I'm not sure about you, but meat on a stick is life! The simplicity of being able to pick it up, dunk it in a sauce and enjoy it. It works for so many occasions! These delicious beef satay skewers are a must-have recipe for anyone keen on barbecuing, cooking for a crowd or wanting to impress on date night!
sponsored by Two Hands Wines, Barossa
Why I Love This Recipe
- so tasty
- feeds a crowd
- fun for the family to make
- can be prepared in advance
What's not to love? It's meat on a stick................ After travelling through Asia as a youngster, I pretty much lived on items like pad thai, chicken satay and rice in every form. Since then, the mark of a good takeaway for me is their satay. I always order it, and to be honest, I am disappointed most of the time. Cue making satay myself. The traditionalists will say I'm cheating with this simple satay sauce, and they aren't wrong, but with a busy work schedule, sometimes you need your beef satay to be quick, simple and full of flavour.
Homemade Satay Sauce
As mentioned, the sauce I use for my beef satay is a bit of a cheats sauce, but boy is it a good one! In fact, you can use this delicious satay sauce with chicken, pork, beef or even tofu if you are that way inclined 😉
If, like me, you are a fan of using Asian ingredients at home, then you probably have most of these at hand anyways. If not, don't stress as all are available at any good grocery store, and they have long shelf lives, so you can make this delicious beef satay over and over again!
To make the sauce, simply gather the ingredients (listed below) and add them all (except peanuts and lime to a saucepan). Heat the sauce and cook for 2 minutes on low-medium heat. Once incorporated and thickened slightly, remove from the heat, add your lime juice and peanuts. Job done! Next job - beef satay skewers!
Making The Beef Skewers
This part is really simple and fun for the whole family too. Cut your beef - I use flank, flap or skirt steak for its combination of meat/fat. These cuts work great marinated and cooked hot and fast. What does that mean? Crank up the BBQ or grill and cook them at a high temperature. This helps get a nice char to your meat and keep them moist and tender.
Step 1 - slice the beef nice and thin. Don't worry if it looks a little messy, we are going to be loading up the skewers and packing them together. It ain't a fashion show 😉
Step 2 - marinate the steaks. I use a combo of garlic, ginger, kecap manis and oil. Kecap, what you may be asking what is this crazy-sounding stuff? It's a sweet soy sauce, and it's delish! Mix the ingredients together (ratios below) and cover the beef in the marinade and leave it for 30 minutes or so.
Step 3 - Skewer up that beef satay. Get the gang involved on this one! More hands make the job quicker, so defo get them stuck in. The key when skewering thin slices of meat to a skewer is to 1. Fold it over a few times 2. Pack it tight - so push them all together 3. only fill about 1/3 of the skewer. You need space to hold your skewer when you pick it up, so don't overfill them.
Step 4 - crank that BBQ up. You want it to be about 250+c to cook them and try to avoid heat over the end of the skewer, so it doesn't burn, but more on that below in the FAQ's
Smashed Cucumber Salad
For me, satay isn't complete with some kind of fresh salad. Given the temperatures in Asia, something like a simple cucumber salad is the way to go. It's fresh, healthy and also looks the business too 😉
The salad has a few components to it - most of which can be done as the beef satay skewers are marinating, but you will need to start the cucumber first. Once you have done that, then you can crack on with the beef satay marinade and the satay sauce.
Step 1 - Slice the cucumber in 1/2 lengthways and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Then with the flesh side facing down, smash the cucumber with a knife, rolling pin, frying pan or your fist if you feel a little Jackie Chan!
Step 2 - gather up the smashed cucumber and place it in a bowl. Add equal parts salt/sugar (quantities below) and toss to combine. Place the cucumber in a sieve over the bowl and then into the fridge for 1 hour. This allows the moisture to drain from the cucumber.
Step 4 - once you are ready to make the salad then blanch the green beans (stick them into boiling water for 5 seconds and then into ice-cold water)
Step 5 - slice the spring onions, pick your herbs and whisk the dressing ingredients together.
Step 6 - add all ingredients to a bowl, add some dressing and toss to combine - taste and add more dressing as required. Finish the salad with some more fresh herbs, sesame seeds and chilli flakes.
FYI - you can prepare all the ingredients in advance just don't combine the salad ingredients until you serve them to keep them fresh and crisp. The smashed cucumber salad is crazy good on its own, with my delicious beef satay skewers or any grilled meats.
Tips, Tricks & FAQ's
The best tip I can give you is to make my beef satay or in the kitchen in general. Is to READ THE RECIPE. You may think you know how to cook or may even be a Masterchef, but each recipe is made a certain way for a reason. So, read it through from start to finish. Follow the steps, and if at the end you think you can make it better next time by cooking something more/less, adding more spice, or whatever, then go ahead. I can tell you I have failed many times, thinking, "sure, I know how to cook", and only following the recipe 1/2 way. I end kicking myself, wishing I had paid more attention.
The easiest answer is to use metal skewers, BUT if, like me, you wanna use wooden ones to be a little more traditional, then soak them in water first. The best thing to do is soak them after the cucumber goes in the fridge and then remember when cooking, don't put the piece you are holding over the coals 😉
The amount in the sauce is just enough for 4ppl, but if you find you have some leftover or plans change and you don't use it at all, the satay sauce will keep in the fridge safely for up to 3 days. Just remember only to reheat it once!
That's the beauty of satay. Chicken, pork, beef, lamb, vegetables or even tofu it all works. Bare in mind cooking times will differ depending upon what you are using.
Two Hands Wines
What can I say? These guys make some CRACKING wines. I first visited the winery in 2019 when I was in Barossa with Mrs AnotherFoodBlogger and Little Miss AnotherFoodBlogger. My tastings were whirlwind trips, though as the "boss" was entertaining the little one, and there was only so much patience she had. I'll let you decide who I'm talking about 😉
Situated in the Barossa Valley, Two Hands winery is open 7 days a week from 11-5pm, they have a beautiful cellar door with friendly, knowledgeable staff to guide you through an array of tastings. Better yet, why not had to Brutus wine bar and garden where you can sample the wines and enjoy some delicious local charcuterie.
My love affair with Two Hands started back in Ireland, where we used to sell a number of their Picture Series wines. Then, once again, when I moved to NYC, we sold their Sexy Beast (I think the somm fancied himself a little!). So, when the opportunity came to work with the guys at Two Hands, it was only fitting we start with some of their picture series wines.
Beef Satay & Shiraz
If you have been an avid follower of my blog and/or insta, you are probably aware of my love affair with wine! I won't tell you how extensive the cellar is BUT let's just say there are multiple fridges.......
Yes, an ice-cold beer is great with a satay skewer, but to me, dinner ain't complete without a nice glass of wine. This recipe has been created with the Two Hands 'Angel's Share' Shiraz in mind, and boy did I love it! For those of you who don't know, Angel's Share refers to the wine that evaporates from oak barrels as it matures. A little for you and me and a glass or 2 for the wine angels!
It's clear to me those wine angels were watching over this wine well, as, for a $30 bottle, it drinks like $50. One of the things I love about the wines is the same level of attention to detail and love goes into the wines that cost $30 as the ones that cost $250, so you know you are getting quality.
My not so expert review goes a little like this. Tons of blue fruits on the nose with a touch of raisin, vanilla and woody spices too. A full palate but one that is well balanced too. Ripe fruits, spice, black pepper and raisins are balanced out with good acidity and savoury tannins and great length. The truth is, the wine is a little young, so it needs a good decant (say 1 hour plus, which is great if you crack it before making the cucumbers) or more time in the bottle. But for $30, it's almost impossible not to buy 6 of them and enjoy the evolution!
Other Recipes Cooked on Skewers
Inspired by my beef satay skewers and have a craving for more delicious dishes cooked and served on a stick? Check out these cracking dishes below for further inspo!
Lamb Kebabs, Tabbouleh & Herbed Yoghurt by Yours Truly
Vietnamese Grilled Pork Skewers by Jeanette Ta of Wok & Kin
Grilled Lamb & Black Pudding Skewers by Yours Truly
Halloumi & Chorizo Kebabs by Helen Schofield of Scrummy Lane
Air Fryer Chicken Skewers by Adrianne Jamieson of 'Sweet Caramel Sunday'
Happy Cooking & Happy Eating Friends!!
Ingredients
Satay
- 800 g flank skirt or flap steak
- 8 tbsp kecap manis
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp garlic
- 1 tbsp ginger
Satay Sauce
- 100 g peanut butter
- 250 ml coconut milk
- 1 tbsp palm sugar
- 4 tbsp kecap manis
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Asian chilli garlic sauce
- 50 g crushed peanuts
- 2 tbsp lime juice
Cucumber Salad
- 2 continental cucumbers
- 3 spring onions
- 150 g green beans
- 1 handful mint
- 1 handful coriander
- Chili flakes
- Sesame seeds
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Cucumber Salad Dressing
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp white miso
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 tsp crushed ginger
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Essential Tools
- Chef Knives
- Chopping board
- saucepan
- BBQ/grill pan
- sieve
- mixing bowl x 3
- BBQ skewers
- Measuring utensils
- whisk
Instructions
Cucumber Salad
- Slice the cucumber in 1/l2 lengthways and then into bite-sized pieces. Smash the cucumber with the back of your knife – it’ll be messy!
- Toss the cucumber in salt & sugar and place in a sieve over a bowl and into the fridge for 1 hour (start making the beef satay to marinate)
- Blanch the green beans and place them into an ice cold bath to cool and leave them crisp
- Slice the spring onions at an angle
- Make the sauce by whisking all in the ingredients together and set aside
- Add the cucumber (without the juice) to a bowl with green beans, sliced spring onions and herbs. Toss in the dressing and finish with sesame seeds, chili flakes and some fresh herbs
Satay Skewers
- Slice beef into thin slices against the grain. Don’t worry of they look a little ragged they are going to be skewered
- Mix all the marinade ingredients together and marinate the steak for 30 minutes
- Meanwhile, soak the wooden skewers (is using) in water for 30 minutes so they don’t burn
- Make the satay sauce and finish the salad ingredients
- Skewer the beef folding it over a couple times. Only fill the skewers about 1/3 of the way and then squeeze them gently to tighten on the skewer
- Grill for 5-6 minutes turning a couple times
Satay Sauce
- Mix all ingredients EXCEPT lime juice and chopped peanuts in a saucepan
- Cook for 2 minutes, stirring to combine
- Remove from the heat and add chopped peanuts and lime juice
Notes
Tips/Tricks
- you can make the satay sauce ahead of time and either serve at room temperature or heat it slightly. If you store it in the fridge you will want to warm it slightly. It will last for up to 3 days in the fridge
- don’t marinate the steak for more than 2 hours as the meat texture will start to change and become a little mushy
- soaking the cucumber in salt/sugar mix will help remove the liquid so your salad isn’t so watery
- I like to fill my satay skewers about 1/3 of the way so I can eat them direct from the skewer with ease but feel free to fill yours more
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