Red Hot Beef Kabobs with Yogurt Sauce

Sweet heat meets cool tang on these grilled beef kabobs. The marinade hits sirloin with brown sugar, chili powder, apple cider vinegar, and hot pepper sauce all at once. Fifteen minutes is all it takes for the flavors to grab onto the meat before the skewers hit the grill.

That brown sugar in the marinade does more than add sweetness. It caramelizes over the hot coals, creating a sticky, charred crust on each piece of beef that locks in the spice. The vinegar cuts through the richness and keeps things from going one-note sweet. Grill them over medium coals, turning often so the sugar chars but doesn’t burn.

The cool yogurt sauce with green onions and garlic salt is the counterpoint the whole dish needs. Spoon it into a bowl in the center of the platter, pile the beef around it on a bed of raw spinach, and let people dip as they go. The heat from the beef just barely wilts the spinach underneath.

Kitchen Tips

• Cut the sirloin into even 1 ½ inch pieces so they cook uniformly on the skewer
• Soak wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes before threading, or use metal ones
• Turn the kabobs frequently. The brown sugar burns fast, so don’t walk away from the grill
• Make the yogurt sauce first and let it chill while you prep and grill the beef

Variations

• Thread red bell pepper and onion chunks between the beef pieces for veggie kabobs
• Swap sirloin for lamb cubes for a richer, smokier flavor on the grill
• Use Greek yogurt instead of regular low-fat for a thicker, creamier dipping sauce