Beef Shashlyk Skewers
Beef forgives less than pork: overcooked, it goes rubbery and no marinade will rescue it. So there are two rules — choose a cut with fat running through it, and take the skewers off while the centre is still pink. No acid in the marinade; it only tightens the fibres.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 6 h
- Total
- 6 h 45 min
- Servings
- 6
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 390 kcal
Ingredients
Makes: 6 skewers
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Choose the cut
Use ribeye, tenderloin or top round with visible seams of fat. Shin and chuck are not skewer meat — they need hours of braising.
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Step 2: Cut across the grain
Cut 4 cm cubes across the grain. That alone makes every piece easier to chew, even if you hold it a minute too long over the fire.
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Step 3: Mix the marinade
Grate the onions to a pulp and crush the garlic. Combine with the oil, pepper and thyme. No vinegar, lemon or wine — acid only dries beef out.
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Step 4: Marinate overnight
Coat the meat, cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. Salt 20 minutes before it goes over the coals.
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Step 5: Thread the skewers
Thread the cubes tightly with no onion between them: beef grills fast and the onion would burn before it softened.
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Step 6: Grill briefly
The coals should be hot. Grill for 12–15 minutes, turning every 2–3 minutes — high heat, short time.
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Step 7: Take them off in time
Cut into a cube: the centre should be pink but not red or wet. There is no reason to take beef all the way to grey.
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Step 8: Rest and serve
Cover with foil for 5 minutes, squeeze over lemon and serve with the grilled onion.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Unsure about the cut? Grill one cube first and taste it before threading the rest.
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Variation
For a softer result stir 200 g of plain yoghurt into the marinade — gentler than any acid.
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Tip
Take the meat out of the fridge an hour before grilling: a cold cube chars outside before it warms through.
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Storage
Marinated beef keeps a day. Cooked skewers are best eaten straight away — by day two they toughen noticeably.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 6 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 390 kcal | 2,340 kcal |
| Protein | 42 g | 252 g |
| Fat | 21 g | 126 g |
| Carbohydrates | 5 g | 30 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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