Smoked Steak Kabobs Recipe

No matter the weather, there's a satisfaction that comes with cooking outside. And with a Traeger, you can easily do that whether the sun is shining, or snow is piling up. Because you are able to leave food in a smoker without paying as much attention to it as you would on a normal grill, it makes cooking up impressive grilled meats and veggies that much simpler. And food photographer Petar Marshall is showing us just how to do that with this recipe for colorful smoked steak kabobs.

"These smoked steak kabobs can be assembled in just minutes, with simple prep work," he says. "The rest of the work is left up to the Traeger, adding great, smoky flavor while producing tender meat and veggies for a vibrant dish."

With just steak and a few of your favorite vegetables, you can put together a satisfying meal right off the smoker. And even better, these kabobs can be completely customized to meet the dietary needs or picky-eater preferences of anyone in the house.

To dive in on making these colorful steak kabobs, start by grabbing all of your ingredients first. For this smoked steak kabobs recipe, you'll need two (1-pound) New York steaks, one large red onion, one green bell pepper, one red bell pepper, 10 mushrooms, one whole pineapple, and garlic salt and pepper. You'll also want to have olive oil on hand for brushing the kabobs. 

According to Marshall, New York steak is a great cut to use for kabobs, but you can use another beef option if you'd like. "The beauty of this recipe is that it's completely customizable," he says. "If there's an ingredient you don't love, simply omit it or swap it out."

To get started on prepping the smoked steak kabobs for yourself, you'll want to preheat your Traeger, or whatever brand of smoker you might have. Start by warming it up to 165 F while you prepare the kabobs.

Next up, prep all of the vegetables. Cut each of the mushrooms in half and cut the onion and peppers into large chunks. Finally, remove the exterior and core from the pineapple by slicing them off with a sharp knife. Slice the pineapple into large chunks as well. Once all of the vegetables are cut, finish your prep work by cutting the steaks into large chunks.

"The meat and vegetable pieces don't need to be perfect," says Marshall. "They just need to be cut into manageable chunks."

Once your vegetables and meat have been prepped, it's time to assemble your kabobs. Marshall advises separating each item into its own bowl to keep things organized. Or, simply make piles of each item on the counter.

Assemble the kabobs by sliding vegetables and meat onto the skewers in a pattern. "You can choose to make them all the same for a beautiful dish, or add items on the skewers at random," says Marshall.

Once the kabobs have been assembled, brush each of them with olive oil, and sprinkle them with garlic salt and pepper, to taste.

With the kabobs assembled and the smoker at 165 F, place the skewers on the grill to smoke for at least one hour. According to Marshall, if you prefer smokier flavor, feel free to leave them on the grill longer.

Once the cold smoke is completed, crank up the heat to 400 F to finish cooking the kabobs. Leave the kabobs on the grill for 15 minutes, then turn them over to allow them to finish cooking for another 15 minutes.

When the meat is cooked and the vegetables are tender, remove the kabobs from the smoker and allow them to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Marshall suggests sliding the meat and veggies off of the skewers onto a plate of rice, or you can enjoy them on their own.