Yakiniku Sauce - Japanese BBQ Sauce (2024)

What You’ll Need

• Soy Sauce – For the best flavour and quality, use a Japanese soy sauce brand such as Kikkoman which has the perfect balance of flavour and salt without being too salty.
• Mirin – A sweet rice wine for cooking. You can sometimes find it in regular supermarkets, otherwise head to your nearest Asian grocer or online. Sub with 1/2 tsp of extra sugar and 1 tsp of water if you need.
• Sweeteners – We use honey and brown sugar for a richer, caramelised flavour, but you can use regular sugar if you need or to make it vegan.
• Spice – While optional, some commercial brands like to add in fermented chilli as a spice, so we thought gochujang would be perfect for this! Sub with doubanjiang or 1/2 tbsp gochugaru chilli flakes to your mix.
• Red Miso Paste – This adds extra umami flavour and depth to the sauce. Sub with white miso paste for a sweeter, lighter taste while keeping in the umami flavour.
• Fruits & Vegetables – You’ll need some apple, onion, garlic and ginger. We love mincing them up in the blender for quick, easy and mess-free prep.
• Other Ingredients – You’ll also need sesame oil, lemon juice and sesame seeds (fresh or toasted for extra nuttiness).

Yakiniku Sauce – Japanese BBQ Sauce

Ready to make your new favourite sauce? This easy Japanese yakiniku sauce is the ideal BBQ companion for grilled meats. Use it as a marinade or dipping sauce!

• ▢ ½ cup soy sauce 125 ml / 4.22 fl oz
• ▢ 3 tbsp brown sugar
• ▢ 1 tbsp mirin
• ▢ 1 tbsp honey
• ▢ 1 tbsp red miso paste or use white miso for a sweeter taste
• ▢ 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• ▢ ¼ apple 25 g / 0.88 oz, use a sweet variety like pink lady or red delicious
• ▢ ¼ onion 20 g / 0.7 oz
• ▢ 1 garlic
• ▢ ½ tbsp ginger
• ▢ 1 tsp sesame oil
• ▢ 1 tsp lemon juice

Optional

• ▢ 1 tbsp gochujang sub ssamjang, doubanjiang or ½ tsp chilli powder

Blender Method

• Place all your ingredients into the blender, in order of hardest to softest (mainly to avoid splashing!). This would be apple, onion, garlic, ginger, red miso paste, optional gochujang, brown sugar, honey, mirin, sesame oil, lemon juice and finally, soy sauce.

  ½ cup soy sauce, 3 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp red miso paste, ¼ apple, ¼ onion, 1 garlic, ½ tbsp ginger, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp gochujang

• Blend in short pulses to break down the apple and onion, then blend for a further 15-20 seconds until smooth.

• Pour into a bowl, add your sesame seeds and stir until combined.

  1 tbsp sesame seeds

• Serve into individual dipping bowls, or store in an airtight jar in the fridge and allow the flavours to develop overnight.

By Hand Method

• Finely grate the onion, apple, garlic and ginger into a small mixing bowl. Add in the red miso paste and optional gochujang, then use the back of a spoon to loosen and form a paste.

  1 tbsp red miso paste, ¼ apple, ¼ onion, 1 garlic, ½ tbsp ginger, 1 tbsp gochujang

• Add the remaining ingredients (sesame seeds, brown sugar, honey, mirin, sesame oil, lemon juice and soy sauce). Note: If your honey is quite thick or hardened, warm in the microwave for 15 seconds so it’s nice and runny. Mix until combined.

  3 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp sesame seeds, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp lemon juice, ½ cup soy sauce

• Serve in individual dipping bowls, or store in an airtight jar in the fridge and allow the flavours to develop overnight.

Nutrition Facts

Yakiniku Sauce – Japanese BBQ Sauce

Amount per Serving

% Daily Value*

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.