Flavorful Grilled Shashlik-Style Beef Kebabs
This particular recipe version of "Shashlik" kebobs has Russian roots. This recipe is a flame-grilled kebab with juicy, deeply seasoned, and well-charred meat. The meat is flavored with a potent marinade with red wine vinegar, oil, onion, garlic and warm spices such as cumin and cinnamon. A sweet, tangy sauce of caramelized onion and tart yogurt provided the perfect complement to the rich, flame-charred beef. Incredibly good!
Equipment
- Gas or Charcoal Grill
Ingredients
Marinade
- ½ cup coarsely chopped onion
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 bay leaf crumbled
Beef and Sauce
- 2 pounds sirloin steak tips trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces NOTE: this meat is also called "flap meat"
- 1 onion chopped fine
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro substitute parsley if you don't like cilantro
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 6 10-inch wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes
Instructions
For the marinade:
- Process all ingredients in blender until smooth, about 30 seconds. Measure out 2 tablespoons marinade and set aside.
For the beef and sauce:
- Combine beef and remaining marinade in 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Press out air, seal bag, and turn to coat beef in marinade. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
While beef marinates
- Combine onion, water, oil, and reserved marinade in 10-inch skillet. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until liquid has evaporated and onion is beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover, reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook until onion is well browned, 8 to 10 minutes longer. Transfer onion to bowl and stir in yogurt, cilantro, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Thread beef tightly onto skewers, leaving ends of skewers slightly exposed.
- For a charcoal grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter mounded with charcoal briquettes (7 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
- For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Arrange kebabs on grill (over hotter side if using charcoal) and cook (covered if using gas), turning every 2 to 3 minutes, until beef is well browned, charred around edges, and registering between 135 and 145 degrees, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer kebabs to platter, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with sauce.
Notes
Sirloin steak tips are often sold as flap meat; we prefer to buy one large piece and cut it into pieces ourselves. We cook this beef past medium-rare in order to get more charring and to keep it from being too chewy. If you prefer it less cooked, remove it from the grill sooner (125 degrees for medium-rare).
Recipe developed for the August / September 2019 issue of Cook's Country Magazine.