How to prepare a perfect outdoor BBQ (with yakitori grill)

It’s officially fall and there is no better time for an outdoor barbecue! The leaves are turning red and yellow and the weather is just amazing when the sun is out! I live in St. Louis Missouri and fall here is signified with cool temperature in the morning and ample sunlight in the afternoon. It is honestly the perfect time for outdoor bbq and hanging out with friends! 

Yakitori Grill

Yakitori grills are Japanese street food style grills that use charcoal to sear skewers with chicken, mushrooms etc. Yakitori grills are more portable than traditional grills and you can simply bring it to the site where you want to have a BBQ. 

Here are the links to some tools for preparing your outdoor BBQ grill:

Portable bbq grill link: https://amzn.to/3CB7kMc Binchotan charcoal: https://amzn.to/3V7Ylck Chimney starter: https://amzn.to/3rvNn35 Fire Starter: https://amzn.to/3Eoncmn Bamboo Skewers: https://amzn.to/3egrQrQ Plastic Gloves: https://amzn.to/3Ce65AY

Homemade BBQ Sauce

We will prepare a simple barbeque sauce. Use half an onion, chopped into small pieces. And half an apple. Peel the skin and chop into small pieces. In a blender, combine chopped onion and apple. Add some water, about 1/3 cup. Drop in 3 cloves of garlic. Blend the ingredients into a paste. Use a strainer to strain the mixture. Gently press on the paste to squeeze out the liquid. Turn on the fire and add soy sauce (6 tbsp), cooking sake(3 tbsp), mirin (3 tbsp), brown sugar (2 tsp), black pepper (¼ tsp), and some chili flakes (to taste) if you like a little spicy. Stir well and let it boil until the sauce reduces to about 1/3. Store the sauce in a jar for later use. 

How to prepare bamboo BBQ skewers?

Soak the BBQ skewers in water for 30 minutes so they are less likely to burn.

Prepare Meat and Other Ingredients

Pork/Chicken Thighs

Chop the pork or chicken thighs into small cubes. Marinate with some bbq sauce (about 2 tbsp) and fresh apple paste (¼ apple). The apple paste will give it a nice sweet and fruity flavor. Mix well and store in the fridge. 

Chicken Wings

Marinate chicken wings with salt and pepper, some greek yogurt and honey. The yogurt marinate will keep the meat moist and give it a nice coating. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. 

Green Onion

Chop the white part of the green onion into half inch pieces. The onion will go on the skewers with meat (either chicken or pork). 

Mushrooms

Mushrooms are very tasty for outdoor BBQ! Slice the king oyster mushroom, shiitake mushroom and baby Bella mushroom. Put them in a container for bbq later. Other types of mushrooms such as oyster mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, portabella mushrooms are all good candidates for BBQ.

Bacon Wrapped Enoki Mushroom

This is a delicious snack that requires very little prep but is very tasty after grilling. Start by trimming off the bottom part of the enoki mushroom. Split the mushrooms into small bunches. Use one slice of bacon to wrap up the enoki mushroom bunch. Push it onto the skewer.  Then repeat the process. If you would like a smaller wrap, use half of a bacon to wrap up a smaller bunch. 

Vegetables

You can use a lot of different kinds of vegetables for outdoor BBQ. With a little seasoning like salt, cumin and chili powder, grilled vegetables are extremely tasty. Here are some examples of veggies you can use for outdoor BBQ grill: broccoli, zucchini, potato, corn, cauliflower, leek and red bell peppers.

How to start the fire for an outdoor grill?

For the yakitori grill, I’m using 100% natural hardwood binchotan style charcoal. This type of charcoal produces lower smoke than regular charcoal and has a long burning time (up to 4 hours). 

Start by stacking the charcoal in the chimney starter. Put fire starters in between the charcoal. And then light the fire starters. It takes about 15 minutes for the charcoal to burn through and be ready for the grill. 

How to assemble the skewers for outdoor BBQ?

Assemble the meat skewer with pork pieces, red bell pepper and green onion. Rotating the ingredients on the BBQ skewers produces more interesting combination of flavors! 

How to cook BBQ skewers?

Brush oil and BBQ sauce on the skewers from time to time. Flip the skewers frequently to prevent burning. For different skewers, it takes different amounts of time to cook. Use your observation to determine if it’s ready. The meat can take about 10-15 minutes to cook. Zucchini takes about 5-10 minutes. Potatoes may take about 20-30 minutes.

How to make a foil wrap for grilling mushrooms?

Simply put the sliced mushrooms on a large piece of foil. Season with some salt and pepper. Some cooking oil. Add a piece of butter on top. Close the foil in the middle and then fold on both sides to form an envelope shape. Put it on the grill for 10-15 minutes. Top with some onions before eating.