Red Wine Marinade for Steak Shish Kabobs

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Use the best red wine marinade infused with garlic and rosemary to make mouthwatering steak shish kabobs. Grill or broil them in the oven.

Jump to:

• Red Wine Marinade Ingredients
• Shish Kabob Ingredients
• Directions
• Storage
• Make-Ahead Tips
• What to Serve with Steak Shish Kabobs
• More Steak Recipes
• 📋 Recipe

Red Wine Marinade Ingredients

Here's what you need to make red steak wine marinade perfect for beef, lamb, pork, and chicken.

• Red Wine - We used Merlot. Other options include Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc. Use a bottle of red wine you might drink rather than buying a cooking wine with added salt.
• Garlic - Lots of pressed or minced fresh garlic.
• Fresh rosemary, which may or may not be inspired because it's the only fresh herb that grows with any predictability at my house! Substitute 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary if desired. Try thyme, oregano, or parsley if you don't fancy this herb.
• Extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
• Lemon juice
• Salt and black pepper

Please refer to the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and detailed instructions.

Shish Kabob Ingredients

Pair beef with your favorite veggies. Our steak kabobs have:

• Beef cut into cubes 1 ½ inch cubes. Sirloin, from top to tips, is ideal for kabobs. Tenderloin, flank, and skirt steak can be used too.
• Cherry tomatoes
• Onion and pepper are cut into uniformly-sized pieces that can envelop the beef cube and impart even more flavor!

Other veggies to try in kabobs:

• Mushrooms
• Zucchini
• Yellow squash
• Red onion

Check out our Seasonal Produce Guide for more ideas!

Directions

Once beef cubes have spent a little time in the red wine marinade, assembling and cooking steak kabobs takes very little time. Here's what to do:

1. Prepare red wine steak marinade.

Simply add all of the ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine.

To chop fresh rosemary, first strip the leaves off by running your thumb and index finger down the stem to pull them off. Then pile the leaves in the center of a cutting board and chop with a knife.

The rich, fragrant smell of wine in this marinade wafts through the room, so you just know the steak will taste fabulous!

2. Marinate beef.

Marinating steak allows the tissues to break down and has a tenderizing effect. In addition, the beef absorbs some of the liquid, making the cooked steak juicier and tastier.

Place steak cubes in a flat glass dish or plastic bag and pour marinade over the beef. Marinate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours for the best flavor. Flip the cubes halfway through if they are not entirely covered with marinade.

You can even freeze beef in the marinade as we did at our meal assembly stores! See more make-ahead tips in the section below.

3. Prepare wooden skewers.

Soak wooden skewers before using them. Place them in a bowl of water for about 30 minutes. I've read suggestions for soak times from 10 minutes to overnight and sometimes in wine.

It's supposed to prevent the skewers from burning, although the tips will char anyways. In fact, some experts say you don't need to soak wooden skewers at all.

Just to be safe, we always soak them for at least 30 minutes. Or, use metal skewers!

4. Assemble shish kebabs.

Did you catch that? I just called it kebabs instead of kebobs. Turns out either spelling is correct. Either way, these are delicious and easy to assemble.

Alternate beef cubes with tomatoes, green pepper, and onion or your favorite vegetables.

Brush vegetables with a bit of red wine marinade if desired. But, once everything is in place, THROW AWAY THE EXCESS MARINADE! It is not safe to eat.

5. Cook steak shish kabobs on the grill or in the oven.

Cook steak kabobs on the grill over medium-high heat or broil them in the oven!

If you are broiling, move the cooking rack to within 3-4 inches of the heating element and use a broiling pan so that excess liquid can drain into a lower pan.

The exact cook time will vary depending on the thickness of the meat cubes and how pink you like your beef.

For safety, cook beef to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the steak to check the temperature. Cook slightly less time for rare steak.

Monitor the shish kabobs as they cook because they're done very quickly. Use an oven mitt and turn them at least once for consistent browning. It takes about 4-5 minutes per side for slightly pink meat.

Storage

If you have leftover steak kabobs, store them in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Reheat on low-temp in the microwave.

Make-Ahead Tips

You can assemble and freeze steak shish kabobs in the red wine marinade before you cook anything!

1. Add the marinade and beef to a freezer-safe bag. Seal tightly, remove excess air, and store it in the freezer.
2. When ready to cook, defrost the bag in the refrigerator overnight.
3. Discard the marinade, skewer the meat, and add fresh vegetables.

Remember to label the bag. Use within 2 months for the very best results.

More Steak Recipes

Make these recipes on the grill or in the oven too:

📋 Recipe

This recipe was originally published on July 13, 2014, and has been updated to improve the reader experience.