- Olive oil: Tenderizes and enriches the meat. Use a smooth, high quality extra virgin variety, like our Greek Koroneiki.
- Red wine: Use a dry red wine. It doesn’t need to be super expensive, but it should be tasty enough to drink on its own.
Best Meat for Shish Kabobs
The best meat for shish kabobs is a cut that’s both tender and flavorful, which can be trickier than it sounds. Here are the best steaks for this shish kabob recipe:
- Beef tenderloin: My favorite cut for shish kabobs, as it stays tender without much work. It’s not quite as robust in flavor as other cuts of meat, so I like to marinate it for a couple of hours in the fridge. The downside, though, is that it's fairly expensive, so feel free to substitute with a more economical cut. The marinade in this recipe is so good you don’t necessarily need to splurge.
- Sirloin: I particularly like “sirloin tip” if it’s available. Sirloin is less expensive and is a good option because of its big beefy flavor. Allow at least 2 hours in the marinade (refrigerated) to tenderize the meat.
- I don’t recommend: chuck steak. I avoid this cut of meat when it comes to kabobs. While it's a flavorful cut of meat, it can be way too tough and chewy for kabobs.
How to Make Shish Kabobs
To make shish kebabs, make sure you give yourself enough time to allow the meat to marinate for the best flavor. Two to four hours is ideal, but 30 minutes does the trick if you’re short on time. Here’s how to make shish kabobs:
At Least 1 ½ Hours Before Cooking: Marinate the Shish Kebabs
- Make the spice rub. In a large bowl, mix together 2 ½ teaspoons garlic powder, 1 ½ teaspoons nutmeg, 1 ½ teaspoons cardamom, 1 teaspoon allspice, 1 teaspoon paprika, and a very generous pinch or two of kosher salt and black pepper.
- Season the meat. Cut 3 pounds of steak (I use beef tenderloin) into 1 ½-inch cubes. Add the meat to the bowl with the spice rub and use your hands to rub the spices into the meat, coating it in the spices.
- Prepare the marinade. Thinly slice one red onion and add to a large, deep baking dish or Tupperware container. Juice in two lemons and add 1 cup each of olive oil and red wine.
- Marinate the meat. Add the seasoned meat and use your hands to work the marinade into the meat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (preferably 2 to 4 hours, or overnight for a tougher cut of steak).
One Hour Before Grilling: Get Ready to Grill
- Get ready. Remove the meat from your fridge for one hour before grilling. If you’re using bamboo or wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least one hour to prevent sticking. Cut one red onion and 4 bell peppers (a mixture of red, green, and yellow) into pieces that are roughly the same width as the meat.
30 Minutes Before Serving: Grill the Shish Kebabs
- Preheat your grill. Lightly oil the grates of a gas grill and heat for 10 minutes on high.
- Prepare the skewers. Thread the meat, onion pieces (discard the slices from the marinade as they’ll be too thin), and bell peppers onto the prepared skewers. Alternate until you run out of meat–I do about 4 pieces of meat per skewer with the vegetables nestled in between. Hold onto the marinade as we’ll use it later. Season the skewers with more freshly ground black pepper.
- Grill. Place the shish kabobs on the grill. Cook, turning occasionally and brushing the meat a couple of times with the marinade as you go. They’ll be done in 8 to 10 minutes, depending on how hot your grill is and how well-cooked you like your meat.
- Rest before serving. Remove from the heat and transfer to a serving platter. Allow 5 minutes for the kabobs to rest before serving. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Shish Kabobs
Shish kebabs are traditionally served with a number of mezze sides and salads. Here are some ideas to turn these easy shish kabobs into a full dinner spread to please a crowd.
For a salad, go for something fresh and seasonal. Herby tomato salad, watermelon salad, loaded chickpea salad, or three bean salad all come to mind.
For your sides, make a starch and a vegetable–something fresh and something hearty to serve with the juicy shish kebabs. Batata harra (spicy potatoes), lemony roasted cauliflower, and grilled zucchini would all be delicious. No mezze spread is complete without dips.Tahini with cucumbers and tomatoes, baba ganoush, tzatziki, and hummus are some of my favorites, and you can get them all ready to go before your guests arrive.
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Shish Kabob
Equipment
- grill
- Up to 20 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 1 hour
Ingredients
For the Skewers
- 2 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground green cardamom
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper more for later
- 3 lb Top sirloin steak or beef tenderloin fillet, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
- 1 large red onion
- 2 green bell peppers
- 2 red bell or orange bell peppers
For the marinade
- 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup dry red wine
Instructions
At Least 1 ½ Hours Before Cooking:
- Make the spice rub. In a large bowl, mix together the garlic powder, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, paprika, and a very generous pinch or two of salt and pepper.
- Season the meat. Add the meat to the bowl with the spice rub. Use your hands to rub the spices into the meat, coating the meat in the spices.
- Prepare the marinade. In a large and deep baking dish or Tupperware container, combine the red onions, lemon juice, olive oil and red wine. Add the seasoned meat and use your hands to work the marinade into the meat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (preferably 2 to 4 hours, or overnight for a tougher cut of steak).
- Get ready. Remove the meat from your fridge for one hour before grilling. If you’re using bamboo or wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least one hour to prevent sticking. Cut the onion and bell peppers into pieces that are roughly the same width as the meat.
30 Minutes Before Serving:
- Preheat your grill. Lightly oil the grates of a gas grill and heat for 10 minutes on high.
- Prepare the skewers. Thread the meat, onion pieces (discard the slices from the marinade as they’ll be too thin), and bell peppers onto the prepared skewers. Alternate until you run out of meat–I do about 4 pieces of meat per skewer with the vegetables nestled in between. Hold onto the marinade as we’ll use it later. Season the skewers with more freshly ground black pepper.
- Grill. Place the shish kabobs on the grill. Cook, turning occasionally and brushing the meat a couple of times with the marinade as you go. They’ll be done in 8 to 10 minutes, depending on how hot your grill is and how well-cooked you like your meat.
- Rest before serving. Remove from the heat and transfer to a serving platter. Allow 5 minutes for the kabobs to rest before serving. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Cook's Tip: If you have the time, allow the meat to marinate in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours, or overnight if you're using a tougher cut of meat. I used beef tenderloin which is a tender cut of meat and does not require too much time in the marinade.
- Allowing the meat to come to room temperature before grilling is an important step. An even temperature throughout the steak allows you to cook it quickly over high heat, keeping it juicy.
- Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils, honey, jams, and spices.
Nutrition
This post first appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2016 and has been updated with new information and media for readers' benefit
I made these on a smoker. Slow cooked for an hour. They were amazing. Thanks so much!
Sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Alex!
This marinade is ridiculously easy and delicious. I've used it twice with venison loin (AKA backstrap). The first time I used Cabernet Sauvignon which was a bit on the sweet side (but still great!). Last night I used a Merlot which was drier and more to my liking. Both times I marinated baby portabella mushrooms with the meat and they were a big hit! FWIW, I skewer things together, meat on one, bell peppers on one, etc... May not be the best presentation, but I load all the skewers on a large platter and go buffet style...FWIW, I served it on a bed of quinoa.
Thank you Suzy for this fantastic recipe!
So glad to hear it, Tim! And thanks so much for sharing your ideas!
Those look delicious!
Thanks, Lisa!
Hello, I am looking forward to making this recipe this weekend for the first time. We aren't wine drinkers and have never cooked with it. Would you please tell me what kind of wine you used?
Thank you much,
Mandy
Hi Mandy. Any dry red wine that is not super expensive will work. The answer is elaborated on in the actual post.
I used this recipe for some easy, tasty kabobs that we grilled on the boat this past weekend. I used NY Strip Steak for my meat and it came out nice and tender. I marinaded overnight to help with tenderizing. I added some red pepper flakes just to give it a tiny bit of heat. Everyone loved the kabobs and every last bite was eaten! I will be doing this again.
Thank you for sharing, John!
just an fyi to FRED. There is quite a bit of great kabob meat on a whole beef tenderloin, not all of the tenderloin is suitable for "Filet Mignon". I use the ends and the chain meat for kabobs, have been for years. this yields at least 3 lb. of great kabobs/tenderloin. I'm sure we have all had the experience of tough beef kabobs at least once in our lives, using well seasoned beef tenderloin will eliminate that disappointment....thanks for the recipe!
Yes, great point, Dirk! thank you for sharing.
Excited to try this recipe? Is there anything I could use instead of the red wine? We are a family of nondrinkers. Thank you.
Hi, Kay! You can substitute the wine with some beef stock. Hope you guys enjoy the recipe!!
These were so delish!! Made 8 lbs of them for a large group of campers and they were a bit hit!! So juicy and flavorful!!! Thank you!!
Awesome, Belinda! So glad you enjoyed them!
Is the dry red wine ? same the red wine for cooking or it’s different??
Red wine is good here, Muna
Is there anything else I can use other than red wine.
Hi, Azza! You can try using beef broth/stock in place of the red wine. The flavor profile will be different, but it will add the needed liquid.
Filet Mignon? For Kebabs? Are you insane, or just rich?
So I take it a lot of people are not making this with $10/lb meat for their parties....?
I am just beyond words for this sacrilege to filet mignon.l chop it up into kebabs???
Seriously? i can't do this.....
Fred, not sure if you read the entire post. Here's an excerpt from the post: I have tried several cuts in the past, and was always disappointed at the tough and chewy kabobs I ended up with. I finally gave in and went for beef tenderloin or fillet mignon, which is absolutely tender and buttery. The downside to fillet mingon is, of course, the big price tag; if you are grilling for a crowd, a less expensive choice is tip sirloin.
I always make filet Mignon kebabs... what’s the difference grilling it in whole pieces or in chunks. Just as good if not better!! ❤️
Made these for Fourth of July party- they were amazing!
That's awesome, Sophie! So glad to hear it!
Thank you for this wonderful dish!
My only note is, if someone decides to use the marinade for anything else, it should be boiled and covered for 10 minutes before since it was in contact with raw meat
Thank you, Rob! And thanks for sharing!
Swooning! I might have to sub sirloin for my large gang this summer, although I know it won't be quite as tasty. Thank you.
What do we do with the left over marinade . I made the tomato salad last week , I been thinking of it ever since ??It's great !
Hi Emma, once you've marinated the beef, I typically dispose of the marinade. Enjoy!
Love your recipes. You have a big fan in Iceland
Thank you so much! I am grateful to have you here.
Hi! I don't understand How to get your e-cookbook ? Can u explain ?
Hello, Maria. The e-cookbook is available for free to anyone who subscribes to our weekly e-mail newsletter. On your desktop, you'll find to the very right of the page a place where it says "Free e-cookbook" and there is a spot to put your name and e-mail address below to join the community. You'll receive the cookbook shortly thereafter. Hope this helps.
These look delicious! Great pictures. I can't wait to try these. Thanks 🙂
Awesome, Jessica! Hope you enjoy them!
What a great mix of spices, these look absolutely amazing!!
Thank you so much, Debra!
This totally belongs on the July 4th BBQ menu. I am digging your marinade. I know it is simple but that does not mean it is not good.
Peter, thanks so much! I love this simple marinade! Does the trick every time!!!
This is the perfect summer meal! I love all the flavors in this dish - can't wait to make it!
Thank you, Holly! It really is. Enjoy!