Meat on a stick! Is there anything better? When I was pregnant with my first child, my cravings were iced tea, tomato soup, and “tasty chunks of beef”! Twenty-six year later, I still crave tasty chunks of beef!
This is a very easy recipe, resulting is some mighty fine, Asian accented, “tasty chunks of beef”. Chill the meat for 30 minutes, marinate for 30 minutes, grill and eat. For a special treat serve with corn-on-the-cob, grilled veggies or a salad and some Bloomin’ Onion Bread!
When I was a single full time working mother of three children I was a master of freezer food. This was one of my favorites. Homebaked Chicken Nuggets were another. I would buy two flank steaks and some skewers. I’d unroll the flank steaks and then freeze for 30 minutes to make it easier to slice. At the same time I would soak the skewers in cold water. Then I’d probably sit down with my feet up, an iced coffee and a good book while the the meat chilled and the skewers soaked, LOL! A sense of humor is a wonderful thing! More than likely during that thirty minutes I’d finish putting the groceries away, wipe up a spill, ask a telemarketer to put me on the no-call list, solve a kid dispute, feed the dog, move the laundry over, eat lunch and load the dishwasher … ANYWAY, after thirty minutes I’d slice the beef and thread it onto the skewers. Then I would layer the skewers into a shoe box sided plastic container. I’d put wax paper between the layers, and freeze the whole box. One box would last two or three months and provide plenty of yummy and quick week night main dishes…easily expandable to however many people were home. Just take out 3-5 skewers per person. Mix up the marinade. Marinate the desired number of skewers for 30 minutes, then grill or broil!
Oh, and I often omit the sesame seeds, as I don’t care for them 🙂
Beef Skewers
- 1 flank steak, approx 1.5 lbs, (unrolled) and slightly frozen (for about 30 min or so)
- 30 bamboo skewers (soaked in water for 30 minutes)
Marinade
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Sake (an opened bottle will keep 1 year in refrigerator)
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 ½ teaspoons grated ginger (keep any leftover fresh ginger in baggie in freezer, when ready to use no need to defrost, just peel and grate!)
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (toast in dry frying pan until fragrant)
- 3 green onions sliced
- Slice flank steak, across the grain, into thin strips. Thread meat slices onto skewers, accordion style. It’s easy! Child’s play! (NOTE: Meat on sticks can be frozen at this point. When ready to use, just remove from freezer. Let defrost for as long as it takes to make marinade. Then continue with recipe.)
- Combine soy sauce, sugar, and sake; stir well to dissolve sugar. Add in garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, and green onions.
- Pour over meat on sticks. Marinate 30 minutes.
- Remove skewers from marinade.
- Grill over hot fire or broil for 2-3 minutes on each side. Good hot, room temperature, and cold! I’ve served these as appetizers and as a main dish.
Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today! I hope I have given you an idea for this weekend’s BBQ and for busy school night meals, too!