Grilled Steak and Shrimp Kabobs

Summer is here, which means it’s time to fire up the grill. These grilled steak and shrimp kabobs are one of our family’s favorite summer dinners. These kabobs are loaded with tender sirloin steak, jumbo shrimp, smoked sausage, peppers, onions, and sweet pineapple. They’re like a surf and turf meal on a stick, but so much better. After marinating overnight, the kabobs are grilled until perfectly charred and juicy for a dinner everyone looks forward to.

This meal is one of our favorites to make once grilling season starts. Every summer we try to make it several times. When the kids see that I have meal planned for it they are so excited. The smoky grilled steak, juicy shrimp, caramelized pineapple, and tender vegetables make every bite packed with flavor. As a bonus this is usually a dish we eat on the deck, which just adds another level of fun to dinner.

What makes this grilled steak and shrimp kabobs different than other recipes?

1. Many recipes out there use just one marinade, ours uses three different marinades. One for the steak, one for the sausage, and one for the veggies. Each ingredient develops it’s own flavor that come together on the grill.
2. Unlike traditional kabobs that mix all the ingredients on single skewers, we keep each one on it’s own. Steaks, sausage, veggies, pineapple, and shrimp all have different cooking times. By keeping the separated, you can make sure each is cooked to perfection.

What’s in Grilled Steak and Shrimp Kabobs

The list of what’s in these kabobs is pretty basic, but I know it looks long. You have your meats, veggies, and marinades.

For this recipe (and what sets it apart from other grilled steak and shrimp kabobs) is that the steak, sausage, and veggies each get their own marinade. You can change up the marinade to what works for your family.

• steak: we use sirloin steak, but rib eye or New York Strip would work well too
• smoked sausage: we buy the large ropes. We usually use beef, but you could also use turkey if you’d like. If your family likes spice try andouille
• large shrimp: you want jumbo shrimp (8-12 shrimp per pound. We get ours from the seafood counter at our local Meijer grocery store.
• bell peppers: red, yellow, and orange peppers become slightly sweet and add color to your dish
• large red onion: the red onion gives it a little more of a robust flavor
• pineapple: the sweet pineapple caramelizes slightly and is the perfect pair to to the savory meats
• marinades (see below for marinade ingredients): help to tenderize the meats and vegetables and add flavor

Steak Marinade Ingredients

• Steak Sauce: we use A1
• BBQ Sauce: our go to is Sweet Baby Rays, but once again, use what your family likes best. The BBQ sauce helps to tenderize the steak and adds flavor
• Olive Oil: just your normal EVOO
• Hot Sauce: Matt loves hot sauce, so he always puts a little in (like a dash). For this recipe he used Primo’s Peppers Swampadelic.
• Salt and pepper: added flavor

Sausage Marinade Ingredients

• orange juice: the citrus flavor really pairs will with smoked sausage
• pineapple juice: once again, it adds flavor and also helps tenderize
• BBQ sauce: we used Sweet Baby Rays
• salt and pepper: flavor

Veggie Marinade

• Italian dressing: we use whatever Italian dressing we have on hand. Usually we go with Wishbone, but have used Newman’s Own, and store brand. Just make sure it’s not creamy Italian.
• olive oil: helps tenderize and keeps veggies from drying out
• garlic: added flavor
• salt and pepper: added flavor

How to Make Grilled Steak and Shrimp Kabobs

I wouldn’t say making this dinner is hard, but it is a process. Matt and I do it together, and we work like a well oiled machine now. I enjoy the time we spend while prepping and cooking these steak and shrimp

The Night Before

Prep the steak

Start by cutting the steak into cubes, around 1″ in size.

Mix the steak marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag (or whatever you are planning to marinade the meat in). Place the cut steak into the bag and massage it around so that everything is evenly distributed. Place it in the fridge overnight. The next day give the bag a few flips so that everything gets marinated well.

Prep the smoked sausage

Cut the smoked sausage into chunks about 1 inch.

Mix the sausage marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag. Place the cut sausage into the bag and massage it around so that everything is evenly distributed. Place it in the fridge overnight. The next day give the bag a few flips so that everything gets marinated well.

Prep the veggies

Cut bell peppers and red onion into chunks.

Mix the veggie marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag. Place the cut veggies into the bag and massage it around so that everything is evenly distributed. Place it in the fridge overnight. The next day give the bag a few flips so that everything gets marinated well.

Defrost shrimp

If your shrimp are frozen, put them in the fridge to defrost.

Grilling Day- The Next Day

Soak skewer

About 1-2 hours before you plan to assemble your kabobs soak bamboo skewers in water. This helps to prevent them from catching fire.

Assembly Time

Grab your favorite beverage and get ready to skewer. We like to do this outside since it can get a little messy. Because everything takes a different amount of time to cook we skewer the same ingredients together.

Cut and skewer the pineapple

Cut the pineapple into chunks, and skewer.

Skewer the veggies

Bell peppers and red onion go on skewers together, and the pineapple gets its own. Pineapple cooks faster then the other veggies, so you want to keep them separate.

Skewer the meats and shrimp

Once again, each ingredient gets its own skewer since they take a different amount of time to cook.

Grilling the kabobs

Since everything takes a different amount of time to cook we stagger when it goes on the grill.

Veggies and Pineapple

Matt always starts by grilling the veggies and pineapples. Place the vegetable and pineapple skewers over medium-high heat. Grill until lightly charred and tender, then move them to indirect heat to keep warm while the meats finish cooking.

Steak

After the veggies and pineapple have been grilling for add the steak. As you can see that the veggies have been moved to indirect heat so they aren’t being cooked anymore. The steaks should take 8-10 minutes to fully cook.

Sausage

After the steaks have been grilling for about five minutes add the sausage. Cook these until slightly charred about 6-8 minutes.

Shrimp

Last on the grill is the shrimp, as they don’t take long at all. Cook until the shrimp are pink, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Serve them up!

Once everything it cooked slide them off the skewers into a big bowl. Give bowl a toss to mix everything together. Looking for a dessert to have after? Try these brown butter chocolate chip cookies or a salted caramel s’more brownie. If you are feeling adventurous, why not make your own marshmallows and use them to make smores!

From there we pile it onto our plates and enjoy.

Grill Time Chart

These times are an estimate. Total cook time will depend on how big you have cut your meat and the cut of meat you used.

FAQs about Grilled Steak and Shrimp Kabob

How do I store leftovers?

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. I do not think this recipe would freeze well.

Can I use different sausage?

Yes! I love how versatile this recipe is. If Matt had it his way, we would use andouille sausage or something spicy. Smoked turkey sausage would also taste fabulous.

What steak works best for kabobs?

Sirloin or New York strip work best for kabobs. You want to try to go with a tender cut of meat.

Will frozen shrimp work?

Yes frozen shrimp works great. You just need to make sure it is defrosted before putting it on the grill. You can defrost in the fridge overnight, or place frozen shrimp in a colander and run cold water over them until defrosted.

Can I use homemade BBQ sauce?

Absolutely! We go with Sweet Baby Rays for convivence, but you can choose whatever BBQ sauce you like.

Should I use wooden or bamboo skewers?

Both skewers work fine. If using bamboo be sure to soak them water for about an hour before putting meat on. This helps them not catch fire. I prefer using bamboo skewers since I find the metal ones hard to clean.

Can I make this with more spice or heat?

For sure you can. If you like some heat in your meals, you can add more hot sauce to your marinade. You can also include some crushed red pepper flakes, or even diced peppers of your choosing. You can also choose spicy sausage instead of the standard smoked sausage.