Grilled three-pronged skewers are the best excuse to fire up the barbecue. These beef tenderloin skewers are marinated in a Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar before being seared over high heat. This is a tender beef tri-tip done right. Learn how to do it right with our grill recipe.
Grilled kebab skewers are a great option to have in your BBQ repertoire. They are fast, versatile and always a crowd puller.
While many people opt for chicken, veggies, or even fish, we use a nice tri-tip steak to cook our skewers. It tastes best with freshly marinated beef, but this recipe is also a great way to score leftover tri tips .
Why triple tip? Simply put, this piece of meat tastes fantastic. It’s tender, which makes it perfect for soaking up marinade, and its marbled contents make it look beautiful in high heat. Let’s take a look at everything you need to know to prepare the perfectly grilled tri-tip kabobs.
What is the Tri Tip Steak?
The Beef Tri-Tip comes from the lower tip of the sirloin(or English) portion of the cow. It’s triangular in shape, which means it’s big enough for us to cut pieces for skewers.
It’s a tender, juicy steak that gained popularity in the 1950s when a California rancher was said to have cooked it whole instead of shredding it. Its tenderness makes it a definite piece for smoking and grilling.
One of the best things about this cut is that it contains more protein than essential fat and calories. Tri-tip steaks and roasts have a high percentage of marbled fat, which adds to their juiciness. Marbled fat is also useful for making kebabs. The extra marbling creates a success that flows easily to the other components of your skewer.
The other reason it’s a great cut of meat for skewers is that it cooks quickly. This is something YOU want for your ingredients. Skewers are often prepared quickly and on a whim. You don’t want a piece of meat that takes forever to cook. Then YOU can just throw it on the grill and know that YOU don’t need any more time.
Three-pronged skewer marinade
There are different methods of marinating meat, regardless of how you want to cook it. Skewers are no different. Also, the meat you use for kabobs own from marinating. This process is a great way to flavor meat by stirring the meat in different flavors over a period of time.
By the time you’re ready to cook it, the flavor and sometimes texture will have changed. It all depends on the marinade and the time you marinate the meat.
Typically, marinades differ depending on what flavor you’re trying to achieve. I love using Worcestershire sauce as a base for marinating almost anything. But that’s me, and that might not be your taste. The good thing about marinades is that you can modify them however you like.
If you’re looking for something salty and not too difficult, you can mix Worcestershire sauce(I told you it’s my favorite so I had to tell you about this recipe), soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic, pepper and oil.
Times and temperatures
Tri-Tip should be grilled at 350°F to 450°F(176°C to 232°C) for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 60°C(140°F). Turn the skewers a quarter turn every 3-4 minutes to ensure even cooking.
So grill three prong skewers
I also recommend marinating before grilling, it adds flavor and keeps things moist on the inside for those succulent bites.
Heat a small skillet over medium-low heat and add all the ingredients for the marinade, stirring continuously until combined and dissolved. Bring the mixture to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Allow the marinade to cool completely(this usually takes 20-30 minutes).
Add the tri-tip to a great pain and pour the marinade over it. Cover the container with plastic wrap(or use ziploc bags) and leave in the fridge for a few hours or even overnight. When ready, remove the meat from the refrigerator and pour in the remaining liquid.