If you are looking for a quick, easy, and delicious appetizer- these beef teriyaki skewers are for you. With just two ingredients and a grill, you can make an appetizer (or main dish) in less than 30 minutes. And who doesn't love steak on a stick?! It's such a crowd pleaser.
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What You Get From This Beef Skewer Recipe
Fast. Easy. Tender perfection. All the ways I would describe these skewers. And absolutely delicious. The secret to the success of this recipe is the tender steak. Every time I make these for friends, they go nuts because the steak is so easy to eat. That combined with store bought teriyaki marinade or a favorite Japanese BBQ sauce, this is a "no brains required" recipe.
Teriyaki Beef Skewer Ingredients
I said this was easy, and the easy part starts with the ingredients. I get a pack of ultra thin sliced New York steak from Costco which means I have practically no prep work at home. We are going to combine the tender beef with a store bought teriyaki sauce that I love.
- 2 pounds of thin sliced steak
- 1 cup of your favorite savory teriyaki sauce plus more sauce for dipping
Now, you do have options here. If you prefer or want a different cut of beef, you can use: flank steak (my first alternate choice), skirt steak is a very affordable option but will need some tenderizer, or top sirloin steak. You'll want to wrap the beef in plastic wrap and partially freeze the meat. Then when you're ready to slice it, make thin strips. This will ensure a quick marinade time and a quick cook time on the grill.
Another option is that you can make your own homemade teriyaki sauce. I have an easy soyaki sauce that I like to use for grilling recipes. It combines one cup soy sauce with sugar, garlic powder, ginger, sesame oil and sesame seeds.
The Skewer Supplies You Need
- 9x13 baking dish OR sealable zip top bag depending on how you want to marinade the steak
- 15-20 skewers - I prefer wooden skewers, but you can use metal skewers if that is what you have
- 1 hot grill - I am using my Traeger Grill, but a gas grill works the same
- tongs - for flipping the skewers half way through the cook time
How To Prepare And Cook Steak Skewers
- Start by soaking the bamboo skewers in cold water for about 5 minutes. This will prevent them from burning on your outdoor grill. Pour out the excess water and you can begin assembling the skewers.
- Take two pieces of the thinly cut steak and fold it in half. Take the sharp end of the skewer and thread beef back and forth a few times until the entire piece of steak is on the skewer. Repeat until you have all of the skewers assembled.
- Place the beef skewers in the 9x13 baking dish and pour 1 cup of teriyaki marinade over the steak. Move the skewers around in the marinade so they are evenly coated. Let it marinade like this for 15-20 minutes.
- While the beef marinates, preheat your grill to medium-high heat or 400˚F.
- Once the grill is hot, lay the teriyaki beef skewers directly on the grill grates in a single layer and cook for 4 minutes per side flipping once halfway through. If you are cooking on a pellet grill like me, close the lid during the cooking process.
- Remove the skewers and drizzle with a little extra sauce and garnish with thinly sliced green onions and sesame seeds if desired.
Tips For Best Results
Since we using such thin strips of steak, you don't need to leave the skewers in the marinade for too long. The tender beef will absorb too much salt and we don't need that today.
Now, I prefer assembling the skewers first and then pouring the marinade over, but you can do it the other way around. You can take the 2 pounds of beef and place it in a ziploc bag and pour the marinade over. Then when you have a hot grill, you can assemble the skewers and get cooking.
Lastly, don't overcook the beef. It's sliced so thin, it takes hardly any time to cook.
How To Save Leftovers
If you happen to have any left over, you can do a few things. First, you can pull the steak off the skewer and save in an airtight container. I like doing this so I can make a quick stir fry lunch and just reheat the meat over medium heat for a few minutes.
The other option is to save the skewers as they are in a gallon sized sealable bag or large shallow baking dish with plastic wrap on top.
Make This A Meal
Listen, this recipe is meant to be an easy appetizer, but if you want an easy savory weeknight dinner, I am here for you. I love to serve teriyaki steak over a large bowl of homemade fried rice. It's a complete meal, comes together super fast, and my kids get a kick our dinner on a stick 🙂
Other side dish options include steamed white rice, lo mein, and stir fry vegetables.
Beef Teriyaki Skewer Recipe Card
Grilled Teriyaki Beef Skewers
Equipment
- 15-20 bamboo skewers
- 9x13 Glass baking dish or shallow container to marinade skewers in
- 1 grill
Ingredients
- 2 pounds New York steak ultra thinly sliced Shabu Shabu style beef
- 1 cup teriyaki marinade plus more for serving
Instructions
- Start by soaking the bamboo skewers in cold water for about 5 minutes. After soaking, pour out the excess water and you can begin assembling the skewers.
- Take two pieces of the thinly cut steak and fold it in half. Take the sharp end of the skewer and thread beef back and forth a few times until the entire piece of steak is on the skewer. Repeat until you have all of the skewers assembled.
- Place the beef skewers in the 9x13 baking dish and pour 1 cup of teriyaki marinade over the steak. Move the skewers around in the marinade so they are evenly coated. Let it marinade like this for 15-20 minutes.
- While the beef marinates, preheat your grill to medium-high heat or 400˚F.
- Once the grill is hot, lay the teriyaki beef skewers directly on the grill grates in a single layer and cook for 4 minutes per side (8 minutes total) flipping once halfway through. If you are cooking on a pellet grill, close the lid during the cooking process.
- Remove the skewers and drizzle with a little extra sauce and garnish with thinly sliced green onions and sesame seeds if desired.
Video
Nutrition
Make sure to print this recipe or adjust the portions if you need more or less. No time to grocery shop? Use the Instacart button to add these super simple ingredients to your next grocery order.
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My kids love food on a stick. Any skewered meat is generally easy to eat in small tender bites. My kids are all about:
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