Recipe: Japanese Yakitori Grilled Chicken using Japanese Konro Grill

FULL VIDEO: Episode #20 Japanese Yakitori Grilled Chicken on a Konro Grill or Donabe Grill

You will need: Japanese konro grills / hibachi grills / donabe grills.

Yakitori (焼き鳥) is a type of Japanese skewered chicken with vegetables. This recipe also shows us how to light up binchotan (Japanese white charcoal) and handle a grill or part of a grill that is made of natural diatom mud, which should not be washed with water. It is interesting to note that you may not see any red glow in binchotan, but the charcoal releases sustainable high heat that is perfect for any type of barbeque. 

There are many different parts of chicken used for yakitori. To keep it simple, we use chicken thighs.

Users need common cooking know-how such as how to handle hot food, utensils, cookware and charcoal. The charcoal grill is strictly for outdoor use.

Instructions

1. Put all seasonings in a sauce pan. Add the upper part of the green onions and cook until the sauce thickens.
2. You can use bamboo skewers. Soak the skewers in water for about 30 minutes. Stainless steel skewers also work well.
   
3. Cut the lower part of green onions and the chicken breast with skin into bite-size pieces.
4. Put the chicken and green onion on the skewers as demonstrated in the video. Let the skewers and sauce sit while you prepare the grill.
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5. Place the grill carefully on a solid or heat-resistant platform. There is a piece of base wood that comes with your donabe grill. Handle with care if it is a large grill. Use outdoors only.
   
6. For a donabe grill, fill the grill with water about 2cm high. Put it on the trivet made of diatom mud.
7. Add a piece of binchotan on the trivet. Burn it with a blow torch for about 8 minutes. Then place additional binchotan on the side and on top. The rest will start to burn in about 15 minutes. Best to use more rather than less so that the food can have have sufficient heat.
8. It is normal not to see any red glow in binchotan. You will feel the sustained high heat released from the white charcoal. A lot less smoke and dirt are produced compared to normal charcoal.
   
9. The Japanese manual may instruct customers to place pieces of binchotan on a stove top and light the charcoal together with the trivet. This is not allowed, nor is it recommended in Australia, especially indoors due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
10. Place the grill mesh on top of the grill and then place skewers on top of the mesh.
11. For yakitori, you can put as much sauce as you want on both sides during grilling. If you wish to have more of a charcoal grilled taste, grill for a longer time until you see burn marks on the food.
12. If the grill is hot, you may keep the chicken on a plate to brush it with the sauce and then move the skewer to the grill. Note that the grill is also suitable for park and wagyu beef.
13. Cleaning is important. Do not extinguish the charcoal with water. Caution: hot! Use oven gloves at all time. Use metal tongs to remove the hot charcoal and place it into a clay or metal pot. Cover with a lid and the charcoal will be extinguished from lack of oxygen. The pot will become hot as well. Use caution. The charcoal could be reused.
    
14. The diatom mud trivet or konro grill is made of diatom mud. The trivet and the inside of the grill will get dirty. It is normal. Clean with a brush after it cools down. Do not wash with water. Do not store outdoors. Water or water absorption will damage the structure of diatom mud. You may replace the trivet every 1 to 2 years, depending on how frequently you use it.
15. If it is a clay pot grill, you can wash the clay pot after it cools down. Dry everything thoroughly and store in a dry place indoors.

Additional information: 

1. It is normal not to see any red glow in binchotan. You will feel the sustained high heat released from the white charcoal. A lot less smoke and dirt are produced compared to normal charcoal.
2. The Japanese manual may instruct customers to place pieces of binchotan on a stove top and light the charcoal together with the trivet. This is not allowed, nor is it recommended in Australia, especially indoors due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
3. Do not wash with water. Do not store outdoors. Water or water absorption will damage the structure of diatom mud. 

You may shop for all types of Japanese konro grills / hibachi grills / donabe grills here. 

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