Blackberry Chipotle Beef Skewers with Thyme and Shallot
Blackberry and chipotle create a dark, smoky glaze that clings beautifully to grilled beef, while thyme and shallot keep the flavour savoury and grounded. This recipe is a great fit for richer barbecue plates with potatoes, flatbreads or bitter leaves.
Ingredients
- 700 g beef sirloin or rump cut into 3cm cubes
- 4 banana shallots peeled and halved lengthways
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 8 metal skewers or 4 large skewers
For the blackberry chipotle marinade
- 120 g blackberries
- 2 chipotle chillies in adobo finely chopped
- 1 tbsp adobo sauce
- 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves finely grated
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves chopped
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
To finish
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- pinch of flaky sea salt
- extra blackberries optional
Instructions
Make the blackberry chipotle marinade
- In a medium bowl, crush the blackberries with a fork until pulpy. Stir in the chopped chipotle chillies, adobo sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, chopped thyme, smoked paprika, black pepper and sea salt until well combined.
Marinate the beef
- Add the beef cubes and turn them thoroughly in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. Remove the beef from the fridge around 20 minutes before grilling.
Prepare the barbecue
- Set up the BBQ with a hot direct zone and a gentler area for finishing. Clean the grates and oil them lightly.
Thread the skewers
- Thread the beef onto the skewers, alternating with the shallot halves. Leave a little space between the pieces so the heat can circulate and the glaze can caramelise around the edges.
Grill over direct heat
- Cook the skewers over direct heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning regularly. The glaze should darken and shine, with the shallots beginning to soften and char.
Finish over gentler heat if needed
- Move the skewers to the cooler zone if the blackberry glaze is catching too quickly. Continue cooking until the beef reaches your preferred doneness and the shallots are tender.
Rest and finish
- Rest the skewers for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh thyme, parsley, a tiny splash of balsamic and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Add a few extra blackberries on the side if you like.
Notes
Fresh blackberries are ideal when they’re in good shape, though frozen ones work perfectly well for the marinade because they’ll be crushed down anyway. If the berries are especially tart, the brown sugar as written is about right. If they’re very sweet, you can reduce the sugar slightly and let the fruit speak a bit more clearly. I like the balsamic here because it deepens the blackberry flavour rather than competing with it.
Chipotle in adobo brings smoke, heat and a useful savoury note, so I wouldn’t swap it for plain chilli powder unless I had to. Thyme matters more than it may seem. It gives the glaze structure and stops it tasting too jammy. Beef-wise, sirloin is lovely if you want a more tender skewer, though rump gives a fuller flavour and stands up beautifully to the fruit and smoke.
Nutrition
Calories: 435kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 34gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 798mgPotassium: 646mgFiber: 1.8gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 560IUCalcium: 40mgIron: 4mg
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