Smoked Beef Kabobs
Food on a stick ALWAYS tastes better, and when you make Smoked Beef Kabobs, you get big, beefy flavor along with your favorite veggies plus a kiss of smoke. So easy, so fun to make and eat, and so delish, you’ll be the dinner winner when you put this dish out for family and friends!
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Tender, marinated beef, and your favorite veggies smoked until perfect is what these Smoked Beef Kabobs are all about! This is a quick smoking recipe, along with being an easy smoking recipe, so you can be eating in hardly any time!
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Because this is a quick pellet grill/smoker recipe, you’re not going to get a huge smoke ring. I cook these kabobs low and slow so that they get the maximum amount of smoke, but then you need to turn up the temperature to cook the veggies. Cut up like this, veggies on the smoker will dry out before they cook – and you want both the meat and veggies to be cooked!
What you’ll love about Smoked Beef Kabobs
- This is a quick smoking recipe – you can eat in about an hour (after marinating).
- Customize your beef skewers however you like!
- Prep everything ahead of time, then pop it onto the smoker before eating.
Ingredients
- Beef – See my notes below for the best beef for beef kabobs.
- Veggies – Zucchini, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, and even small pre-cooked potatoes work well.
For The Beef Kabob Marinade:
- Soy sauce – Low sodium or regular.
- Olive oil
- Worcestershire sauce
- Balsamic vinegar
- Honey
- Garlic – Use fresh garlic cloves; skip jarlic for the best flavor.
- Black pepper – Freshly cracked black pepper has the best flavor.
You’ll Also Need:
- Traeger smoker – Or another electric pellet grill/smoker.
- Pellets – Any kind of pellet will do for this quick smoked meat recipe.
- Skewers – You can use wood, but I like having metal skewers that I can reuse.
The Best Beef For Smoked Beef Kabobs
There’s some marinating involved, but it won’t tenderize the beef. So having tender beef to start with is key to making a great beef shish kabob. Here are some of my favorite cuts of beef:
- Beef tenderloin – Pricy but some of the most tender beef out there, if you want to splurge, go for beef tenderloin.
- Ribeye – It may seem criminal to cut up ribeye steaks for kabobs, but if it’s flavor you’re after, there’s nothing finer!
- Sirloin – The most common cut of meat for kabobs, sirloin is lean and beefy without being too tough. It’ll take nicely to the marinade and is an affordable cut of meat.
How To Smoke Beef Kabobs
For a full list of ingredients and instructions, please scroll down to the recipe at the bottom of this page.
Cut the beef into large cubes and chop the vegetables into similar-sized pieces so everything cooks evenly on the skewers.
To make the marinade, add the soy sauce, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, and pepper to a blender. Pulse until the garlic is finely chopped and the marinade is smooth and fully combined.
Place the beef cubes into a bowl or large zip-top bag and pour the marinade over the meat. Toss to coat evenly, then refrigerate for about 1 hour. Turning the meat once or twice during marinating helps distribute the flavor more evenly.
Preheat your smoker to 180°F according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Toss the vegetables with the remaining oil, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
Thread the beef and vegetables onto skewers, alternating pieces of meat and vegetables for even cooking and better presentation. Flat metal skewers work especially well because they keep the ingredients from spinning when turned.
Place the kabobs on the smoker and smoke at 180°F for about 30 minutes to build smoke flavor.
Increase the smoker temperature to 300°F and continue cooking until the beef reaches your preferred doneness. For medium-rare, cook the beef to an internal temperature of 125°F using a digital meat thermometer.
Remove the kabobs from the smoker and let them rest for about 10 minutes before serving so the juices can redistribute.
Serve warm and enjoy!
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- The kabobs will cook quickly. Use a digital meat thermometer to avoid overcooking them. Pull the skewers off at 125-F for medium rare. There’ll be some carry-over cooking, too.
- Don’t overcook the beef, or it’ll dry out and become tough.
- These kabobs cook so quickly and with flavor through and through there’s no need to reverse sear them.
Make It A Meal
Serve delicious Smoked Beef Kabobs with all your favorite sides! Extra veggies are always welcome, and with potatoes, rice, or pasta, you’ll have a fabulous meal everyone will love! And, for your random fact of the day, Amelia Earhart, the famous American aviation pioneer, was born in Kansas, where they know great beef. So, the next time you make these kabobs, think of your favorite Amelia Earhart quotes while smoking! Wondering what to serve with your Smoked Beef Kabobs? Check out these dishes:
- Smoked Double Stuffed Baked Potatoes
- Smoked Mashed Potatoes
- Blackstone Fried Potatoes
- Orzo with Spinach and Tomatoes
- Smoked Asparagus
- and to drink, this lovely Elderflower Mocktail.
Frequently Asked Questions
This all depends on how big your kabobs are, how big the meat chunks are, how well done you like your meat, and more. Give yourself about an hour, from start to finish, for smoking beef kabobs.
You need tender beef when making beef skewers or kabobs. Filet mignon, ribeye, and sirloin are all good picks.
Yes! Use your Traeger pellet grill or another electric smoker to make this delicious recipe.
Smoked Beef Kabobs
Equipment
- Pellets
- Skewers
Ingredients
- 1 pound sirloin beef or ribeye or beef tenderloin
- 1 each zucchini
- 1 red onion
- 8 ounces mushrooms
- 1 red bell pepper
For the marinade:
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cut the meat into 1-inch cubes and cut the veggies into similar-sized pieces. Keep the mushrooms whole.
- Make the marinade by adding the soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, and pepper to a blender. Pulse until the garlic is finely chopped and the marinade is fully mixed.
- Marinate the beef cubes in the marinade for about an hour. Pop this into the fridge until ready for it.
- Preheat your smoker to 180-F according to the manufacturer's directions.
- Toss the veggies with the remaining oil, salt, and pepper.
- Thread the meat cubes and veggies onto the skewers, alternating a beef cube with a vegetable.
- Smoke the skewers at 180-F for about 30 minutes to give them a bit of smoke, then turn the heat up to 300-F and finish smoking the shish kabobs. They won't take long to smoke and fully cook. Use a digital meat thermometer to cook the meat to 125-F (for medium rare), then pull the kabobs off the smoker and let them rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- The kabobs will cook quickly. Use a digital meat thermometer to avoid overcooking them. Pull the skewers off at 125-F for medium rare. There’ll be some carry-over cooking, too.
- Don’t overcook the beef, or it’ll dry out and become tough.
- These kabobs cook so quickly and with flavor through and through there’s no need to reverse sear them.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
I never use worcestershire, it just sits in the fridge but it gave these kabobs such a yummy flavor. A great warm day meal (and awesome for leftovers too!).
I looove kabobs but had never tried making them in a smoker. I am in love! And the marinade is delish!!
Oh My God!!! This is heaven. I love this smoked beef kabob it always comes out so delicious…
This was so delicious, smoky, lightly sweet, savory – everyone in my home said I must make it again right away! Thank you for a fantastic recipe.
You are so right! Food on a stick is always better! And thankfully my boys have grown out of the stage of using them as swords at the table!!!! What is it with boys???? The 2 girls never did that, but the 3 boys did!!
Anyway. These were delicious! So much flavor and not a super long smoking time! I LOVED the mushrooms, but I left some with just bell peppers and onions as 3 of my kids won’t eat mushrooms. The kebabs were still delicious! THANK YOU )