Tasty steak kabobs need to be on your list of things to make this summer. They are easy to make and so flavorful with bacon and a tasty marinade/glaze.
Steak kabobs
It’s summer….grilling season…steak and bacon recipe….mic drop! And these steak kabobs are extra flavorful with the addition of a glaze/marinade. These are so tasty and everyone will love them.
Steak glaze/ marinade ingredients
Made with just the stuff that makes steak taste so good:
- ketchup
- soy sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
- vinegar
- brown sugar
- garlic
I used this as a glaze which is brushed on while the beef kabobs were grilling.
This can also be used as a marinade to further flavor and tenderize the meat. In this case you should double the recipe ingredients. Place the cubed meat into a gallon plastic bag with half of the glaze/marinade. Refrigerate this for 2 to 3 hours prior to grilling. Use the remaining glaze to brush on while grilling.
Bacon wrapped steak kabobs
Grilled Steak Kabobs (Skewers)-a summertime treat
When you grill steak, the grill has to be pretty hot. If you like steak medium rare, the outer meat has to char fast so that the inside stays pink. If it takes too long to get a good char, the middle is just going to cook away to medium or medium well. This is especially true when you have small chunks of meat on a skewer. So First, make sure your grill is hot.
What cut of beef should I use?
Use a cut of beef that is naturally tender. Top sirloin, porterhouse, and rib eye are all good choices. Tenderloin or filet mignon is super tender and that’s what I used here.
Cut the steak into bite-sized cubes and marinate the meat if desired for 2 or 3 hours… (and you have planned ahead better than I did when making this). This will help to tenderize and flavor the meat.
I used tenderloin which is a very lean meat that has very little fat for flavoring. The addition of bacon strips in between the beef cubes adds that bacon grease and a lot to the taste. The bacon does not get fully cooked through since it is sandwiched in between the steak cubes. You can certainly eat the parts that get charred or if you have a grill grate topper, you can fully cook the bacon separately.
Kabobs on the grill
Prepare your grill by lightly coating the grate with some vegetable oil to prevent sticking. My little grate doesn’t have a lot of surface area but if you have a cast iron grate, sticking can become more of a problem.
If you use bamboo skewers make sure you soak them for at least 30 minutes in water before using.
I bought some nice skewers made by Cuisinart that have double tines so it’s easy to flip the kabobs. They also have a slide that easily pushes off whatever is on the tines.
What to serve with steak kabobs
With the grill going, a perfect accompaniment to the steak is grilled veggies. Try sweet peppers of all colors, onions, mushrooms, and maybe a poblano or jalapeno pepper. Just lightly oil the vegetables with cooking spray or olive oil before grilling and add a bit of garlic powder too.
Bacon wrapped beef kabobs
Grilling steak kabobs is perfect for a nice summer evening meal. Invite some friends over too for an easy, relaxing, delicious meal.
Speaking of grilling, here are some more of my grilled favorites: Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken, Grilled Shrimp Kabobs with Orange Glaze, and Simple Chicken Brine for Grilling.
Grilled Steak Kabobs (Skewers) with Bacon
Ingredients
Glaze
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tsp light brown sugar substitute honey if desired
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp vinegar, I used white wine vinegar, but cider vinegar would be good too.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter, melted
- 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or 1 tsp garlic powder
- pinch of salt
Steak
- 12 oz. steak, cut into 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" pieces tenderloin or top sirloin
- 3 slabs thick cut, smokey bacon, cut into 1 1/2" pieces about 4 1/2 oz.
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Glaze
- Mix all the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and stir well to dissolve the sugar. See notes.
- Start your grill, gas or charcoal and heat to high temperature.
- Thread bacon and beef onto skewers so that the bacon surrounds the beef. Lightly salt and pepper the kabobs, then brush with glaze.
- Oil the grill's grate with vegetable oil. Place the skewers on the hot grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the beef is nicely charred. Baste the beef with more glaze then turn onto the second side and cook for 2 more minutes. The beef should be medium rare, 135° to 140° when checked with an instant read thermometer.
- Remove from the grill and coat a final time with the glaze. Serve hot.
Notes
- If you wish to marinate the beef prior to grilling, make a double batch of the glaze. Place beef chunks and marinade in a sealable plastic bag and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
- If using bamboo skewers, soak them well in water for 30 to 60 minutes.
- I used 9 1/2" metal skewers and 2 were enough for the 3/4 pound of tenderloin.
- To get medium rare steak, the grill has to be quite hot. You will get a nice char in 2 to 2 1/2 minutes and the middle of the beef pieces will remain pink. If it takes longer to get a char, the beef will cook to medium or even medium well, (4 to 5 minutes per side).
- The bacon does not get cooked through but the edges will be browned. Cut off the browned edge and eat with a piece of steak...yum. Or finish cooking on a grate topper.
- The nutrition information is based on eating all of the bacon and using 1/4 of the glaze. So this is an estimate of the nutritional information.
Alan Howie
Excellent recipe for the marinade, and tips on using double pronged skewers, and cooking on a very hot grate!!
MaryJo
The marinade really kicks up the flavor of the tender grilled steak. My mouth waters just looking at the photos and remembering how good this was. Love this recipe!
sandra axelrod
You had me at Steak and Bacon! The glaze sounds so yummy. Thanks for sharing another great recipe that I cannot wait to try Joe!!!