Chicken Yakitori: Nine Cuts, One Bird, Binchotan Coals

Overview

This video demonstrates how chicken yakitori is meticulously prepared, from butchering a 1.3-kilogram bird into nine unique cuts to grilling them over 800 Celsius binchotan coals. It highlights traditional seasonings like shio and tare, and guides viewers on the recommended eating order for different skewers.

In this video

• One whole young chicken, weighing 1.3 kilograms, is traditionally broken into nine distinct cuts for yakitori.
• The nine traditional cuts used in yakitori are thigh, breast, wing, tail, skin, neck, liver, gizzard, and heart, ensuring nothing is wasted.
• Chicken pieces for yakitori are cut small, bite-sized at 2.5 to 3 centimeters, and typically skewered five pieces per take-gushi bamboo stick.
• Binchotan, a white charcoal from ubame oak, is fired at 1200 Celsius and burns almost smokeless, glowing at 800 Celsius to provide clean infrared heat.
• Yakitori uses two main seasonings: shio (pure sea salt) applied before grilling, and tare, a glaze made from equal parts soy, mirin, sake, and sugar, reduced for 40 minutes.
• Momo (chicken thigh) yakitori is cooked with salt only for a total of 5 minutes, aiming for an internal temperature of 74 Celsius with a fast char on the skin-side.
• Tsukune (minced thigh meatballs) are hand-chopped, mixed with ginger, scallion, egg white, and 5 grams of cornstarch, formed on skewers, and grilled for 6 minutes with tare.
• Negima, the most ordered yakitori skewer in Japan, alternates chicken thigh with 3-centimeter pieces of Tokyo negi leek, tare-glazed and grilled for 4 minutes.
• For the best experience, shio yakitori should be eaten first for a clean palate, followed by tare skewers, with liver near the end and the prized tail last.

Frequently asked questions

What are the nine cuts of chicken used in traditional yakitori?

The nine traditional cuts of a 1.3-kilogram chicken used in yakitori are thigh, breast, wing, tail, skin, neck, liver, gizzard, and heart, ensuring zero waste.

How is binchotan charcoal used for grilling yakitori?

Binchotan charcoal, fired at 1200 Celsius from ubame oak, glows almost smokeless at 800 Celsius, providing clean infrared heat, with skewers positioned 8 centimeters above the coals.

What are the two primary seasonings for yakitori?

The two primary yakitori seasonings are shio (pure sea salt), applied before grilling, and tare, a glaze of equal parts soy, mirin, sake, and sugar, reduced for 40 minutes.

How long are tsukune meatballs cooked and what are they made of?

Tsukune meatballs are made from hand-chopped minced thigh, mixed with grated ginger, scallion, egg white, and 5 grams of cornstarch, formed on skewers, brushed with tare, and grilled for 6 minutes.

What is the recommended eating order for different types of yakitori?

It is recommended to eat shio (salt) yakitori first for a clean palate, followed by tare (glaze) skewers, consuming liver near the end, and finishing with the prized tail (bishop's nose).