Stew Meat Kabobs (Budget Friendly Beef Kabobs Recipe)

Can you grill stew meat? Yes – you can grill stew meat! These stew meat kabobs are an easy, budget-friendly way to make delicious grilled beef skewers without buying expensive steak. Instead of using sirloin steak, this recipe uses affordable beef stew meat marinated overnight and grilled with fresh vegetables. The result is tender, flavorful kabobs that are perfect for summer grilling.

Post originally published in 2024. Updated in March 2026.

Can You Grill Stew Meat?

Yes — You can grill stew meat with great results if the meat is prepared correctly.

This recipe came from a conversation we had with friends about rising grocery prices. As cattle farmers, we usually recommend using stew meat in low-and-slow recipes like chili and beef stew.

That’s because stew meat typically comes from the chuck or round primal cuts, which are hardworking muscles that can be tough when cooked quickly. Kabobs are usually made with steak, like our Beef Kabobs with Fig-Balsamic Glaze. But if you’re trying to stretch your budget, stew meat can be a surprisingly good alternative.

Two things make stew meat work for kabobs:

1. Marinating the meat for several hours.
2. Cutting the beef into small cubes so that it can cook quickly on the grill.

Farmer’s Tip: If you’re looking for more ways to use stew meat in recipes, try it in slow cooker pepper steak or classic beef stew.

Stew Meat vs. Sirloin Steak vs. Kabob Meat

Understanding the different cuts of beef helps explain why this recipe works.

Stew Meat isn’t actually a specific cut of beef. It’s usually beef that has been cut into cubes and packaged together from trimmings of larger cuts like chuck or round. These muscles get a lot of use, which means they contain more connective tissue and can be tougher. If you want to learn more about it or where different cuts come from, see our guides on What is Stew Meat? Where It Comes From and How to Cook It and Cuts of Beef Explained: Chart, Diagram and Best Cooking Method.

Sirloin Steak: Sirloin is the large primal section of beef and it comes from the hip area of the animal. It’s naturally more tender than meat from the chuck or round primal, which makes it an all-around favorite for grilled kabobs.  If you want to learn more about steaks, see our Filet Mignon vs. Sirloin Steak comparison.

Kabob Meat: At many grocery stores, “kabob meat” is trimmed pieces of steak – often sirloin – cut into cubes. Like Stew Meat, Kabob Meat isn’t a specific cut of beef, but rather beef that has been packaged together. When you compare packages side-by-side, kabob meat usually costs more than stew meat and often contains slightly larger pieces of beef from more tender primal cuts.

Ingredients for Stew Meat Kabobs

• Pre-packaged stew beef
• Vegetable(s) of choice such as bell peppers (green, red, orange, yellow), mushrooms, zucchini, summer squash, cherry tomatoes, and onions (red onion or yellow onion). 

Marinade:

• Soy sauce, low sodium
• Olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Garlic clove, minced
• Prepared mustard
• Worcestershire sauce 
• Salt and pepper

Best Marinade for Stew Meat Kabobs

A good marinade is key to using stew meat for kabobs. This marinade combines soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce to add flavor and also help tenderize the beef. For best results, marinate the meat for at least 8 hours or overnight

Farmer’s Tip: If you want a shortcut, you can also use Andria’s Steak Sauce. It’s a popular Midwest steak marinade that works great for kabobs.

Kabob Vegetables

Kabobs are a great way to use a variety of fresh vegetables. Our favorites are Bell peppers (green, red, orange, yellow), mushrooms, zucchini, summer squash, and onions.

Thread the steak and chopped vegetables alternately onto wooden skewers, leaving a little space between each piece so that heat can circulate evenly.

Farmer’s Tip: If you’ve ever made skewers before, you know that vegetables often take longer to cook than meat. If you want everything perfectly cooked, place the vegetables on separate skewers from the beef. 

How to Make Stew Meat Kabobs

1. Prepare beef: Cut beef into 1-inch pieces.  This may already be done for you since stew meat is pre-cut and packaged.
2. Prepare Vegetables: Cut desired veggies into 1″ chunks.
3. Make the marinade: Whisk soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper together in a bowl; pour into a resealable plastic bag. Add beef cubes and squeeze out excess air; seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator 8 hours or overnight.
4. Prepare the skewers: About 30 minutes before you’re ready to cook the kabobs, soak four 10-inch bamboo skewers in water 20-30 minutes so that they don’t burn on the grill. We prefer wooden skewers over metal skewers because metal skewers will cause the beef to start cooking from the inside, which isn’t ideal.
5. Prepare grill: Preheat grill on medium-high heat and oil. 
6. Prepare basting sauce: Remove beef from the marinade. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes; set aside for basting.
7. Thread beef on skewers: Thread beef on skewers with desired vegetables
8. Grill and Baste: Grill kabobs over medium-high heat. Turn and baste with sauce every 2 minutes for even grilling. Grill for 8-10 minutes maximum, according to the desired meat temperature. Allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
9. Serve: Serve & enjoy!

How Long to Grill Stew Meat Kabobs

Grill kabobs over medium-high heat for about 8-10 minutes. Turn every few minutes for even cooking. The exact cooking time depends on the size of the beef cubes, the grill’s temperature, and the desired doneness temperature.

How to Make Stew Meat Kabobs in Oven

For best results, we prefer these kabobs on the grill. But, it is possible to make them in the oven. Follow the steps above to create the beef kabobs. When it’s time to cook, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. On the middle oven rack, broil kabobs on high for approximately 15 minutes (to desired doneness), turning once. Remove from oven when kabobs reach desired temperature.

How to know when Beef Shish Kabobs are done?

The best way to tell if beef kabobs are done is with an instant-read thermometer. Other methods, like cooking time and color, aren’t reliable because temperatures can vary.

Insert the thermometer into the center of one piece of beef. The lowest temperature you see is the most accurate reading. Remove the shish kebabs from the grill about 5°F BEFORE it reaches the desired temperature to allow for carryover cooking.

Remember, you can always put the meat back on the grill if it’s too rare. You can’t undo cooking if you overdo it. Here are the temperatures to look for when using an instant-read thermometer.

• Rare: 120-129°F  A rare steak is usually very red in the center and can still be cool to the touch. It’s just past raw in the center.
• Medium-Rare: 130-134°F  A medium rare steak has a warm red center.  It’s many people’s preferred doneness.
• Medium: 135-144°F  A medium-cooked steak is very warm and usually pink, not red. The steak will have a slightly drier and chewier.
• Medium-Well: 145-154 °F  A medium well steak is usually just slightly pink in the center and has lost much of its juices.
• Well Done: 155°F+  A well done steak has no pink. It’s much tougher since all the juices have been cooked out of the beef.

FAQ

Kitchen products we love:

• Meat Thermometer
• Bamboo Skewers for Grill

Join us!

As cattle farmers raising Angus cattle, we spend a lot of time thinking about how different cuts of beef cook best. Here are some links you may like:

• How We Raise Our Grass Fed Beef
• What is Stew Meat? Where It Comes From and How to Cook It
• Cuts of Beef Explained: Chart, Diagram & Best Cooking Method
• Heifer vs. Cow: What’s the Difference Between Heifers, Steers, Cows & Bulls
• 53 Fun Facts About Beef

More Recipes Using Stew Meat:

• Easy Slow Cooker Pepper Steak (made with steak or stew meat)
• Classic Beef Stew Recipe
• What to Make with Stew Meat (Other Than Beef Stew)

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