Southwestern Beef Kebabs

This recipe from Cooks Illustrated caught my eye because of all the beautiful colors. The are easy and really delicous. The grilled pineapple is wonderfully sweet and the marinade adds a great kick of spice. A great summer option but tasty enough to eat yearround.

Serves 4 to 6 as a main course. Published May 1, 2000.

Our favorite cut of beef for kebabs is top blade steak (known sometimes as blade or flatiron steak), but you can also use top sirloin. If you do, ask the butcher to cut the top sirloin steak between 1 and 1 1/4 inches thick (most packaged sirloin steaks are thinner). For maximum efficiency, prepare the fruit and vegetables while the meat is marinating. For a gas-grilled variation, see "Gas-Grilled Beef Kebabs."

3/4teaspoon table salt
1/2teaspoon ground black pepper
2pounds blade steaks (about 4 to 5 steaks), trimmed of fat and prepared according to illustrations below

Fruit and Vegetables

1large pineapple (about 3 1/2 pounds), peeled, ends trimmed, halved lengthwise, core removed, and each piece cut into six chunks (see illustrations below)
1medium red bell pepper (about 5 1/2 ounces), halved, cored, and each half cut into 9 chunks (see illustrations below)
1medium yellow bell pepper (about 5 1/2 ounces), halved, cored, and each half cut into 9 chunks
2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Table salt and ground black pepper
1large red onion , ends trimmed, peeled, halved lengthwise, core discarded, each half cut into four pieces, and each piece cut crosswise into thirds (see illustrations below)
lemon wedges or lime wedges for serving (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. For the Marinade: Combine oil, garlic, cumin, chili powder, chipotle chile en adobo, cilantro, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Add steak cubes and toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate until fully seasoned, at least one hour or up to 24 hours.
2. Ignite 1 large chimney (about 6 quarts, or 5 pounds) of charcoal and burn until covered with thin coating of light gray ash, about 20 minutes. Empty coals into grill and spread over three-quarters of grill surface. Position grill rack over coals; heat until hot, about 5 minutes. Scrape rack clean with wire brush.
3. For the Fruit and Vegetables: Toss pineapple and peppers with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Brush onions with remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Using eight 12-inch metal skewers, thread each skewer with a pineapple piece, a stack of onion, a cube of meat (skewering as if it were an uncut cube), and one piece of each kind of pepper, and then repeat this sequence two more times. Brush any oil remaining in bowl over skewers.
4. Grill kebabs directly over coals, uncovered, until meat is well browned, grill marked, and cooked to medium-rare, about 7 minutes (or about 8 minutes for medium), turning each kabob every 1 3/4 minutes to brown all sides. Transfer kebabs to serving platter, squeeze lemon or lime wedges over kebabs, if desired; serve immediately.