Summer Steak Kabobs — The Night the Machine Finally Ran

Staff training week. The team that will run Smoke and Fish Sauce when it opens: Bobby Tran: Owner, head pitmaster. I do what I've always done — tend the fire, slice the brisket, manage the kitchen during service. But I also do the thing I've never done: run a business. Tyler Tran: Pitmaster, smoker operations. He manages the custom offset — lighting it at 4 AM, maintaining temp through service, ensuring the brisket, ribs, and sausage are perfect every day. He finishes HCC in May and starts full-time in June. Emma Tran: Sous chef, pho station, menu development. She runs the kitchen when I'm not in it. She manages the pho production (two stockpots, continuous broth), the bao bun station, and the daily specials. She works weekends and evenings around her school schedule. Diego: Line cook. Grill station, prep, support. He's been with us since the pop-up planning and he's steady, fast, and doesn't panic. Priya: Server, front-of-house lead. She's eighteen now, still in high school, working weekends and evenings. She's warm, organized, and she's memorized every item on the menu including the Vietnamese pronunciation. Lily Tran: Brand manager, social media, occasional front-of-house. She works from her phone, which is always on her person, and she posts content daily. She's fifteen and she's managing a brand with 100,000 followers. Ma: Spring roll consultant, pho broth advisor, spiritual anchor. She won't work the restaurant — she's seventy-three and she's earned the right to sit in a chair. But she'll make spring rolls on special occasions, supervise the pho broth when she feels like it, and exist in the restaurant the way the altar exists in her house — as the source of everything. Hector: Advisor, carnitas guest-feature collaborator, friend. Bill: Patron. He's already said he's coming opening week with Margaret and eating everything. This is the team. This is the crew. The family and the people the family chose. Training this week: we did a mock service. Fifteen guinea-pig customers (friends, family, neighbors). Full menu, full service, real timing. Tyler smoked a practice brisket on the new offset. Emma ran the pho station. Diego grilled. Priya served. Lily photographed. The food was good. The service was rough — timing was off, the kitchen was disorganized in the first hour, and Priya forgot to offer the sauce jars to table four. But by the end, it was smooth. The machine was running. Seven weeks.

Diego didn’t flinch once the whole night — not when the kitchen got chaotic in the first hour, not when orders stacked up, not when I called an audible on a plate. He just worked the grill, steady and clean, the way a good line cook does. After the mock service wrapped and everyone finally sat down together, I kept thinking about how much of this restaurant lives in moments like that — fire, timing, and someone who doesn’t panic. These Summer Steak Kabobs are what I’d put in front of that crew right now: something built from pieces, assembled with care, and best when the heat is right and the timing holds.

Summer Steak Kabobs

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 32 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 yellow onion, cut into 1 1/2-inch wedges
• 1 zucchini, sliced into 3/4-inch rounds
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Metal or soaked wooden skewers

Instructions

1. Make the marinade. In a bowl, whisk together olive oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper until combined.
2. Marinate the steak. Add the steak cubes to the marinade and toss to coat. Let sit for at least 15 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours for deeper flavor.
3. Prep the vegetables. Cut all vegetables to roughly the same size so they cook evenly. Toss them lightly with any remaining marinade or a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.
4. Assemble the skewers. Thread the steak and vegetables onto skewers, alternating beef with peppers, onion, zucchini, and mushrooms. Leave a small gap between pieces to allow even cooking.
5. Preheat the grill. Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high (about 425—450°F). Clean and lightly oil the grates.
6. Grill the kabobs. Place skewers on the grill and cook for 10—12 minutes total, turning every 3—4 minutes, until the steak is cooked to your desired doneness and the vegetables have charred edges.
7. Rest and serve. Remove from the grill and let rest for 2—3 minutes before serving. Serve over rice or with crusty bread alongside any remaining dipping sauce.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 370 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 12g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 620mg