Food & Drink

A Twist on BBQ Sauce

Use this recipe to add a new twist to your favorite BBQ! Running short on time? You can also buy Steven Raichlen’s sauces here. Either way, you’re in a for a delicious addition to your meal!

This delicious barbecue sauce is from Steven Raichlen’s Barbecue! Bible Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades, Bastes, Butters & Glazes. Traditionally used in Japan on yakitori, it is a fantastic complement to chicken, beef, and pork.

Did you know?… Yakitori are tiny chicken kebabs, served in dazzling variety in Japan and enjoyed as a snack. The Japanese prefer chicken thighs to breasts because they’re more moist and flavorful. You could substitute 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Sweet and salty, shiny and dark, yakitori sauce resembles teriyaki sauce, but contains more soy sauce. Many yakitori masters simmer the sauce with a roasted chicken leg bone for extra flavor.

Yakitori Barbecue Sauce

Makes 2 cups; enough for 2 pounds of chicken

INGREDIENTS

1 cup soy sauce
1 cup turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw brand)
¼ cup mirin
1 scallion (white part only), flattened with a cleaver
1 strip lemon zest, about 2 × ½ inch
1 roasted or grilled chicken leg bone (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine all the ingredients in a nonreactive saucepan over medium heat and slowly bring to a gentle simmer, uncovered, stirring with a wooden spoon to prevent scorching.
Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 5 minutes.
Discard the scallion, lemon zest, and chicken bone, if using.
Use right away or transfer to a large jar, cover, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate. The sauce will keep for 5 days.

From Steven Raichlen’s Barbecue! Bible Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades, Bastes, Butters & Glazes

Barbecue! Bible Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades, Bastes, Butters & Glazes
by Steven Raichlen
200 recipes cover the gamut; from fiery spice mixtures for massaging into food, sensuous bastes to be brushed on like lacquer, killer marinades, sugary glazes, and dozens of sauces, from the classic tomato-based American Sweet and Smoky to a bold Moroccan Charmoula with its medley of fresh herbs and spices.