These Whole30-friendly Smashed Steak Skewers with Cherry Barbecue Sauce are a family favorite in the summertime! Time to break out the grill!

A collage of the cooking steps to make Whole30 Smashed Steak Skewers with Cherry BBQ Sauce

Table of Contents

Speared hunks of beef, flattened with a heavy object and grilled over an open fire. Sounds like caveman family fare to me, don’t you think?

A white platter topped with Whole30 beef kabobs with paleo cherry BBQ sauce

Trust me: If Lil-O — the pickiest eater in our house — liked ‘em, your kids’ll gobble them up, too!

A little Asian boy is biting into a grilled beef kabob with Whole30 BBQ sauce

Ingredients

For the cherry barbecue sauce

  • Ghee, avocado oil, or fat of choice
  • Minced shallot
  • Garlic
  • Minced fresh ginger
  • Tomato paste
  • Coconut aminos (or wheat-free tamari)
  • Aged balsamic vinegar
  • Apple juice (I prefer Martinelli’s brand)
  • Frozen sweet cherries, roughly chopped
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper

For the smashed steak skewers

  • Flank steak
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • Melted ghee, avocado oil, or high temperature cooking oil of choice
  • Thinly sliced green onions (optional garnish)

How to make smashed steak skewers with cherry barbecue sauce

The cherry barbecue sauce is a cinch to make and can be prepared ahead of time.

First, melt the ghee over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and sauté until translucent (around 5 minutes). Stir in the garlic, ginger and tomato paste and sauté for 30 second until fragrant.  Pour in the coconut aminos, vinegar, juice…

Four pictures that show how to make the base of the Whole30 BBQ sauce.

…and cherries. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the cherry mixture is thickened. While the sauce is simmering, stir occasionally and smush the cherries against the side of the pot.

Stirring in the pitted cherries into the Whole30-friendly BBQ sauce.

Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the sauce to a bowl or measuring cup and set aside.

A half hour before you want to grill your skewers, soak 16 bamboo skewers in water. (Better yet, get these flat stainless-steel skewers that are reusable and won’t burn!)

Grab your slab of flank steak and cut it into 16 pieces.

A piece of raw flank steak has dotted white lines superimposed on top to show how to cut out 16 even pieces.

First, cut the steak in half lengthwise (along the grain).

Next, slice the steak in half across the grain, then in fourths…

Someone is using a chef's knife to slice up flank steak into even pieces.

…and finally in eighths.

The piece of flank steak is shown cut into 16 even pieces

Carefully stab each slice of beef through the center with a soaked skewer.

A hand is holding a piece of flank steak that has been skewered by a soaked bamboo skewer.
A wooden cutting board has a bunch of flank steak kabobs waiting for the barbecue.

Now comes the fun part: Grab a hefty meat pounder or small cast iron skillet, and smash each steak skewer until it’s about ½ inch thick. I’m sure cavemen would’ve used sticks and stones, but I prefer to keep my kitchen rock-free.

A meat pounder is used to flatten the steak skewers.

Season the steak with salt and pepper…

Flattened steak skewers are seasoned with salt and pepper .

…and brush both sides with melted ghee.

Melted ghee is brushed on top of the Whole30-friendly beef kabobs before hitting the grill.

Fire up your backyard grill, grease the grates, and cook over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes on each side.

A shot of the Smashed Steak Skewers on a hot grill.
Fully cooked Whole30-friendly smashed steak skewers are removed from the grill with tongs.

Let the beef skewers rest for 5 to 10 minutes before brushing on the cherry barbecue sauce.

Brushing on the Whole30 cherry BBQ sauce on the steak kabobs.

A garnish of fresh green scallions is optional, but it can instantly transform this rugged plate of beef skewers into a more refined dish.

A dish filled with Smashed Steak Skewers topped with Whole30 cherry BBQ sauce and sliced scallions.

Serve immediately and watch your kiddos tear into them with sharp little incisors!

Two smiling Asian boys are eating paleo beef kabobs with Whole30 Cherry BBQ sauce

What veggie side dish can you serve with it?

Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).

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Smashed Steak Skewers with Cherry Barbecue Sauce

4.82 from 11 votes
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Servings 4 people
Author Michelle Tam
A closeup of Whole30-friendly steak skewers with cherry barbecue sauce.
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These Whole30-friendly Smashed Steak Skewers with Cherry Barbecue Sauce are a family favorite in the summertime! Time to break out the grill!

Ingredients 
 

For the Cherry Barbecue Sauce

  • 2 teaspoons ghee or fat of choice
  • ½ cup minced shallots
  • 1 medium garlic clove minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • ¼ cup coconut aminos or wheat-free tamari
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • ¼ cup apple juice I prefer Martinelli's brand
  • 10 ounces sweet cherries, pitted and roughly chopped fresh or frozen
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt 
  • Freshly ground black pepper

For the Smashed Steak Skewers

  • 1½ pounds flank steak
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt 
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons melted ghee or fat of choice
  • ¼ cup scallions thinly sliced (optional garnish)
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Instructions 

For the Cherry Barbecue Sauce

  • First, melt the ghee over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and sauté until translucent (around 5 minutes).
  • Stir in the garlic, ginger and tomato paste and sauté for 30 second until fragrant.
  • Add the coconut aminos, vinegar, juice, and cherries, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the cherry mixture is thickened.
  • While the sauce is simmering, stir occasionally and smush the cherries against the side of the pot. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Transfer the sauce to a bowl or measuring cup and set aside.

For the Smashed Steak Skewers

  • A half hour before you want to grill your skewers, soak 16 bamboo skewers in water. 
  • Grab your slab of flank steak and cut it into 16 pieces by following these instructions: First, cut the steak in half lengthwise (along the grain). Next, slice the steak in half across the grain, then in fourths, and finally in eighths.
  • Carefully stab each slice of beef through the center with a soaked skewer.
  • Grab a hefty meat pounder or small cast iron skillet, and smash each steak skewer until it’s about ½ inch thick.
  • Season the steak with salt and pepper, and brush both sides with melted ghee.
  • Fire up your backyard grill, grease the grates, and cook over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes on each side.
  • Let the beef skewers rest for 5 to 10 minutes before brushing on the cherry barbecue sauce.
  • A garnish of fresh green scallions is optional, but it can instantly transform this rugged plate of beef skewers into a more refined dish. Serve immediately!

Notes

  • The cherry barbecue sauce is a cinch to make and can be prepared ahead of time. Just store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  • If you choose to roast them in the oven, heat the oven to 400°F convection or 425°F (no convection). Place the skewers on a rimmed baking sheet and cook them in the hot oven for 7-10 minutes or until cooked to your liking, flipping the skewers over at the halfway point. Broil for an additional 2 minutes if you want some more color.

Nutrition

Calories: 410kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 19g | Fiber: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

About Michelle Tam

Hello! My name is Michelle Tam, and I love to eat. I think about food all the time. It borders on obsession. I’ve always loved the sights and smells of the kitchen. My mother was (and is) an excellent cook, and as a kid, I was her little shadow as she prepared supper each night. From her, I gained a deep, abiding love for magically transforming pantry items into mouth-watering family meals.

Read More About Me

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10 Comments

  2. Made this because of the pics of the happy kids and sure enough our kids were happy too! I used an immersion blender and pureed the sauce, but otherwise followed the recipe. It was delicious.

    Reply

  4. Will this cherry BBQ sauce taste good on baked meats? For example baked chicken beef or pork? I can’t always get to the grill but the cherry sauce sounds interesting

    Reply