Tiki-Style Beef Teriyaki Skewers Recipe

By
J. Kenji López-Alt
Kenji Lopez Alt
J. Kenji López-Alt
Culinary Consultant
Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.
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Updated April 04, 2025
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Note: Leftover sauce can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container indefinitely. For an even more tiki experience, serve the skewers on top of grilled pineapple slices with maraschino cherries.

Recipe Details

Tiki-Style Beef Teriyaki Skewers Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Cook 70 mins
Active 30 mins
Cooling and Marinating Time 65 mins
Total 2 hrs 20 mins
Serves 4 to 6 servings
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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup sake

  • 1/2 cup mirin

  • 1 cup Japanese shoyu

  • 1 1/2 cups pineapple juice

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 4 clove cloves garlic, smashed

  • 1 carrot, roughly chopped

  • 6 scallions, roughly chopped

  • 1 pound beef flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain into 1/8th to 1/4-inch strips (about 16 strips total)

Directions

  1. Combine sake, mirin, shoyu, 1 cup pineapple juice, sugar, garlic, carrot, and scallion greens in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, whisk to combine, and cook until the mixture is syrupy and reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 1 hour. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and allow to cool slightly.

  2. Combine remaining 1/2 cup pineapple juice with 1/2 cup reduced sauce and pour into a gallon-sized zipper-lock bag. Add sliced beef to bag and turn to coat. Allow to marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 4.

  3. Preheat a coal or gas grill to high heat, or preheat a grill pan over high heat until smoking. Place skewers on grill and cook without moving until charred, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until second side is well charred, about 2 minutes longer. Brush with sauce, and allow them to cook for 15 seconds longer. Transfer to a plate, brush with more sauce, and serve, passing extra sauce at the table.

Special equipment

Grill or grill pan

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
385 Calories
7g Fat
48g Carbs
25g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 385
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 8%
Saturated Fat 3g 13%
Cholesterol 60mg 20%
Sodium 2391mg 104%
Total Carbohydrate 48g 18%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 41g
Protein 25g
Vitamin C 31mg 157%
Calcium 58mg 4%
Iron 2mg 14%
Potassium 616mg 13%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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