Expert: John Langenfelder - 5/15/2010

Question
QUESTION: I am about to open a yakiniku restaurant in thailand and now i m choosing the stainless steel grate, but im not sure whether the thinner wire mesh dia would be a good idea as even this will allow  better heat to sizzle the meat and hold the gravy but potentially it might produce burning on the grate after few minutes use, if possible could you pls kindly advise the grate spex for grilling over charcoal without any burner and also the best temp range for grilling this thin sliced meat.

Also are there any marinade or techniques to raise up the beef flavour, or maybe some ingredients in a side dish that help to enhance the beef like grilled onion and garlic.

Sorry for such a long inquiry as i really have no one to consult with for my yakiniku project, and thank you in advance for your kind support.

ANSWER: Parat,

Sorry, not going to be much help here but for a grate guage, I wouldn't go too much thinner than 18 guage preferably 16 guage grate for grilling over an open flame.  That guage is a US spec and i don't know how that translates into metric.  As far as tips and techniques, the internet has a lot of information on  yakiniku cooking.  I would start there and find something that you like.  Good luck.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank you for your help, is the  16-18 guage grate best for steak cuts, as the yakiniku cut meat is very thin.

Thank you

Answer
Parat,

I am thinking of that gauge for constant use over hot coals.  If you are using a setup like your picture, you could probably go for a thinner gauge steel 20-22 gauge.  I don't think the thickness will have that much of an effect on thin meat, it might even add some protection, however, thicker gauge steel will take longer to heat up than thinner gauge and the meat could stick if the grate is not hot enough.