Yakitori is not grilled with charcoal. The 'true heat application' that 90% of people don't know

Yakitori is something you grill with charcoal.

Most people probably think so.
Before I started this job, I
thought so too.

But now, having spent every day lighting charcoal and grilling chicken, I have come to put it a little differently.

Charcoal is not used for 'grilling' so much as it is
an element used to 'create heat.'

What is actually applying heat to the chicken
is not the charcoal itself.
It is the heat stored by the stones in the grill.
Whether this 'heat storage' is uniform or not determines the quality of a single skewer.

You cannot use the fire until the charcoal is stable

At Suginoya, we spend over an hour lighting the charcoal before we open for business.

The reason is simple:
until the charcoal becomes glowing embers,
the temperature of the entire grill does not stabilize.
Charcoal that is still flaming
is actually not suitable for grilling.
That is the state where the surface burns while the inside remains raw.

Only when it becomes glowing embers does the heat become uniform.
Only when the grill has stored stable heat does the chicken reach a state where it is 'properly heated.'

Therefore, 90% of charcoal-grilled yakitori
is not grilled with charcoal.
To be precise,
it is grilled in a kiln that has stored the heat created by the charcoal.

'Yakitori' is not the same every day

Yakitori is a simple dish.
That is precisely why everything changes based on how you handle the fire.

Even for the same 'negima' (chicken and scallion skewer), the fat content, moisture level, and condition of the day are all different.
The timing of the purchase, the temperature of the day, how long it was kept chilled, and how much time was taken to bring it back to room temperature.
These small variables change how it should be grilled.

The position for grilling,
how the heat is applied,
and the timing of the flip.

There is no manual.
Every time, I look at the single skewer in front of me and make a judgment.

Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside.
This is not a coincidence, but a technique.
And it is the experience I have accumulated.

I believe that the food and beverage industry is a business of selling experiences

Yakitori is a more delicate dish than it looks.

These small, accumulated details
become the final taste of a single skewer.
But that is only conveyed to the person who eats it.
No matter how many words I use,
they cannot compete with the feeling of 'Oh, this is different' the moment it enters your mouth.

I don't think the food and beverage industry is a business of selling food.
It is a business of delivering experiences to people.

If you want to experience the "difference",
please come to our restaurant.

It's faster to eat it than to talk about it.

▼Read next
"90% of yakitori is decided before it's grilled"https://note.com/suginoya_yt/n/n61d89675b844

▼Click here for reservations and store information
🔗 Official Website　
https://yakitorisuginoya.com/

📍 Fukai Main Store　https://maps.app.goo.gl/s847rfof5TeWjxCt8
📍 Nakamozu Store　https://maps.app.goo.gl/ggxF86Q4UvMME1NY8
📍 Kitahanada Store　https://www.google.com/maps/place/Charcoal Grilled Yakitori＋Suginoya＋Kitahanada Store/

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Fukai Main Store　https://www.hotpepper.jp/strJ001128168/
Nakamozu Store　https://www.hotpepper.jp/strJ001200051/
Kitahanada Store　https://www.hotpepper.jp/strJ003893551/

Osaka Sakai, Fukai / Nakamozu / Kitahanada Charcoal Grilled Yakitori Suginoya Yuji Suginohara