These addicting Grilled Kobe Beef Cheeseburger Kebabs are simply a picnic on a stick in less than 20 minutes. Your friends and family will come back begging for more!
Don’t think this is a fancy BBQ dish just because it uses Kobe beef. This recipe also works with chuck, sirloin, or even bison meat. The toppings create the perfect opportunity to make a variety of options to satisfy everyone’s tastes.
It’s also worth mentioning that these cheesburger kabobs are one of those meal-prep-friendly recipes. You can make the meatball mix early so you simply have to fire up the grill and go.
The same applies to the toppings. Prep them ahead of time so they can be just taken out of the refrigerator and put out on the deck. When using meal prep options like this, you have no excuse not to grill this weekend!
🍔 Ingredients
Kobe Beef | This time we chose to use the tender, flavorful Kobe beef. It has become so popular that you will be able to find this at most grocery stores. Our local store had it right next to Bison and Elk. Kobe is Wagyu beef from the Japanese black cattle that is beautifully marbled, tender and has so much flavor. It is raised with such strict standards in Japan that they don’t accept any compromises on quality and you will taste the difference. It does get expensive but not quite as much as the steaks. Ours ran about $12/lb. Feel free to substitute ground beef or ground chuck in place of the Kobe.
Bread Crumbs | Just a little bit of bread crumbs with the egg will help bind the cheeseburgers into balls to prep for the grill. We chose plain breadcrumbs but was tempted to use the Italian flavored to mix it up a bit. Substitute Panko for a great little change as well.
Egg | The egg is necessary to help bind the meat together.
🔥 Instructions
Step One: Combine beef, bread crumbs, milk, egg and salt and pepper in a bowl. Using your hand, gently mix to combine being careful to not over mix. Form into 1- 1.5 inch balls.
Step Two: Heat grill up to 350-375 degrees over direct heat. Grill until the center reaches 135 degrees, or about 7-10 minutes. Gauge by temperature, not time for these.
Step Three: Once they come off of the grill, start stacking the kebabs with toppings of your choice and serve.
❗ Expert Tips
Don’t Over Mix: Don’t overmix the meat mixture as it will make it hard and dry. Use gentle hands and don’t punch it like you would dough. We’ve all had that burger or meatloaf that was tough, and it’s because it was overworked. Use a gentle touch on this one.
Cook to Temperature: Look for 135 degrees internal temperature for these to be done. Use a small meat thermometer or invest in a wireless one. Either way, keep your eye on these guys as you don’t want to overcook them and have them turn out hard.
Storage: These store great in the refrigerator for up to three days. It is best to keep the meat separated from the toppings.
Make Ahead Lunches: Make these up and use portioned containers for meal prep lunches as well. A quick zap of the microwave will heat these back up and combine with the toppings for an extension of your grilling for the week.
Lettuce Options: There are several different lettuce options you can use with these but make sure you use one with texture and isn’t too limp to stay on the skewer.
Onion Options: Several onion choices are available for you and almost all of them will slide on the skewer with no problem.
Recipe FAQ
Absolutely. Set the smoker to 300 degrees and use your favorite fruit wood. Just a few chips will work for this one. Place the cheeseburger meatballs on the grill grate for about 30-60 minutes or so. This will give the balls a smoky flavor rather than a simple grilled flavor. Both work great, it depends on the taste you are looking for.
You can certainly add sauce for these. During the last 2-3 minutes, either brush on the sauce or do the “dumping method” by removing the meatballs from the grill and dip them in a bowl of sauce. Swish around and then place back on the grill. The heat will caramelize these and a second round of sauce would make it even better, giving it a thick, sticky glaze.
You certainly can. The only caution is that you will lose the grill marks (hello, grillers like those marks!) but it will save you any concerns of meat falling apart. This would be a great option if you want to add a little bit of shredded cheese to the mix then there is no worry of the cheese going all over.
Yes! This works great for meatballs like we did for the Bacon Wrapped Grilled Bison. These ones took longer because of the bacon but if you leave the bacon off, the cook time comes back down to 10-14 minutes, checking at 8 minutes.
Related Recipes
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Grilled Kobe Beef Cheeseburger Kebabs
Equipment
- Grill
Ingredients
Grilled Kobe Beef Kebabs
- 1 lb Kobe Ground Beef
- ¼ cup Bread Crumbs
- 1 Egg
- 1 tbsp Milk
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Cheeseburger Toppings Ideas
- Cheese
- Lettuce not pictured
- Onion
- Tomatoes cherry
- Red Onion
- Bacon not pictured
- Ketchup, Mustard, Mayonnaise
Instructions
Grilled Kobe Beef Kebabs
- Combine beef, bread crumbs, milk, egg and salt and pepper in a bowl.
- Using your hand, gently mix to combine being careful to not over mix. Form into 1 – 1.5 inch balls.
- Heat the grill to 350-375 degrees over direct heat. Grill until the center reaches 135 degrees, or about 7-10 minutes. Gauge by temperature, not time for these.
Cheeseburger Toppings
- Once the burger portion comes off of the grill, start layering the kebabs with toppings of your choice and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Ginny Collins is a passionate foodie and recipe creator of Savor and Savvy and Kitchenlaughter. Indoors she focuses on easy, quick recipes for busy families and kitchen basics. Outdoors, she focuses on backyard grilling and smoking to bring family and friends together. She is a lifelong learner who is always taking cooking classes on her travels overseas and stateside. Her work has been featured on MSN, Parade, Fox News, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many local news outlets. She lives in Florida where you will find her outside on the water in her kayak, riding her bike on trails, and planning her next overseas adventure.
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