The Tasteful Teriyaki

Brian’s Belly is a website for men, but our boys club has received some great email and feedback from chicks that visit us regularly and (believe it or not) have something to contribute to our website. So after much prodding, whining and pouty puppy-dog eyes, we’ve decided to let them speak. No, we’re not going to let them hang curtains and tidy up the website… we’re just going to let them write. Any woman who appreciates being called a Belly Babe is welcome here, and after all- we love the fact that we have groupies.

Our first contribution almost makes us regret our decision as Belly Babe Laurissa James takes aim at our beloved textiles.

You know it. You love it. If you look down, you’re probably wearing it. And most importantly, your girlfriend would like nothing better than to burn it. Yes, I speak of the egregious Hawaiian Shirt. Some of you wear them as a source of pride, some wear them to torment others, some of you wear them to disguise the ketchup you spilled on your gut, and some of you, poor fools, wear them simply because you don’t know better.

While I recognize that loud, tacky shirts are, arguably, as inherent a part of grilling as, well, the grill, my heart goes out to those poor islands scattered in the south Pacific whose good name has been smeared by tacky association. In hopes of redeeming some dignity to this wrongly maligned state, I respectfully offer a Hawaiian Chicken Teriyaki recipe that will ideally take the edge off those horrible, horrible shirts.

Ingredients:
• Soy sauce
• Sesame Oil (a tablespoon or 2)
• Tabasco® sauce (a teaspoon or 2, or 3)
• Garlic Powder (some pinches)
• Pepper (some shakes)
• Onion (part of one, diced)
• Green onions (a few, diced)
• Sugar (a teaspoon or 2)
• Sesame seeds (a shake or 2)
• And oh yeah: chicken. It can be filets, thighs, breasts, even wings- its all good.

Now, much like a loud Hawaiian shirt, a marinade recipe is based on personal taste. There is no foregone conclusion that what you deem tasty (and tasteful) will be similarly thought so by others. But, also like a loud Hawaiian shirt, if it works for you then who cares what the others think. Just make sure you cook the chicken thoroughly. Salmonella is very not pretty.

The combination of the fore mentioned ingredients is, therefore, based on your personal taste. The base of the marinade is the soy sauce, so put a lot of that in- the other stuff, well, you’ll need to experiment. The secret to a good teriyaki however, is the juxtaposition of the sweet and sour. Hence the sesame/sugar/ tabasco combo. Don’t be shy- mix it up. If you hate it, throw it out and try again. You’ll want to lay chicken in the marinade for a couple of hours- or ideally overnight, making sure that all parts of the chicken get covered at some point. Then, when the fire’s good and hot, slap those birds on the grill and thank the good lord that the Aloha State joined the union.