This Beef Yakiniku is tender, flavorful, and easy to make at home. A quick Japanese-inspired dinner that’s perfect for weekday family meals.
If you’re looking for a delicious Asian Recipe with savory and authentic flavors then you have to try these beef skewers! For other tasty Asian dinners, try my Chicken Satay or Beef Teriyaki!
Why You’ll Love This Beef Yakiniku?
- It delivers savory, smoky, crave-worthy flavor without requiring a complicated cooking process.
- It’s a fun, interactive meal that’s great for family dinners or gatherings, with everyone cooking and enjoying the tender beef together.
Sabrina’s Beef Yakiniku Recipe
Beef Yakiniku is a Japanese-style grilled beef dish that’s all about bold flavor and tender, juicy bites, usually grilled on bamboo skewers. The traditional recipes are typically made with chicken but in this version I’ve taken the same basic cooking concept to prepare beef. It’s quick enough for a weeknight dinner but feels special enough for a weekend meal or gathering. The simple cooking method lets the beef develop delicious caramelized edges while keeping the dish easy and approachable for home cooks.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar , packed
- 1/4 cup green onions , thinly sliced
- 3 clove garlic , minced
- 2 teaspoons ginger , minced (or paste)
- 1 pound chuck roast , cut into 1" cubes
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients together and mix well.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.
- Add wooden skewers to a container with water and let soak for 20 minutes.
- Thread the beef onto skewers, do not smash the pieces together or it will cook more unevenly.
- Grill for 6-7 minutes on each side on medium-high heat.
Nutrition
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Notes from Sabrina
If you have additional marinade, you can use it as a sauce. However, make sure to simmer it in a saucepan for a 5-10 minutes so that it is safe to eat. Additionally, you do need some sesame seeds and sesame oil, but you only need a little bit plus they have a long shelf life so you’ll have plenty to use in future recipes.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
This recipe is the perfect Asian beef dish that you can cook on an outdoor grill or your stovetop. The flavorful skewers are easy to prepare in a delicious marinade. Bold ingredients like soy sauce, lime, ginger, garlic, and brown sugar all come together to give the beef recipe an authentic Asian flavor profile. Chuck is also a less expensive cut of beef so this is a great budget recipe that feels fancy and new but won’t break the bank! Thanks to the marinade each bite of beef is bursting with complex, sweet, tangy and savory flavor.
Ingredients
- Meat: Chuck roast is the perfect meat for this recipe. As long as you give the meat enough time to marinate it will soak up all the flavors around it. The marinade also tenderizes chuck roast to make the beef nice and succulent.
- Marinade: Along with softening the meat, the marinade ingredients also give this recipe its complex flavor profile. Soy sauce, lime, sesame, brown sugar, fresh ginger and garlic all come together for a tangy, umami flavor that you’re sure to love!
Can this be made ahead of time?
These tender beef skewers are best served right after cooking them. However, since they need to marinate for at least 2 hours it is a great recipe to make ahead of time. The dish will be more tender and flavorful the longer you leave it to marinate. So, if you have time leave the meat in marinade overnight.
Serving Ideas
Once the beef is cooked you can enjoy it with Steamed Rice or cauliflower rice. It would also taste great with some Stir Fried Veggies. If you have any leftovers or just want a new way to enjoy the Asian dish, the Yakiniku would also taste amazing served in beef tacos. Just add the beef to a soft flour tortilla along with rice, and any veggies you want. You can top it off with a bit of soy sauce or hot sauce. Then fold up the beef tacos and enjoy.
How to Store
- Serve: After grilling, don’t leave the beef skewers at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: You can seal the recipe in an airtight container to store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: If you want to keep leftovers longer, it can be frozen for up to 6 months.
Variations
- Lemon Marinade: If you prefer a slightly sweeter marinade, you can use lemon juice instead of lime juice. Lemon juice will still add tangy flavor and help to tenderize the meat. But, it’s slightly less bitter and more sweet than lime.
- Vegetables: You can add vegetables to skewers to grill along with the meat as a tasty side. Bell peppers, onions, button mushrooms, zucchini, or cherry tomatoes would all taste great.
- Spicy Beef Yakiniku: If you want to kick the spice in the recipe up a notch you can mix a dash of hot sauce into the marinade, or sprinkle in a little bit of cayenne pepper. Just make sure not to add so much that it overwhelms the other flavors.
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