Yakiniku (Japanese BBQ)

To Make the Yakiniku Sauce

1. Gather all the sauce ingredients.
2. Grate ¼ sweet onion (I use a ceramic grater). Make sure you collect all the juice.
3. Transfer the grated onion and its juice to a mason jar or microwave-safe container. Mince or press 3 cloves garlic (I use a garlic press) and add it to the jar.
4. Grate the ginger (I use the same ceramic grater) and collect ⅛ tsp ginger (grated).
5. To the jar, add the grated ginger, ¼ tsp gochujang (Korean chili paste), ¼ cup soy sauce, and 2 Tbsp sugar.
6. Add ½ Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds. Microwave the sauce for 30–35 seconds until it‘s hot enough to dissolve the sugar.
7. Add 1 tsp toasted sesame oil and mix well. The Yakiniku Sauce is now ready to use.

To Prepare the Grilling Ingredients

1. Gather all the Yakiniku ingredients. Set the thin slices of ½ lb boneless beef short ribs on serving platters and keep them in the refrigerator until you‘re ready to cook.
2. Wrap a wet paper towel around 1 ear sweet corn (you can leave the husks on) and cook in the microwave for 2 minutes (1000W). Carefully remove the paper towel, husks, and silk from the hot corn. With a knife, cut the ear of corn crosswise into 1- to 1½-inch rounds.
3. Cut the tough ribs from 3 leaves green cabbage. Slice the leaves into 1-inch (2.5-cm) squares.
4. With ½ onion, lay the onion half flat on the cutting board and slice it crosswise into half-rounds about ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick. I sliced my onion half into 5 slabs. Skewer each half-round slab with a toothpick through all the layers to keep them from separating.
5. Make a small slit in each of the 6 shishito peppers. This will allow the steam to escape and prevent them from exploding. Trim off the bottom end of 1 king oyster mushroom (eringi) and thinly slice the mushroom lengthwise.
6. Remove the stems from 4 shiitake mushrooms. If you wish, you can cut a decorative flower pattern on the mushroom caps. To watch me demonstrate this Japanese cutting technique, see my shiitake hanagiri video.
7. Cut 1 small wedge kabocha squash wedge in half crosswise. Then, cut each half lengthwise into ⅛-inch (3-mm) slices.
8. Soak 6 slices Japanese sweet potato (Satsumaimo) in water for 10 minutes to remove the starch and pat them dry. Place all the ingredients on serving platters and take them to the table. Remove the platters of meat from the refrigerator and place them on the table as well.

To Cook the Yakiniku

1. At the table, prepare a medium plate and a small bowl of Yakiniku Sauce for each person. Also, set up the table with a portable gas stove and grill top or an electric griddle. Preheat it on medium heat (375ºF/190ºC). When it‘s hot, lightly grease the grill or griddle with neutral oil. With well-marbled meat, you do not need to grease the area where you will cook it. (We usually divide the cooking surface into different sections, such as the meat section, vegetable section, or mushroom section.) Next, put the vegetables and meat in a single layer on the grill or griddle; do not overcrowd the cooking surface. You may need to cook the ingredients in batches.
2. Leave the meat untouched to cook until juices appear on the surface, about 15–20 seconds. Then, flip the meat. When the bottom side gets lightly browned, flip the meat once more. Cook briefly before removing from the grill. You only need to cook the thinly sliced beef for a few minutes. For the vegetables and mushrooms, let them get nicely browned on the bottom before flipping them over to brown on the other side.As the food finishes cooking, transfer it to the individual plates and dip in the homemade Yakiniku Sauce to enjoy. Meanwhile, continue adding the rest of the meat and vegetables to the grill or griddle to cook and enjoy.

To Serve

1. I like to serve Yakiniku as the star of a complete meal along with steamed rice or Japanese Corn Rice, a soup such as Homemade Miso Soup or Cold Miso Soup, a salad like Japanese Potato Salad, and a side dish like Japanese-style Pickled Tomatoes.

To Store

1. You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for up to a month. Store any leftover Yakiniku Sauce in the refrigerator and use it within 2 weeks.