Description
Whole Foods used to sell shish kebabs marinated in “Theo’s Steakhouse Marinade.” I loved the marinade! Eventually, we stopped buying the pre-made shish kebabs and bought the Theo’s Steakhouse Marinade to make the shish kebabs ourselves. Well, lo and behold, Whole Foods stopped selling the marinade! So I had to become a sleuth and figure out how to make this marinade from scratch at home!
I started with Amazon and found several Theo’s Steakhouse Marinades. None were the brands I had bought, and I had no idea if Theo’s Steakhouse Marinades were a “thing,” meaning that they would all be similar. I didn’t know what a Theo’s Steakhouse was, or is! So, I started looking at the ingredient lists, taking notes on what each brand used. Of course quantity wasn’t included, but I’ve always had a pretty good sense of how much of something to add. Give me someone else’s recipe and I can tell you if they’ve recommended too much or too little of an ingredient! Frankly, I find way too many recipes dumb down the flavor profile and do not add enough when it comes to spices and seasonings.
Anywho, amazingly, I pretty closely nailed the marinade the first time I made it. Over time, I’ve perfected it. Umami, heat, sweetness, it all comes together for such a satisfying flavor. Pineapple juice adds an awesome flavor profile and sweetness. A pinch of cayenne gives the subtlest zing on your tongue. Chili powder and paprika give it a smokiness. And the soy sauce gives this a sultry flavor. Yes! All of those senses are hit with this marinade, and they blend together so…. yuuuummmm.
This is super simple to throw together. Marinade the meat and vegetables overnight for the best results! Then, it takes only 10 to 15 minutes to grill. How can that get any easier?
I drizzled a little extra marinade over the meat and vegetable after they were finished cooking. Hmmmm…
Enjoy!
Ingredients
2 lbs sirloin, cut into 1 to 2” chunks
3 bell peppers (any color), cut into 1 to 2” pieces
1/2 a red onion, cut into 1 to 2” pieces
2 pints of mushrooms
Marinade
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup pineapple juice
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 TB paprika
1 TB chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 TB mustard seeds
1 tsp salt
1 TB black pepper
Instructions
The night before, make the marinade in a medium bowl by combining the soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, pineapple juice, garlic, paprika, chili powder, cayenne, mustard seeds, salt, and black pepper. Whisk to combine.
Place the sirloin in a small bowl or ziplock bag. Pour about 1/2 cup of the marinade over the sirloin and mix to coat well. Place the vegetables in a large bowl and pour the remaining marinade over them. Mix to coat well. Place the meat and vegetables in the refrigerate to marinate.
Remove the meat and vegetables from the refrigerator an hour or two before grilling to bring up to room temperature.
When ready, skewer the ingredients. We prefer our vegetables more charred, so we place the meat on separate skewers. Alternate the vegetables on the remaining skewers.
Heat your grill to a temperature between 350° and 400°. Before lighting the grill, I like to coat the grill with vegetable oil to prevent sticking. Once the grill is hot, place the skewers even spread across the grill. Turn the vegetables often. Cook the meat about 5 minutes than flip and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until desired doneness. Remove them from the grill and place them on a plate or cutting board. If the vegetables are at your desired level of “charred,” remove them from the grill and serve. Otherwise, continue cooking them for about another 5 minutes.
Remove the vegetables and meat from the skewers and serve!
Serve with rice, if desired. We enjoy having corn on the cob rather than a starch with this!
Drizzle a little marinade left from your vegetable bowl (not the meat bowl!) over your plate for a little bit extra oomph 😋.
Enjoy!
Keywords: Shish Kebabs, Steakhouse Marinade, Grilling, Shish Kebobs