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My Portuguese Beef Skewers recipe (also known as Espetada Madeira or Espetada) is a traditional Portuguese recipe that is packed with flavor and so easy to grill!
This is one of my favorite Portuguese grilling recipes. It features strip steaks seasoned with garlic powder, salt, and pepper grilled to perfection on skewers with whole bay leaves. The flavor combination is amazing!
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What are Espetadas?
Espetada (pronounced is·pe·ta·duh) is a Portuguese recipe the originated from the island of Madeira (a Portuguese island.)
It is a very traditional recipe made with cubed beef rubbed with garlic and salt. It is then skewered onto bay leaves before being grilled. Traditionally it was grilled over hot coals but is now more commonly prepared on a gas grill.
The bay leaves pack the espetadas with an amazing flavor. Growing up, my grandmother made this dish almost weekly with her batatas fritas (homemade french fries) or Portuguese rice. It was always a favorite of mine. Oh, the memories!
Portuguese Beef Skewers consists of beautiful chunks of strip steak cooked with salt, pepper, and garlic powder on a skewer with bay leaves. It's grilled over high heat for a beautiful char and red, juicy center.
Ingredients
- strip steaks
- garlic powder
- bay leaves
- sea salt
- pepper
- Olive oil for brushing on skewers
How to Make Espetadas Madeira
- Cut your strip steaks into large cubes. First cutting long-ways down the middle, and then in horizontal slices to divide the steak into chunks.
- Combine dry seasoning.
- Sprinkle the seasoning mixture all over the large steak cubes on all four sides. Pat it down to press the seasoning into the steak.
- Take a skewer and layer a chunk of steak, then a bay leaf, in that order, until all of your meat is skewered with bay leaves between each piece of steak.
- Brush about 1 tsp. olive oil onto each skewer to prevent sticking when you grill them.
- Grill the skewers over High heat with the lid closed for 2 minutes.
After 2 minutes is up, rotate the skewer to grill each side for 2 minutes. Watch closely, they cook fast! - Once the skewers reach an internal temperature of 135°F (a perfect medium-rare) or your desired degree of doneness*, they are done. So quick and easy!
Steak Desired Degree of Doneness
I prefer to cook my steak kebabs to 135°F, or a perfect medium-rare, but if you would prefer them to be cooked a bit more, you can easily find your desired degree of doneness using this chart:
- Rare: 125°F
- Medium rare: 135°F
- Medium: 145°F
- Medium well: 150°F
- Well done: 160°F
Learn more about degrees of doneness for roasting, grilling, braising, and broiling: Degree of Doneness.
Side Dishes for Steak Beef Skewers
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Portuguese Beef Skewers (Espetada Madeira)
Equipment
- Grilling skewers
Ingredients
- 3 strip steaks
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 20 bay leaves - (about 20)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon olive oil - for brushing on skewers, about 1 teaspoon each
Instructions
- Cut 3 strip steaks into cubes. Do this by first cutting long-ways down the middle, and then in horizontal slices to divide the steak into chunks.
- Combine 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon sea salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture all over the cubed steak on all four sides. Pat it down to press the seasoning into the steak.
- Take a skewer and layer a chunk of steak, then a bay leaf, in that order, until all of your meat is skewered with bay leaves between each piece of steak.
- Brush about 1 tsp. olive oil onto each skewer to prevent sticking when you grill them.
- Grill the skewers over High heat with the lid closed for 2 minutes.After 2 minutes is up, rotate the skewer to grill each side for 2 minutes. Watch closely, they cook fast!
- Once the skewers reach an internal temperature of 135°F (a perfect medium-rare) or your desired degree of doneness*, they are safe to remove from the grill. Serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Keep a close eye on the skewers as they cook. They cook quickly. Rotate them to cook on each side for 2 minutes each side, and this will give you a perfect medium-rare.
- Serve with grilled potatoes and tomato cucumber salad for the perfect combination!
unicornsinthekitchen says
I was looking for a recipe like this, thank you for sharing!
Em Beitel says
Thank you so much! Please let us know what you think!
Jayne says
Love the favors in the recipes. Everyone enjoyed this meal.
Em Beitel says
That is awesome, Jayne! Thank you so much for your comment!
Krissy Allori says
I love kabobs. I'm so glad BBQ season is right around the corner. I'm going to save this recipe and make this for sure. Thanks!
Em Beitel says
Thank you, Krissy! Please let us know what you think when you make them! This is one of our favorites.
Hoorah To Health says
These look delicious! Silly question, but do you eat the bay leaves or do they just add some flavor to the beef? I know when I add them to my stews, I always pick them out. The temperature graph is also super helpful!
Em Beitel says
Thank you so much for your question and for the feedback - we are so happy to hear it! It's not silly at all. You don't eat the bay leaves - they're just for flavor.
Hoorah To Health says
That’s what I thought-Lol... can’t wait to try them out!
Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
This Portuguese Beef Skewers recipe looks SO deliciously good. I wish I could eat that right now!
Em Beitel says
Thank you so much, Maggie! They are SO delicious! We can't wait to make them again.