How to make Yakiniku at home

Yakiniku means grilled meat in Japanese. But you don't need to fly to Tokyo to enjoy this style of Japanese barbecue, it's easily done at home. It is one of the simplest forms of Japanese cooking you could do.

What is Yakiniku like in Japan?

All Yakiniku restaurants in Japan are set up in a very similar manner. Sure there are exceptions to the rule, but generally your experience will be as follows.

When arriving you will be shown to your table. Often it will be a booth. In the middle of the table will be a grill of some description with an extraction system above it. It could be gas or charcoal. I personally prefer charcoal grills.

You will be handed a menu. It generally will be in Japanese, but thankfully they are usually filled with pictures of the menu items. Some establishments may have an English menu.

There will also be a buzzer on your table to call a staff member back when you are ready to order. This buzzer is used whenever you need a staff member during your visit.

At a Yakiniku the focus is on beef. All kinds of beef cuts from offal through to the shining stars, expensive high marble score wagyu cuts.

Most Westerners know Kobe beef, but it could be wagyu from another area of Japan. Besides Kobe beef there is Yonezawa beef, Sawa beef, Matsusaka beef, Omi beef, or Mishima beef, to name a few.

There will be other items on the menu besides beef, but the beef is the highlight. You will find vegetables, one or two chicken, and seafood options as well.

A few dishes are served ready to go and don't require grilling. These could include light starter style dishes, salads, and other sides.

When you are ready to order buzz the staff. They will take your order and light your gill for you. When ready, and it is usually pretty quick, the meat and other dishes are bought out to the table for you to cook yourself.

You will be left to you enjoy yourself. If you do need help, order more dishes, or more importantly more sake or beef, just press the buzzer!

Note some establishments offer an all you can eat menu for a set price and time.

Is it different to Korean BBQ?

There are similarities, but obvious differences between Yakiniku and Korean BBQ.

Side Dishes: Korean BBQ includes a range of complimentary small side dishes called banchan (bansang). You don't get these with Yakiniku, but are able to order sides.

Marinated Meat: Unlike Korean BBQ, generally the meat isn't marinated for Japanese barbecue. Instead, you dip your grilled meat in tare (sauce) before eating.

Heat and Spice: There is a notable lack of spice and chilli heat from Yakiniku that is present in Korean BBQ.

The best cuts of meat to use at home

I tend to go with the prime cuts of meat when preparing Yakiniku at home. A selection of two cuts not only gives a little variety but is fun to compare taste and texture.

If you are able and your hip pocket allows go for a piece of wagyu. The above is a piece of sirloin (striploin), which was cut into 0.5cm (0.02 inch) slices. The thick piece of fat removed but reserved.

The grilled meat is melt in your mouth tender and flavour packed. Don't be put off by the fat marbling through the cut, a good portion of it will melt away on the grill, plus you are only having a few slices.

The other cut of meat I tend to pick is beef eye fillet (beef tenderloin). Lower in fat, but tender. As the grilling is rather quick it works very well.

You can use any cut of beef you like, but do avoid cuts that are tough and associated with long cooking. If you enjoy offal don't overlook that as an option as well.

Some other meat suggestions. Be sure to cut against the grain and around 0.5cm in thickness.

• Boneless short rib
• Blade slices (top part of chuck steak)
• Skirt steak
• Beef tongue
• Beef liver

What other ingredients can I grill?

While this style of Japanese barbecue is meat focused, it doesn't have to be at home. Feel free to ramp up the vegetable options, add more seafood or chicken options if you wish.

• Thin slices of pork belly
• Prawns (shrimp)
• Scallops
• Squid
• Chicken
• Mushrooms, including shitake and oyster
• White or yellow onion
• Eggplant
• Squash

Side dishes

To me the sides are just as important as what goes on the grill. It's funny I don't worry about it so much when dining out, but when home I like to have a more "rounded" yakiniku.

The side dishes give your tastebuds a flavour change, freshen things up and generally adds more vegetable options.

• Boiled/steamed edamame pods with salt
• Crushed cucumbers
• Japanese style potato salad
• Lettuce leaves (to wrap meat if you want)
• Steamed rice
• Yakiniku sauce for dipping
• Salt for sprinkling
• Shichi-mi togarashi (chilli pepper blend) for sprinkling

Home indoor BBQ

You can purchase relatively inexpensive indoor grills at the local Asian supermarket. They sell them as smokeless grills, but they're not really.

It is a basic system made up of two parts. The grill on the top and what the grill sits on which enables you to add water underneath. The water not only catches any fat that may drip off, but it helps lower the temperature of the aluminium grill.

The grill then sits on top of a portable gas burner which you can put in the middle of the dining table.

If the wether is nice enough to grill outside I highly suggest it. You can also use a Japanese hibachi, shichirin or konro bbq with binchotan (white charcoal).

The Best Way to Cook

The best way to enjoy yakiniku to to cook a couple of items at a time and eat them. Take your time to enjoy the art of grilling and the company of those around you.

Remember those pieces of wagyu fat we reserved earlier? Use them to grease your grill to help the ingredients to not stick. A trick passed on to me at a Yakiniku in Ginza.

It is a good idea for everyone to have their own grilling tongs or metal cooking chopsticks. You don't want overcooked wagyu while waiting for the tongs to be passed to you.

Dig in, grill your heart out, and enjoy some cold sake or Japanese beer while you do!

Sara xxx

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