Asian Sesame Beef Skewers

We live in a part of the country (Tennessee) where we can comfortably grill outside at least 6 months of the year. However, my favorite time of the year to grill is now – the last month or so of summer, when the weather is starting to cool down just a bit. The daytimes are still hot, but the evenings start to get that slight cooler feel of fall. That hints that autumn is just around the corner, and motivates me to use the grill as much as possible while we still can. So, for one of our many grilled-out meals recently, we gave a new recipe a try – these Asian Sesame Beef Skewers. And they were SO wonderful that I wanted to share the recipe right away so y’all can give them a try soon, too!

These skewers were AMAZING. The marinade is wonderfully flavorful and complex. It has saltiness + sweetness from the soy and sugar, some punch from the garlic, ginger, and red pepper, and great depth from the sesame oil. The sticky, delicious marinade caramelizes beautifully on the grill, leaving super scrumptious, charred grill marks. While I thought I made enough for leftovers, these were so tasty that we literally gobbled down every last bite. This fabulous recipe is going on regular rotation in our household + I hope y’all love it as much as we do!

Asian Sesame Beef Skewers

serves 2, adapted from The Black Peppercorn

Ingredients

1 lb beef sirloin steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup sesame oil
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
8 garlic cloves, minced
4 tbsp freshly-grated ginger
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp sesame seeds, for garnish
2 green onions, sliced, for garnish
wooden skewers

Directions

In a large ziplock bag, combine the sesame oil, vegetable oil, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Add in the steak cubes, seal up the bag, and toss until everything is well combined + the steak is completely coated. Put in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

An hour before grilling, soak the wooden skewers in water.

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Thread the steak onto the skewers. Discard any extra marinade and the bag.

Grill on medium high, flipping once halfway through. Grilling for 6 minutes will cook them to medium-rare, and grilling for 8 minutes will cook them to medium. Adjust the grilling time to your desired doneness.

When done, place skewers on a platter and garnish with the sesame seeds and sliced green onions.

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