Chicken Yakitori: Nine Cuts, One Bird, Binchotan Coals

Overview

This video details how to prepare traditional chicken yakitori, breaking down a 1.3-kilogram chicken into nine specific cuts for skewering. It emphasizes the use of binchotan coals for a clean char and specific seasoning methods like shio and tare, advising on the proper order for serving different cuts.

In this video

• A whole young chicken, weighing 1.3 kilograms, is traditionally broken down into nine distinct cuts for yakitori.
• The nine cuts include thigh, breast, wing, tail, skin, neck, liver, gizzard, and heart, ensuring nothing from the bird is wasted.
• Chicken cuts for yakitori are bite-sized, ranging from 2.5 to 3 centimeters, and are skewered five pieces per bamboo stick.
• Bamboo skewers are soaked in water for 30 minutes to prevent them from burning over binchotan coals.
• Binchotan, white charcoal from ubame oak, is fired at 1200 Celsius and glows at 800 Celsius, providing almost smokeless, clean infrared heat.
• The two primary 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).
• Momo (chicken thigh) is grilled for five minutes total over coals, with an internal target temperature of 74 Celsius.
• Tsukune (minced thigh meatballs) are hand-chopped and mixed with grated ginger, scallion, egg white, and 5 grams of cornstarch, then brushed with tare and grilled for six minutes.
• Negima (thigh alternating with Tokyo negi leek) is tare-glazed and grilled for four minutes, being the single most ordered skewer in Japan.
• Yakitori is traditionally served shio first for a clean palate, followed by tare, with liver near the end, and the prized tail (bishop's nose) served last.

Frequently asked questions

What are the main parts of the chicken used for yakitori?

Yakitori uses nine cuts from a whole chicken: thigh, breast, wing, tail, skin, neck, liver, gizzard, and heart, ensuring every part is utilized.

What is binchotan charcoal and why is it used for yakitori?

Binchotan is white charcoal from ubame oak, fired at 1200 Celsius. It's used because it burns almost smokeless, glows at 800 Celsius, and provides clean infrared heat for a unique surface char.

How long are chicken yakitori skewers cooked?

Cooking times vary by cut; for example, momo (chicken thigh) cooks for five minutes, while tsukune (minced meatballs) takes six minutes over the coals.

What are the two traditional seasonings for yakitori?

The two traditional seasonings are shio, which is pure sea salt applied before grilling, and tare, a glaze made from reduced soy, mirin, sake, and sugar.

What is the recommended order for eating different yakitori skewers?

It is recommended to eat shio-seasoned skewers first for a clean palate, then tare-glazed skewers, with liver near the end, and the tail (bishop's nose) served last.