Why This Recipe Works

To create a beef kebab recipe that would reliably deliver juicy, flavorful beef, cooked from rare to medium on the inside and richly caramelized on the outside, we found that a tender but flavorful cut of beef, such as top blade steak or top sirloin, marinated in an oil-based marinade, was best. Once we had grilled the kebabs, we squirted them with lime juice. The oil kept the meat in our beef kebab recipe from drying out on the grill, and the lime juice contributed a nice, fresh flavor.

Before You Begin

Our favorite cut of beef for kebabs is top blade steak (known sometimes as blade or flatiron steak), but you can also use top sirloin. If you do, ask the butcher to cut the top sirloin steak between 1 and 1 1/4 inches thick (most packaged sirloin steaks are thinner). For maximum efficiency, prepare the fruit and vegetables while the meat is marinating. For gas grill, following directions for "Gas-Grilled Beef Kebabs."

Instructions

for the marinade

Combine oils, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes, scallions, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Add steak cubes and toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate until fully seasoned, at least one hour or up to 24 hours.

Ignite 1 large chimney (about 6 quarts, or 5 pounds) of charcoal and burn until covered with thin coating of light gray ash, about 20 minutes. Empty coals into grill and spread over three-quarters of grill surface. Position grill rack over coals; heat until hot, about 5 minutes. Scrape rack clean with wire brush.

for the fruit and vegetables

Toss pineapple and peppers with 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil in medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Brush onions with remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Using eight 12-inch metal skewers and following illustrations below, thread each skewer with a pineapple piece, a stack of onion, a cube of meat (skewering as if it were an uncut cube), and one piece of each kind of pepper, and then repeat this sequence two more times. Brush any oil remaining in bowl over skewers.

Grill kebabs directly over coals, uncovered, until meat is well browned, grill marked, and cooked to medium-rare, about 7 minutes (or about 8 minutes for medium), turning each kabob every 1 3/4 minutes to brown all sides. Transfer kebabs to serving platter, squeeze lemon or lime wedges over kebabs, if desired; serve immediately.