Unagi kabayaki

Method

1. 1 Slice the eel along its back, remove the bones, and skewer it horizontally using two bamboo skewers.
2. 2 Grilling the first layer without sauce for 6 minutes is the step where the shirayaki fat under the skin is dried out.
3. 3 Steam the grilled eel for 8 minutes to tenderize the meat and reduce the fat content.
4. 4 The correct process involves three stages: dry grilling, steaming, and then grilling with sauce. Omitting the steaming step will result in tough meat.
5. 5 Simmer soy sauce with mirin, sake, and sugar until reduced by half to make tare sauce.
6. 6 Grill three times, brush with tare sauce four times, then arrange on hot rice and sprinkle with Sichuan peppercorns.

With an appliance

• Charcoal grill 1 hr

  Grill the eel 12 cm above the grill for both batches; the smoky flavor is a distinctive characteristic of grilled eel.