Beef tenderloin kabobs are seasoned with classic Greek flavors including oregano, garlic and lemon juice to create these tender and juicy Greek Beef Souvlaki Kabobs.
Growing up in West Michigan, one of my favorite traditions is heading downtown to Festival of Arts every June to enjoy a pork souvlaki skewer hot off the grill. Every bite is smoky, tender, juicy and delicious. There are a number of variations and names for it around the world as mentioned in Buzzfeed here.
The secret? Lemon juice acts as a natural tenderizer and fresh garlic, mint and oregano provide those classic Greek flavors you know and love. Traditionally made with pork shoulder, this time I decided to use beef tenderloin kabobs but this marinade works with anything including chicken breasts, pork tenderloin or your favorite vegetables for veggie kabobs.
If grilling season hasn’t arrived where you live, let me teach you a Michigan trick: your broiler is your BFF. By providing the same direct heat as an outdoor grill, cooking meat under the broiler is the easiest way to get that same smoky flavor from the grill, no matter how much snow is still on the ground
Your fork is waiting.
Greek Beef Souvlaki Skewers
Ingredients
- 4 eight ounce - beef kabobs I used Omaha Steaks but you can make your own
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried mint
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
Instructions
- Line kabobs in a large baking dish in a single layer.
- Whisk together marinade (olive oil through chili flakes) and drizzle over the beef kabobs. Marinate the kabobs for 30 minutes, rotating once, or up to overnight.
- To cook, pre-heat grill or broiler on high heat. Grill or broil kabobs for 8-12 minutes, rotating once halfway through the cooking process. Let rest for 8 minutes before serving.
Jack Smith
June 26, 2018 at 10:53 pmI love beef kabobs and the greek flavor is a fantastic idea. I am loving this recipe.
Liz DellaCroce
June 27, 2018 at 11:42 amI’m so glad to hear it!
shannon christopher
August 17, 2015 at 3:59 pmI agree that this marinade is so wonderful for tenderizing the beef. Loved the flavors, however I found it so salty that I could barely eat it. Or at least, I couldn’t eat much of it. My dinner guest thought the same about the amount of saltiness. So, for me personally, it is just a lesson learned to go lighter on the salt in the future (although 2 tsp is not much!). I want to make this again because I loved the flavors.
Liz DellaCroce
August 18, 2015 at 1:18 pmI’m so sorry you found it to be too salty!! I generally find that 1 teaspoon per 1 pound of meat does really well but ultimately everyone has their own preferences. I hope you try it again and love it!
Lucinda
March 27, 2015 at 10:06 pmLiz, I loved the souvlaki at Festival too so I couldn’t wait to try this recipe.
I made my kabobs with pork tenderloin and onion since that’s what I had on hand and served it with rice and broccoli (not the most inspired pairing but it’s one of 2 vegetables both my kids eat w/o complaint).
I knew my husband & I would love it because of the lemon and garlic but was pleasantly surprised that my 2 picky eaters liked a dish with so much flavor. We all cleaned our plates!
This will definitely go into the regular rotation especially since it’s so easy to throw together. I’ll try it next with chicken and a salad of romain, cucumbers and tomatoes.
Liz DellaCroce
March 29, 2015 at 4:17 pmOh I’m so thrilled to hear it Lucinda!!!! Thank you for letting me know!
Sommer @ASpicyPerspective
March 22, 2015 at 9:39 pmGreat recipe to get the grill smoking! Kabobs look so yummy, can’t wait to make this delicious beef kabob recipe!
Gaby
March 20, 2015 at 4:57 pmYou are killing me with kabobs! I need these in my life right now!!!
Amanda
March 20, 2015 at 3:35 pmI LOVE kabobs! These look amazing!
Thalia @ butter and brioche
March 20, 2015 at 2:00 amI love Greek cuisine! These souvlaki kebabs look really delicious and healthy too, perfect for dinner tonight.. I have to make them.
Liz DellaCroce
March 21, 2015 at 3:56 pmI hope you try them and love them!
Shawnna
March 19, 2015 at 12:27 pmYummy!! Now that makes me hungry!!
Haley @ The Girly Girl Cooks
March 19, 2015 at 11:29 amBookmarked! These look absolutely delicious! I love Greek flavors and marinades :)
Liz DellaCroce
March 19, 2015 at 5:19 pmAww thank you I hope you try them!
Sophia @ NY Foodgasm
March 19, 2015 at 11:21 amOMG these look soooo damn good! I could got for some RIGHT NOW! I love me some Greek!
Liz DellaCroce
March 19, 2015 at 5:20 pmI am a Greek freak too!
Jessica @ Golden Brown and Delicious
March 19, 2015 at 10:45 amThese look awesome!! Is that just red and green peppers on the skewers with the meat? Or do you sandwich in any other veggies, too?
Liz DellaCroce
March 19, 2015 at 5:20 pmThose are just red and green peppers but any veggies would work!