Best Recipe for Beef Barbecue Skewers
Spice up your summer, or anytime of year, with this tasty take on barbeque beef skewers. While skewers and shish kebabs are not American inventions, grilling beef is certainly an American institution. In fact, it can be said that along with the smells of coconut tanning oil and chlorine, the smell of beef over hot coals is the smell of an American summer. This recipe for beef barbecue skewers comes from American grilling legend, cookbook author, TV personality and restaurateur Bobby Flay. While Flay calls for meat alone on the skewers in this recipe, you could easily up your vegetable quotient by skewering and grilling onion pieces, mushrooms, zucchini slices, bell pepper chunks and cherry tomatoes. Limiting each skewer to only one type of ingredient ensures that the tomatoes and mushrooms won't burn while the meat cooks.
Note that this beef skewer recipe calls for tenderloin, which is an expensive cut. There are many steak lovers who argue that the tenderloin is the best cut available, and they may very well be correct. These same people may cringe at the thought of threading tenderloin onto skewers and brushing it with a flavorful basting sauce, as these purists usually feel that it is a waste of tenderloin to cook it any other way than to brush it with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and grill it over hot charcoals. If you are of this mindset, you may wish to save your tenderloin for another day and substitute less-expensive sirloin for this recipe. If you don't mind splurging on tenderloin for this recipe, then do so, as your skewers will easily turn out moist and flavorful. Less expensive cuts are a little trickier when it comes to a tender result, and may require marinating or tenderizing.
Flay offers up this recipe as part of the appetizer portion of his "Ultimate Backyard Barbecue." However, this flavorful beef is wonderful as a main dish. Side dishes he includes in his "Ultimate Backyard Barbecue" menu are jicama slaw with lime-ancho dressing, and grilled corn on the cob with garlic butter, fresh lime and queso fresco. Crusty French bread, a cold bottled beer or an earthy, full-bodied red wine will accompany this dish nicely as well.
Garlic-mustard glaze
- 1/4 cup whole grain mustard
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 2 teaspoons Spanish paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl, cover, and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or up to four hours.
Grilled beef skewers
- 2 pounds beef tenderloin
- 12 six-inch wooden skewers, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes
Heat grill to high.
Cut the tenderloin lengthwise in half, then cut each piece lengthwise in half again. Slice crosswise to make 24 equal pieces. Thread two pieces of beef onto each skewer, keeping them together at one end of the skewer, so they'll be easier to hold and eat. Place the skewers in a baking dish or on a baking sheet, pour half of the glaze over the meat, and turn to coat.
Grill the meat, turning once and brushing with remaining glaze, for four to six minutes until golden brown, slightly charred, and cooked to medium rare. Place the skewers on a cutting board and let rest for five minutes.
Move the skewers to a platter and serve hot or at room temperature. Use this recipe anytime you need to whip up a delicious, crowd-pleasing meal.
