If you’re a fan of shawarma or other skewered meats, you’re going to love these flake steak skewers, I found this method on Instagram thanks to a butcher named @reemazobel. He cuts the steak super thin with a very sharp knife, then stacks the thin slices on top of each other, THEN cuts the meat into cubes for our skewers. It’s unique and so freakin’ delicious! I love learning from other grill masters out there.

Using a brush to baste flake steak skewers on the grill with cowboy butter

Why You’ll Love Flake Steak Skewers

Our flake steak skewers, sometimes known as steak kabobs (or steak kebabs), are made of mouthwatering thin strips of ribeye steak. The best thing about this recipe is that we don’t cook the meat all the way, like we do in other skewered steak recipes. Here, we cook the steak medium rare, and they’re just perfect. Add in my cowboy butter seasoning and baste the already-best steak with insanely good cowboy butter, and we’ve got a next level skewers recipe. 

Looking for more skewers recipes? Check out this roundup of my favorites!

Seasoning the flake steak on the skewers and placing the skewers on the grill

Flake Steak Skewers Ingredients

  • Steaks: We’ll season our ribeye steak slices with my new Cowboy Butter Rub from Spiceology! The rub features rich butter, garlic, herbs, mustard, smoked paprika, vinegar and just a hint of cayenne. It took me more than a year to perfect this recipe, and I know you’re going to love it.
  • Cowboy Butter: ​I love a good cowboy butter. For this one, we’re mixing together minced garlic, Dijon mustard, chopped parsley, red pepper flakes and cayenne powder because we want to complement those Cowboy Butter Rub notes.

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Tomato-Cucumber Salad

When I think of shawarma, I think of freakin’ delicious meat wrapped in a warm pita and topped with a fresh tomato-cucumber salad. To make your own quick tomato-cucumber salad, dice 2-3 small cucumbers and 1 tomato. Then, mix those vegetables with 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, a handful of chopped parsley or fresh oregano, and kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Stir, serve and enjoy with your flake steak skewers.

​How to Make Flake Steak Skewers

​Making the Cowboy Butter

First up, we’ve got to make our cowboy butter. Mix together 2 sticks of melted unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons minced garlic, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 1.5 tablespoons chopped parsley, 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon cayenne power. Then, set the cowboy butter mixture to the side.

Preparing the Flake Steak

​Since we want our steak strips to be super thin, place your 3 pounds of ribeye steaks in the freezer for one hour. This will be enough to firm up the steaks so we can slice them easily, but not long enough that they’ll go frozen on us!

Using a sharp knife for slicing and stacking thin strips of ribeye steaks for flake steak skewers

Once the steaks have had an hour to (literally) chill, use a sharp knife to slice your ribeye steaks thin.

To make the flake steak skewers, stack your thinly sliced ribeyes on top of each other. Then, slice those stacks in 2×2 inch cubes and thread the cubes onto small metal skewers. Finally, season the outside of the flake steak skewers with my Cowboy Butter Rub

Slicing the stacks of ribeye steak and threading onto skewers for flake steak skewers

Grilling the Flake Steak Skewers

Preheat your fire to medium heat (about 325 degrees F). Then, add the flake steak skewers to the hot grill grates to cook slowly and render the fat.

Baste the skewers with the cowboy butter after a couple of minutes cooking.

Basting the meats with cowboy butter on the grill

Cook your flake steak skewers for about 8-10 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 120 degrees F. Once they’re done, pull the skewers off the grill and let them rest. Serve and enjoy!

Pushing the flake steak off the skewer and basting with cowboy butter on a plate

What to Serve with Flake Steak Skewers

Pita and the tomato-cucumber salad I mentioned in the tip are classic pairings here. A simple green salad would make a great side dish too. 

You can also drizzle the steak with tzatziki or another white sauce. My favorite for shawarma is a quick mix of plain yogurt, mayo, kosher salt, sugar and white vinegar! If you want to go with a different flavor profile, chimichurri sauce would be so freakin’ delicious with this flake steak skewer recipe. I’ve got a whole list of my favorite uses of this South American cowboy sauce!

For More Steak Skewers

Leftovers and Reheating

​If you’ve got leftover flake steak skewers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Then, when you’re ready to eat, reheat on a grill at medium heat or a 350-degree oven until warm (about 10-15 minutes). 

FAQs

Should I use metal skewers or wooden skewers? 

I’m a metal skewers guy. First off, you can reuse them. Also, having a flat surface makes the food more stable so it doesn’t rotate or slide while you’re grilling. But some cooks say the metal heats up faster than a wooden skewer and cooks the inside of the meat too quickly. I haven’t found this! But if you want to go with wooden skewers or bamboo skewers, make sure you get products with a smooth finish so they’re less likely to splinter. Soaking them in water helps with splintering and charring issues too.

Can I use a different cut besides ribeye? 

​Sure! Marinated flank steak could work here for flank steak skewers. Top sirloin steak is another solid option for the flake steak skewers. Just make sure you’re following the steps to get those steak strips as thin as possible.

Settle a debate for me: is it steak kabob or steak kebab? 

Debate (not?) settled: both! Kabob (or kebab) are terms that originated in the Middle East. Both refer to skewered meat grilled over an open flame. Typically, the “kabob” spelling is used by people from countries like Armenia and Iran. Then, “kebab” (or even “kabab”) is used by people from countries like Lebanon and Syria. 

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Using a brush to baste flake steak skewers on the grill with cowboy butter

Flake Steak Skewers

These flake steak skewers are made of mouthwatering strips of ribeye steaks, seasoned with cowboy butter for a freakin' delicious meal.
Author:Derek Wolf
No ratings yet
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Freezing Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients 

Skewers:

Cowboy Butter:

  • 2 sticks Unsalted Butter melted
  • 2 tbsp Minced Garlic
  • 2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1.5 tbsp Chopped Parsley
  • 2 tsp Red Chili Flakes
  • 1 tsp Cayenne Powder

Instructions 

  • Mix together all the ingredients for the cowboy butter and set to the side.
  • Slice your ribeye into thin slices, about 1/8th an inch.
  • Stack your thinly sliced ribeyes on top of each other. Slice into 2×2” cubes and skewer onto small skewers. Season the outside with my Cowboy Butter Rub.
  • Preheat your fire to medium heat (about 325F).
  • Add the skewers to the grill grates to cook slowly to render the fat. Baste with the cowboy butter after a couple of minutes cooking.
  • Cook for about 8-10 minutes per side or until 120F internal, then once done pull off and let rest. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Tomato-Cucumber Salad
When I think of shawarma, I think of freakin’ delicious meat wrapped in a warm pita and topped with a fresh tomato-cucumber salad. To make your own quick tomato-cucumber salad, dice 2-3 small cucumbers and 1 tomato. Then, mix those vegetables with 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, a handful of chopped parsley or fresh oregano, and kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Stir, serve and enjoy with your flake steak skewers.

Nutrition

Calories: 1286kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 75g | Fat: 97g | Saturated Fat: 52g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 36g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 329mg | Sodium: 298mg | Potassium: 1736mg | Fiber: 26g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3111IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 1000mg | Iron: 28mg

Derek Wolf

Derek is the driving force behind Over the Fire Cooking. He started cooking with live fire in 2016 and decided to start a social media page so his friends and family could follow the journey. Fast forward to today and Over the Fire Cooking has spread across multiple platforms with millions now following Derek's fire cooking journey. He's a southern fellow who enjoys everything from classic BBQ to Central and South American inspired dishes. Whatever he's cooking up, it's guaranteed to be so freakin' delicious!

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