Japanese Style Winter Barbecue

In many parts of the world, a white Christmas is a sign of imminent prosperity. When was the last time you saw a Christmas movie where it wasn't snowing? Probably never right?

In Osaka, the temperatures are usually above zero so snow is very rare. In a typical year, the lowest temperature would be around 6, whilst the highest average is around 29 degrees. This is actually quite a narrow temperature range which means most of the people are less used to extreme weather conditions, especially snow.

My own visit was coordinated with the coldest months of Winter (December) and meant to be a retreat to warmer climates. The average temperature in Osaka turned out to be 9 degrees Celsius historically speaking which seemed very reasonable.

It must have been bad luck because my arrival brought about the coldest ever winter in Osaka for more than 50 years. The snow never ended. Wading through several feet of snow is very difficult, as is trying to stay warm whilst doing so. The climate is very harsh when it wants to be, and this was some of the original reasons why Japan were very much imperialistic throughout the 20th century.

Japanese barbecue to the surprise of many, is actually a very popular dish in Osaka and has it's own roots separate to the popular Korean variant.

In Japan, the barbecue is called yakiniku. Like the Korean version, it is also DIY style where you cook the meat on a grill. Contrary to what a lot of people think, Teppanyaki does not count as barbecue as that is using a hot plate instead of a grill.
This particular Yakiniku uses an array of mascots to attract the attention from the outside. How many of them do you recognise?

The most common kinds of meats used in Yakiniku would be the uptown cuts, or otherwise known as Ribs, Sirloin and Tenderloin beef. What is the difference between uptown and downtown?

Uptown meats are usually from areas of the body where the muscles are mostly inactive. This makes them much more tender. On the other hand, downtown meats are the tough areas of the body where the muscles are frequently used.

Often the meats are prepared with some design elements, as you can see below, it's been finely sliced and then made into a flower shape. Obviously you can't retain it's shape when cooking it, so it's just for looking pretty when it's served.

What separates a good piece of meat from a not so good piece of meat? As explained above, the tender portions of meat tend to be the most flavoured. They carry the most amount of visceral fat and are also the least tough. This is the Harami meat which is from the diaphragm.

The thicker slices of meat are from the Misuji or meat around the shoulder. Even though the slices are thicker, they are still very tender.

Last but not least, the Kobe beef. This is a prize gourmet delicacy that has caught the attention of people all over the world. To get this quality meat, the cow has gone through a very careful rearing process resulting in this degree of quality.