Grilled Steak & Poblano Skewers
There are some meals that don't need much fuss to be good. Give us a hot grill, a good cut of steak, a handful of fresh vegetables, and the right seasoning, and we're pretty well set.
These Cowboy Kabobs are built around exactly that idea. Ribeye gets paired with poblano peppers, bell pepper, red onion and garlic, then seasoned simply with olive oil, Cowboy Salt® and freshly ground Cowboy Peppercorn. A little time in the refrigerator lets everything get acquainted before the skewers hit a hot grill.
The result is smoky, charred steak with tender-crisp vegetables and just enough heat from the poblanos. They're easy enough for a weeknight but feel right at home fired up outside for a backyard dinner with friends.
And because nobody wants to stand over a grill juggling six different things, the steak and vegetables use essentially the same simple seasoning.
What You'll Need
Makes: 4–6 skewers
Prep time: 20 minutes, plus marinating
Cook time: 10–12 minutes
For the steak
- 1½ pounds ribeye, cut into 1½-inch cubes
- 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ tablespoon Cowboy Salt®
- ½ tablespoon Cowboy Peppercorn, freshly ground
- Wooden or metal skewers
For the vegetables
- 2 poblano peppers, seeded and cut into 1½-inch pieces
- 2 bell peppers, any color, seeded and cut into 1½-inch pieces
- 1 large red onion, cut into 1½-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Cowboy Salt®
- Cowboy Peppercorn, freshly ground, to taste
Before You Fire Up the Grill
If you're using wooden skewers, soak them in water for about 30 minutes before assembling your kabobs. This helps keep the exposed portions of the skewers from scorching quite as quickly over the grill.
Try to keep your steak and vegetables relatively uniform in size, too. About 1½ inches is the sweet spot here. Consistent pieces cook more evenly, which means you're less likely to end up with a perfectly cooked pepper sitting next to a steak cube that isn't ready.
How to Make Cowboy Kabobs
1. Season the steak
Add the cubed ribeye to a large bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil, minced garlic, ½ tablespoon Cowboy Salt® and ½ tablespoon freshly ground Cowboy Peppercorn.
Toss until every piece is lightly and evenly coated.
Cover and refrigerate for 15–30 minutes. You can let the steak marinate for up to four hours if you're prepping ahead.
2. Season the vegetables
In a separate bowl, combine the poblano peppers, bell peppers and red onion.
Toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, Cowboy Salt® and freshly ground Cowboy Peppercorn.
Keeping the vegetables separate from the raw steak while marinating also makes everything easier to handle when you're ready to assemble.
3. Build your skewers
Thread the ingredients onto your skewers, alternating between steak, poblano, onion and bell pepper.
Don't pack everything together too tightly. Leaving just a little breathing room between pieces allows the grill's heat to reach more surface area — which means better browning and more char.
4. Get the grill hot
Preheat your grill to medium-high heat, around 400°F.
Clean and lightly oil the grates before adding your skewers.
5. Grill
Place the Cowboy Kabobs directly over the heat and grill for approximately 10–12 minutes, turning every 3–4 minutes so the steak develops a good sear on multiple sides.
The original recipe calls for cooking the steak to your preferred doneness. If you're using an instant-read thermometer, temperature is a much better guide than the clock.
For medium-rare, pull the steak at around 130–135°F. For medium, aim for approximately 140–145°F.
Remember that the temperature can continue to rise slightly after the skewers come off the grill.
6. Rest
Remove the kabobs from the grill and let them rest for about 5 minutes.
Then give them a squeeze of fresh lime and a final sprinkle of Cowboy Salt® right before serving.
That last hit of salt isn't just decoration — it brings the steak, charred peppers and lime together.
Why Ribeye?
You could certainly make steak kabobs with several cuts of beef, but ribeye brings something leaner cuts don't: fat.
As those cubes hit the grill, that marbling renders and helps keep the relatively small pieces of beef juicy while the outside develops a crust.
And when you're working with something as flavorful as ribeye, you don't need a complicated marinade covering it up. Garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper let the beef do what it's supposed to do.
Make Them Your Own
The basic formula is pretty forgiving. Mushrooms would be excellent here, as would zucchini or cherry tomatoes. If you want more heat, add jalapeño pieces between the steak and onion.
You could also serve the finished kabobs over rice, alongside grilled corn, with roasted potatoes, or simply slide everything off the skewers and pile it into warm tortillas.
But whatever you add, we'd keep the seasoning simple.
Good steak. Hot grill. Cowboy Salt®. Cowboy Peppercorn®. Done.