For this meat lover, there may be no better summer dinner than a fat and juicy ribeye steak cooked to perfection over a bed of hot coals. But boy, is that a splurge in these days of high inflation, especially when you’re also cooking for others.
The economical stand-in to that expensive steak doesn’t have to be burgers. Instead, buy a less premium cut of meat, cut it into chunks, let it soak for a few hours in a savory marinade and then stick the pieces on a skewer with your favorite vegetables.
Kebabs are not only more cost-effective than steaks, but also an easy way for home cooks to get meat and a variety of vegetables on the table at the same time. Plus, skewered food is just fun to eat, especially in summer, when dining tends to be a little more casual.
For this recipe, I used top sirloin, a cut that’s leaner than ribeye but still full of beefy flavor. A quick bath in an acidic and garlicky marinade guarantees it will be tender.
A few tips: Be careful not to thread the skewers too tightly; the heat won’t be able to properly circulate if the meat and veggies are crowded together.
Also keep in mind that meats and vegetables cook at different rates—you'll want to choose ones with similar densities. Produce that is extremely delicate (like cherry tomatoes) or markedly smaller should be cooked on a separate skewer and taken off the heat earlier.
I used bell pepper, Vidalia onion and zucchini for my kebabs but you also could thread the skewers with mushrooms, eggplant or red onion—whatever floats your boat. For a less spicy sauce, reduce or omit the jalapeno pepper.
