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1
Prepare the binchōtan. Arrange the charcoal in a chimney or over a gas burner and light until each piece glows orange-red to its core and is coated in a fine white ash. Transfer to the shichirin or yakitori grill bed. The fire is ready when the charcoal emits steady radiant heat with almost no visible smoke and no open flame — the near-smokeless condition that distinguishes binchōtan from regular charcoal.
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2
Build the tare. Combine shoyu, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce by approximately one-third until the sauce coats the back of a spoon and carries a deep, lacquered sheen. If continuing an existing tare, add this reduction to the maintained pot rather than starting afresh — accumulated reduction over successive sessions creates umami depth that a fresh tare cannot replicate. The tare is ready when it is glossy, pours slowly from a spoon, and smells of caramelised soy with no raw alcohol edge.
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3
Skewer each cut according to its density and fat content. Thread momo in 3 pieces per skewer, leaving slight gaps to prevent steaming. Fold kawa strips and press flat onto skewers so fat renders evenly. Space nankotsu with wider gaps than nekku or toriniku. Thread rebā and sunagimo in uniform pieces for even cooking. Correct skewer construction determines cooking uniformity — uneven pieces on a single skewer will not cook at the same rate.
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4
Season each skewer according to its cut and the intended style. Salt delicate and mineral-forward cuts — rebā, hatsu, and momo ordered first — with fine sea salt on both sides immediately before grilling. Reserve tare for fattier cuts (kawa) and subsequent rounds of momo. Shio reveals the chicken's natural flavour; tare adds caramelised depth. Do not apply tare to liver or gizzard — the sweetness masks their distinctive mineral character.
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5
This is the step on which the dish lives or dies. Place skewers directly over the binchōtan bed at close range. The charcoal must be operating at 700°C or above — confirmed by the near-smokeless, steady radiant glow. Turn skewers frequently and steadily; the far-infrared radiation from binchōtan penetrates 2–3 cm into the protein, cooking from within while the surface caramelises through the Maillard reaction. Do not allow open flame to touch the skewers. At insufficient heat, the chicken renders slowly and the surface caramelisation — the defining textural and flavour event — will not occur. The skewer is done when the exterior carries a taut, lightly charred surface with caramelised colour and the interior yields resistance without firmness when pressed.
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6
For tare-style skewers, dip once into the tare pot and return briefly to the grill to caramelise the coating. One controlled dip is sufficient — a second application produces an overly sweet, heavily charred exterior that obscures the chicken. The tare glaze is set when it no longer looks wet and carries a lacquered surface sheen.
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7
For kawa skewers, press flat against the grill with light pressure to maintain contact and accelerate fat rendering. The skin is ready only when all subcutaneous fat has fully rendered and the skin is crisp, not yielding — any softness indicates incomplete rendering. Kawa requires more time over the charcoal than any other cut.
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8
Serve each skewer immediately as it comes off the grill. Yakitori should be consumed within 60 seconds of leaving the charcoal; carryover cooking continues on the skewer and degrades the texture beyond this point. Serve shio skewers first, progressing to tare skewers and fattier cuts. The finished skewer smells of clean charcoal smoke, caramelised soy (where tare is applied), and rendered chicken fat.