Can You Use Stew Meat For Kabobs?

Kabobs are a fun meal that all of the family can enjoy. They’re tasty, flavorful and easy to make in no time at all. The beauty of the kabob is that you can make it your way. You can add bell peppers, onions, homemade marinades, sauces, and you can choose whatever meat you prefer.

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Most people opt for chicken kabobs, or some even have pork kabobs, but the vast majority prefer a beef kabob. So, what about beef stew meat? Can we use that for kabobs? Find out in this handy guide! Firstly, what exactly is stew meat?

What Is Stew Meat?

Stew meat is typically small chunks of beef that are cubed or diced. This meat is filled with connective tissue, which can make it a slightly tough kind of meat. Stew meat normally comes from the chuck of the cow, which is near the neck and upper shoulder of the cow.

Sometimes, it can be taken from the round of the cow, which is near the rump and hind legs. As these areas are very muscular and used a lot during exercise or movement, the meat from this area tends to be very tough.

With all of that connective tissue going through the meat, it can take a long time for the fats to break down and melt in order to get the meat soft and tender. This is why stew meat is often used for stewing, as it can cook on a low temperature slowly for a few hours at a time.

Stew meat is therefore most often used in stew recipes, crockpots, slow cookers and pressure cooking. However, as it is a cheaper cut of meat, it is often the cut of choice for many people to incorporate into a range of dishes.

What Are Kabobs?

Kabobs or kebabs, are a very popular kind of Middle Eastern food made by skewering chunks of meat along with vegetables onto a skewer and mounting them onto a grill to cook.

Most kabobs are marinated in a mixture of salt, garlic, oil, pepper and a few other spices, before the meat and vegetables are cut up into small, even chunks to fit onto the skewers.

The most common meats used for kabobs are lamb and beef, so it comes as no surprise that you may be wondering if stew meat can be used. As stew meat often comes already chunked, it could be the perfect addition to your homemade kabobs. So, can you use stew meat for kabobs?

Can You Use Stew Meat For Kabobs

For most beef kabobs, chefs will opt for sirloin as this cut is very tender and marinates well. But, if you want to use up leftover stew meat, then you can use it for your kabobs. Think about it, they’re already chunked up and easy to place onto a skewer with ease.

The only thing that you need to keep in mind is that you won’t get that soft, tender kabob meat when using stew meat as it is typically chewier and tougher. This is because stew meat is designed for stewing, hence the name.

It is best served after being stewed and simmered in liquid for hours in order for it to soften and for the connective tissue to melt.

What this means is that it is not ideal when cooked for a few minutes on a grill. However, if you do have leftover beef stew meat that you need to use, and you’re fed up with casseroles and stews, then there’s no reason why you cannot use it for kabobs if you wish.

Just prepare yourself for tougher, chewier meat once cooked rather than that melt in your mouth kabob meat.

Stew Meat Kabob Recipe

Ready to make kabobs with stew meat? Check out this simple recipe! For this recipe to work, you will need:

1 lb of stew meat
1 large onion
1 large red bell pepper
1 large green bell pepper
¼ cup of soy sauce
¼ cup of olive oil
1 tbsp of black pepper
1 tbsp of salt
¾ cup of worcestershire sauce
Skewers

First, you will need to marinade the meat. To do this, get a large bowl and mix together the cup of soy sauce, olive oil, black pepper, salt, and worcestershire sauce until combined. Then, if your meat is not already chunked, cut it up into evenly sized pieces, and place in the bowl, marinating for about 2 hours.

Whilst the meat is marinating, you can chop up your bell peppers and onion into similarly sized pieces, so that they can also go onto the skewers. Once the meat is marinated, start to place the stew meat onto the skewers, using peppers and onions in between the pieces of meat.

Finally, place the skewers on the grill, and cook on each size until the meat is no longer pink, so for about 10-15 minutes. Then, serve with seasoned or flavored rice along with some flatbreads and enjoy.

Our top tip is that the longer you leave the meat to marinate, the softer the stew meat becomes as it absorbs the liquid. Keep that in mind if you prefer tender kabobs!

Conclusion

To conclude, beef stew meat can be incorporated into a range of dishes. This meat often comes already chunked up and is best served in casseroles, stews and slow cooker dishes as this gives the meat enough time to soften up, and for the connective tissue to break down so that the meat is tender.

That being said, if you want to use it for other recipes such as beef kabobs, then you can with this handy guide. Just keep in mind that the beef is very tough in nature, and needs a lot of time to soften, so quickly grilling this meat for kabobs can result in much tougher, chewier cuts of beef.

As long as you marinate the stew meat, and cook it so that it’s no longer pink on the sides, then you can enjoy homemade beef kabobs in just a matter of minutes, at a fraction of the cost of using sirloin steak!

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Jess Smith

Hi, my name is Jess Smith, and I love cooking in my spare time. Around three years ago, I decided to give up my day job as a teacher to pursue my passion for food. While I have enjoyed sharing tips and tricks on Social Media, I have decided to expand my horizons through this blog.

Through this blog I hope to help others learn the basics and more intricate details of cooking. I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to cook a meal, only to realize you are missing one ingredient from your list. This is why I love to write articles chatting readers through some great substitutes that can be used in an emergency.

I hope you will find this blog useful, and that it will help you to develop your culinary skills, to help you cook up a storm!