Beautiful Grilled Tri-Tip Kabobs

As the days grow cooler, summertime foods tend to go on sale. Things like New York Steaks for grilling, and Tri-Tip Steaks are marked way, way down. Lucky for us, because we can stock up. There’s room in the freezer and a little wiggle room in the food budget.

One of the nice things about living in the central valley of California is that the winters tend to be mild, and cold weather doesn’t really get here until after Thanksgiving. That means most years we can grill outdoors all the way to mid November. It’s a bit nippy for eating on the back patio, but not too cold for grilling. Especially if you are grilling something that cooks up in an instant. Okay, maybe not that fast, but fast enough.

This recipe called for either Sirloin Steaks or Tenderloin. Tenderloin? As in Filet Mignon? I don’t care how much wiggle room we have in the food budget, unless it’s a really special occasion such as Valentine’s Day or an intimate New Year’s Eve celebration, I can’t see spending that kind of money on a hunk of meat. That said, we had some Tri-Tip Steaks in the freezer from an earlier sale. The day was sunny, and we thought what the heck? The bell peppers came from the freezer, part of this summer’s crop. Everything came together beautifully. And oh boy, was it delicious!

Grilled Tri-Tip Kabobs
3 Bell Peppers, any color
1/2 Red Onion
2 small Zucchini
15 small Button Mushrooms
2-1/2 lbs Tri-Tip Steaks
1 bottle Roasted Garlic Salad Dressing
1 package Montreal Steak Marinade Mix
1/4 cup Oil
1/4 cup Water
2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
Bamboo Skewers as needed

Wash bell peppers. Stem, seed and cut into chunks. Cut onion in half from root to tip. Reserve half for another purpose. Peel remaining half, cut in half again. Break apart, set aside. Clean skin of zucchini. Cut zucchini into thick rounds, set aside. Clean mushrooms, set aside.

Place all vegetables into a gallon freezer bag, pour in Italian dressing, and place in the refrigerator to marinate overnight.

Cut steak into bite-size pieces. Place steak in a gallon size zip-lock bag and set aside. Mix Montreal steak marinade as directed on package. Pour marinade over meat, and place in refrigerator to marinate overnight.

Once kabob ingredients are fully marinate, soak wooden skewers in water for 15 minutes.

Remove meat and vegetables from refrigerator, empty into 2 containers to make assembly easy. Place a large vegetable, such as the zucchini or a mushroom cap on the skewer and slip down almost to the end. This will act as a stop. Alternately thread vegetables and meat onto skewers in no particular order. Let rest on a rimmed pan.

Heat grill, medium to med-high heat. Grill for about 12 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, until meat is cooked to your desired doneness. Remember, tri-tip will become tough if overcooked, so grill it quick to keep it tender.

Remove skewers from grill, tent and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

These delicious bites of grilled meats and vegetables goes beautifully with Jasmine Rice Pilaf