Teriyaki Sesame Beef Skewers

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: beef, sesame, soy sauce, teriyaki

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 15

Marinate Time: 1

Total Time: 1 25

Servings: skewers

Calories: 166kcal

Tender skewered beef slices with a sweet, sticky, sesame soy sauce that only take a few minutes to grill and are perfect as appetizers or part of a meal.

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Equipment

Ingredients

Tools

12 skewers wooden (or bamboo) soaked in water for 1 hour

Teriyaki Beef

2 Tablespoons white sesame seeds toasted
2 pounds boneless beef sirloin roast sliced 1 cm thick against the grain
½ cup dark brown sugar (dark brown preferred but light brown works too)
⅓ cup soy sauce (if using less-sodium, add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt)
2 Tablespoons garlic (6 cloves) pressed
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
2 Tablespoons mirin or 1 teaspoon white sugar
2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
½ cup pineapple juice or fresh crushed pineapples *Optional* - Will aid with tenderizing lean meat such as 'eye of round' or 'chuck'. Marinate for 5 minutes up to 15 minutes maximum, depending on the thickness of the sliced meat. If you want to add pineapple juice for flavour to tender meat, I recommend adding it at the very end after your meat is done marinating with the teriyaki sauce.

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Instructions

Soak wooden skewers in water for 1 hour prior to grilling (to help prevent sticks from burning too quickly).
Toast white sesame seeds on medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown (you can also use pre-toasted sesame seeds). Set it aside in a heat-proof bowl to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Grind seeds in a mortar with a pestle (or in a zip-top plastic bag with a rolling pin).
Remove roast from packaging and pat it dry with paper towels. If present, trim away connective tissue or silver skin (the membrane that will not break down during grilling) from the roast. Slice roast into even, thin slices against the grain. Cut slices approx. 2 x 3 inches with a 1 cm thickness. Set beef aside in a large mixing bowl.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, mirin, toasted sesame seeds, hoisin sauce and pineapple juice (only recommended for tougher meats. See my notes below for more info). Pour the sauce into the bowl with sliced beef and mix everything with a spatula until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap (or place beef into a zip-top plastic bag) and refrigerate it for 1 hour.
Skewer about 6 beef slices on one skewer stick, leaving a 2-inch gap on the dull side of the stick for easy handling. Repeat this step until all of the meat is skewered. Place skewers on a tray lined with aluminum foil.
If there is excess marinade left over, pour it into a saucepan and bring it to a boil (stir occasionally) until the sauce has reduced and is thickened. Use this as an extra sauce to brush on the beef while grilling.
Grill skewers on your BBQ oven on medium-high heat (approximately 400°F) for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until the meat is cooked and the sauce is sticky (slightly charred is even better for flavour). Serve immediately as an appetizer or as a main course with a side dish.

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Notes

What type of Beef should I use for ultimate tenderness?

A roast such as top sirloin tip roast, tri-tip or flank is good for grilling. If it’s within your budget, a beef tenderloin works very well for tenderness. Look for a cut that has marbling (lines of fat) throughout the meat. This will add juicy flavour to your grilled beef.

How do I tenderize a tough or lean cut of beef?

If you are using a lean & tough cut of beef such as eye of round or chuck, add pineapple juice or fresh crushed pineapple (or other crushed, acidic fresh fruit such as kiwi or Asian pear) to your marinade. It will tenderize even the leanest cut, due to the acidic enzymes.

*IMPORTANT*- If you are adding pineapple juice, marinate your beef for 5 minutes up to 15 minutes maximum, (depending on the thickness of your sliced meat). If you marinate it longer than 15 minutes, the beef will disintegrate. Don’t like fruit in your marinade? Use a meat tenderizer to soften sliced beef instead.

Why do I need to slice beef 'against the grain'?

Cutting against the grain means to slice meat against long fibers in the meat (aka. muscles) rather than parallel to it. It achieves two things. One is that your meat can be skewered more easily because the sliced meat will hold its texture since it can't be pulled apart easily (cooked or uncooked) and second is that it makes your meat more tender / flavourful once marinated and cooked. If sliced along the length of the muscle fibers in your meat, not only is it harder to skewer but once cooked, it will be a little tougher to chew through because of the long muscle fiber rather than the thinly, sliced and shortened version.

Can I use pre-toasted sesame seeds instead of toasting my own?

Of course you can! I just prefer to toast my own because freshly toasted sesame seeds add so much aroma to the marinade. Adjust the amount of seeds to your liking. Personally, I love sesame seeds and add about 1/8 or 1/4 cup of seeds to my marinade.

I'm too busy. Can I freeze the marinated beef ahead?

It's a great way to prep dinner for a busy weeknight. Throw the marinade and raw beef into a zip-top freezer bag (squeeze out all of the air) and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the bag in your refrigerator before you leave for work in the morning. This will allow the beef to absorb the marinade while it's thawing. When home, if you don't want to skewer the meat, you can add some oil and minced garlic to a non stick wok or frying pan and fry the beef with the sauce. The marinade will thicken and makes a great topper over a bed of rice with some side vegetables of your choice (may I suggest broccoli, cauliflower, green beans or rappini?

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