These Beef Skewers are so super tender thanks to a great tip I have for you and have a great flavor and heat due to the freshly cracked black pepper.
How to tenderise beef
There are many methods for tenderising beef, the most common being to marinate it (either in an acid or with fruit enzymes) or to beat it with a meat hammer. Once the meat has been cooked cutting it across the grain can give the illusion of tender meat as it becomes easier to eat.
However my method for tenderising the beef in these pepper beef skewers uses a trick I learnt from a Chinese friend.
To keep the beef tender and allow you to cook it at a super high heat, thus getting a seared outside and a medium interior, give the beef a rub with baking soda (also know as sodium bi-carb). Then let it sit for 10 minutes. Thoroughly rinse of the baking soda and then pat dry.
The meat will be super tender and just melt in the mouth!
What dip to serve with pepper beef skewers?
Pictured above these beef skewers are served with my Easy Béarnaise sauce. It is so packed full of flavor and beef is such a classic combo with béarnaise.
However the pepper beef also works fabulously with honey mustard, garlic mayonnaise, barbecue sauce or a classic ranch sauce.
How to make béarnaise sauce.
You can get the full instructions over on this page: Easy Béarnaise Sauce
But a quick overview:
-
Use a immersion blender to blend egg yolks, tarragon vinegar (or white wine vinegar) and salt together until they become a pale golden colour.
- Gradually add hot melted butter whilst blending on the slowest setting.
- Once the sauce has combined add some freshly chopped fresh tarrgaon.
Should I use metal skewers or wooden skewers?
I own both and they both have their pros and cons.
Wooden skewers:
PROS
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- Wooden skewers are easy to handle even when hot.
- No washing up as you just throw them in the bin.
- Great for sticky sauces as you can just dispose of them
CONS
- Wooden skewers burn easily and have to be soaked in water for at least 1 hour before using. This is not great if you want to skewer something and then grill it later.
- They can sometimes splinter leaving a possible chance of wood in your food!
- Do not transfer heat to the centre of your food.
Metal skewers:
PROS
- Easy to thread meat and veg onto them
- Can withstand heat without burning.
- Can transfer heat to the centre of the food
CONS
- They get very hot and can retain that heat meaning you have to handle with care.
- You have to scrub them clean.
For these Pepper Beef Skewers I tend to use the metal skewers as the the metal helps to heat the centre of my meat meaning I don't to keep them on the grill as long, thus preserving the tender beef!
Enjoy x
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Get the Recipe
Pepper Beef Skewers
Ingredients
- 1 lb skirt steak/bottom round steaks
- 2 tablespoon baking soda also called bi-carb
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 serving of béarnaise sauce - recipe here
Instructions
- Cut the steak into thin strips across the grain.
- Place the steak in a bowl with the baking soda and stir gently to coat, then set aside for 10 minutes.
- Whilst the steak is marinating make the béarnaise sauce (if using)
- Thoroughly rinse the steak strips until no trace of baking soda remains. This will take several minutes.
- Pat the steak strips dry.
- Use a bowl or zip lock bag to coat the steak in oil and then add in the black pepper and salt.
- Thread the steak onto skewers, making sure it is as flat as possible
- Heat a fry pan or griddle over a high heat and when it is smoking hot, cook the beef skewers for 1 minutes on each side or if you prefer a more cooked steak add an extra 30 seconds to each side.
- Serve with Béarnaise sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition is per serving
Super Tender Pepper Beef Skewers Anecdote
(aka my recipe ramble for those who love the waffle)
I am a lover of beef. For me it needs to be tender tender tender!!!!! Usually that is by barely cooking or cooking for hours.
That is why I love this tenderising trick so much!!! It just makes meat melt in the mouth. I used it in my Oven Baked Crispy Black Pepper Chicken Tenders, the high heat used to get them crispy can dry out chicken, but this trick keeps the chicken juicy and moist!
Same for these beef skewers!!!! So juicy and tender!!!
I made this batch up when I had a couple of friends coming over. One is a vegetarian so I made some of my roasted broccolini for her. Both served with béarnaise sauce and both of so good!!!!!
Right got to go I have cinnamon scrolls in the oven and they are smelling DONE!!!!! tea and cake time 😀 😀 😀 😀
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April says
I'm drooling so hard. This looks like the perfect summer grilling recipe!
Claire McEwen says
Thank you April, definitely good for the grill!
Denay DeGuzman says
Ahhh....these pepper beef skewers were amazing! Just thinking about this past weekend I can still almost taste and smell the fabulous flavors of this delicious savory appetizer. Served with a fresh summer salad, grilled tomatoes and rustic bread, this is also a perfect weekday meal!
Claire McEwen says
Oh yeah 😀 So happy you enjoyed them.
They are just so tender aren't they!
Danielle says
So funny that this is the second post today I've read about the baking soda trick! These skewers look awesome. I love anything with that yummy black pepper seasoning. And Bearnaise sauce...YUM!
Claire McEwen says
Oh yeah 😀 It is such a great trick 😀
Is there anything better than peppery beef and rich béarnaise??? 😉
Sues says
I love this tip for tenderizing beef!! Thank you for this super informative post 🙂 And look how gorgeous that beef is... My mouth is watering!
Claire McEwen says
Thank you Sues.
Hehe, my mouth was watering as I edited the photos 😉
Liz says
These beef skewers are magnificent! I love the tip for tenderizing the meat!!!
Claire McEwen says
It is such a great way to give you silky soft tender meat 😀
Aria says
These beef skewers looks like a yummy starter!! Very mouth-watering, I cannot wait to make these, Thanks for sharing!!!
Claire McEwen says
Thank you Aria, I hope you love them as much as I do 😀