-
1
Combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce by one-third. Transfer to a shallow dipping vessel and allow to cool. The tare at this stage is functional but unfinished; it acquires depth only through the accumulated drippings of repeated service. It is ready to use when it coats the back of a spoon with a lacquer-like sheen.
-
2
Skewer the momo (thigh pieces, 3–4 per skewer), the negima (alternating thigh and leek, 2 of each per skewer), and the kawa (skin folded tightly accordion-style, 3–4 folds per skewer). For tsukune, combine minced chicken, grated ginger, and shredded shiso; work briefly until cohesive and form cylindrical portions around skewers, pressing firmly so the mince adheres. For organ skewers, thread liver, heart, and gizzard separately by type. Each skewer is ready when the pieces sit flush and the mince does not slip — the skewer should hold its form under light pressure.
-
3
Prepare the binchotan charcoal. Ignite using a chimney or direct flame and allow the coals to reach full combustion — they should glow a steady red-white with no visible flame and no acrid smoke. Distribute evenly beneath the grill. This is where the dish lives or dies: binchotan provides intense radiant heat without flame contact; any flame reaching the skewers produces carbon flavour rather than the caramelised umami that defines yakitori. The coals are ready when you can hold your hand 10 cm above the grate for no more than two seconds.
-
4
Place kawa skewers over the coolest zone of the coals first. Cook slowly, allowing the fat to render gradually — the skin will begin to translucent before it crisps. Rushing this stage produces a chewy, under-rendered result. The kawa is ready when the surface is golden, blistered, and audibly crackling under finger pressure.
-
5
Grill momo, negima, and tsukune skewers over the main heat zone. Turn every 30–40 seconds. After the first two turns, begin dipping or brushing with tare at each rotation — the tare should set and caramelise between coats, never pool or burn. Continue for 3–4 tare applications. The skewers are ready when the surface carries a deep, lacquered gloss and the meat yields to firm finger pressure without being hard.
-
6
Grill organ skewers (reba, hatsu, sunagimo) over moderate heat. Liver requires the shortest time — it is done when the exterior is seared and the centre remains just soft to pressure, retaining a faint give. Gizzard requires longer cooking; it is ready when resistance has reduced from rubbery to firm-tender. Apply tare to organ skewers in the final two turns only.
-
7
For shio preparations — reserved exclusively for jidori-grade chicken — apply fine sea salt immediately before grilling and serve without tare. The absence of tare means the bird's natural flavour is fully exposed; only a chicken of verifiable breed and provenance warrants this treatment. The shio skewer is done when the surface carries clean char marks and the meat smells of pure roasted chicken with no off-note.
-
8
After service, return any drippings collected beneath the grill to the tare vessel. These accumulated drippings are the mechanism by which tare develops complexity over time. Decant, store covered, and carry forward to the next service. Taste the tare at the end of service: it should be measurably richer and more mineral than it was at the start.