The Yakitori Challenge


 
Pure yakitori domination, Peter! Out-of-this-world culinary technique plus excellent photography makes for one heck of an entry into The Challenge. And yes, I do freely admit to admiring your photo of the roasted chicken bones :).
 
Wow! The talent just keeps exploding here, Peter a perfect 5 stars although it would have been 4 stars without the bone shot;)
 
Peter, outstanding yakitori out of the box for sure. I think we all have had a lot of fun and the different dishes everyone has brought to the table is fantastic!!
Don't forget to pick to more lucky people to keep us going!!!!
 
Barb D said:
Peter, outstanding yakitori out of the box for sure. I think we all have had a lot of fun and the different dishes everyone has brought to the table is fantastic!!
Don't forget to pick to more lucky people to keep us going!!!!
Click to expand...

Thank you for the reminder. How about my NW neighbor & buddy James Lake and Ed M from WI - Bring it on!
 
Hello All,​

Sorry I am so late to take up this challenge - life has been getting in the way. Jerome challenged me and set the bar pretty high so I have been studying up on Yakatori. It turns out that something I thought was pretty simple street food is actually very complex. It is going to take me two days and several posts to get through this so please bear with me. I decided to do Yakatori Three Ways. I will make Negima (chicken and green onion), Tsukune (chicken meatballs), and my own non traditionial Yakatori which will involve pork. Today I made a traditional Tare (sauce) and prepped the Tsukune Tomorrow I will assemble everything else and cook it. Pictures from today's effort appear below.

Tare:
Tare is a sauce used to baste Yakatori while it is cooking. It is made with soy sauce, sake, mirin (sweet rice wine), ginger, garlic, roasted chicken bones, and green onion. This is cooked down to reduce it and then strained. I was unable to find mirin so I used sake and added some sugar to the sauce.


All Ingredients Mixed Together and Simmered on the Stove


Mid Cook - Reduced by about 25%


End of Cook - Reduced by Half


​
Tsukune:

Tsukune is made using ground chicken (I used lean ground turkey), soy sauce, sake, egg, green onion, sugar, corn starch sesame oil, and S&P. I pulsed these ingredients in a food processor until they yielded a mushy paste consistency. I made small meatballs out of these using a 1 oz scooper and baked them in A 350 degree oven for 10 minutes to set them. Tomorrow I will skewer them and cook them along side the rest of the yakatori.


Making the Meatballs


After Baking

​
Stay tuned...

Regards,

John
 
I can't believe you're gonna leave us hanging for a whole day, John! Sounds and looks insanely good so far.
 
Well Yakatori Day finally arrived and I dove in with both feet. I made three styles including Tsukune (poultry meatballs), Negima (chicken and green onion), and my own non-traditional hack using pork loin and Brussels sprouts interlaced with bacon. I ran out of green onions so a couple of the chicken skewers wound up being Momo (chicken thighs). I cooked them in batches over direct hot coals turning frequently on my OTS. Pictures appear below...


Prepped Yakatori Tsukune (L), Non-Traditional (C), and Negima (R) Brushed with Tare to Marinate


Pork Skewers On the Grill - Using Bricks to Suspend the Skewers


Pork Near the End of Cook


Negima on Now - Mid Cook - Note Two Skewers of Momo Center


Tsukune on Last Near the End of the Cook - Fire Getting Low


Plated with White Rice and Steamed Broccoli with a Mug of Homemade Sparkling Cider


Sizzle Vid

​
This turned out great. My family really enjoyed the meal and I learned a ton of stuff about Yakatori. The Negima really stole the show. Roasted meat on a stick is hard to beat on some primal level and the Tare added just the right amount of saltiness and sweetness to the chicken. My family had a strong preference for the Negima but enjoyed the Tsukune as well. They said they would like me to make them again. The pork skewers were enjoyed by the adults but the Brussells sprouts are a hard sell for the kids (bacon not withstanding). This was a really great adventure for me - Thanks for including me Jerome.

I will issue my challenge in a subsequent post. I have to go back through all of this to see who has not been challenged yet. Stay tuned...


Regards,

John
 
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Alright - I would like to see what Tony R and Maribel and our friend from Norway, Svein will do with the Yakatori challenge...

Regards,

John
 
John, that is so far out of the ball park, fantastic job on all three Yakitori's! Amazing from the sound of everything, it would be hard to pick one but I'd take a plate anytime for sure. Keep them coming!!
 
Beautiful John I just got a complete course in Yakitori! That was a lot of effort for a fun challenge and I'm sure that all the members here are amazed at your great culinary talent.
 
Wow! Just wow! I really enjoyed the Yak when I made it, but I have several other 'versions' to try now. Great job John. The bar has been raised again. I think its in orbit now. ;)
 
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