Grilling Tips: How Restaurants Are Mastering Direct Heat and Bold Glazes

A plate with grilled meat and vegetables is flanked by a jug of Thai style chili sauce and a bottle of sesame oil; a small bowl of sauce sits above the plate on a reddish marble surface.

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Grilling has always had a place on the American menu, but the techniques behind it are shifting. A wave of glazed and spiced Asian BBQ traditions is merging with the classic “low and slow” American style, and Kikkoman sauces sit at the center of that bridge. Here’s what foodservice operators need to know about the grilling techniques, trends, and flavor data shaping grilling menus this season.

What’s the difference between American BBQ and Asian BBQ techniques?

American BBQ, the marathon, relies on indirect heat, large primal cuts, and long smoking times over wood to break down tough fibers. Asian BBQ, also called “the sprint” method, focuses on direct, high-heat cooking over binchotan charcoal, a dense, slow-burning Japanese white charcoal prized for its high, steady heat and clean burn. Small, bite-sized cuts cook quickly over this heat, producing a fast Maillard reaction, the chemical browning that happens when high heat hits proteins and sugars on the surface of meat. The result is an immediate flavor payoff.

A bottle of Kikkoman gluten-free tamari soy sauce next to a rectangular plate with three grilled chicken skewers and a small bowl of dipping sauce.

This approach takes different forms across the region:

Japanese BBQ (Yakiniku): Sears thinly sliced, high-quality meats over high heat, then dips them in umami-rich tare sauce to highlight their natural flavor.
Korean BBQ (Gogi-gui): Grills a mix of marinated and unmarinated meats tableside, served as wraps with savory pastes, garlic, and banchan.
Chinese BBQ (Char siu): Marinates pork strips in a sweet and savory blend of five-spice, hoisin, and honey, then slow-roasts them for a glossy, caramelized glaze.
Filipino BBQ: Bastes skewered pork or chicken in a sweet, tangy soy and banana ketchup mixture for a sticky, smoky finish.

Neither approach is better, and those regional styles show that Asian BBQ spans a wide range of techniques and flavors. What unites most of them, and increasingly shows up in American BBQ too, is a simple soy sauce base or a well-bulit teriyaki marinade doing the flavor heavy lifting.

Why is direct-heat grilling gaining ground in foodservice?

Asian and Asian-inspired flavors are among the fastest-growing additions to BBQ menus, with Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese influences all gaining traction. Teriyaki holds steady, established penetration on wing and chicken menus, while emerging glazes like hot honey are growing fast off a smaller base, signaling where the next wave of grilling flavor innovation is headed. Sauce companies and operators alike have an opening here: blending Asian-inspired glazes with traditional BBQ sauces gives menus room to stand out.

A platter of cooked chicken garnished with cilantro sits next to a large bottle of Kikkoman hoisin sauce on a tiled surface.

What are the best Kikkoman grilling recipes for foodservice menus?

To see how these techniques and flavors come together on the plate, here are five Kikkoman grilling recipes built for foodservice menus:

A slab of ribs glazed with a dark sauce, garnished with blackberries, green herbs, pink edible flowers, and sprinkled seeds, served in a white bowl with extra sauce.

Blackberry Tamarind Char Siu Pork Ribs

A hybrid technique in action: ribs go low and slow in the oven, then finish under the broiler with a tamarind-blackberry glaze built on Kikkoman® Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce and Soy Sauce. A clear example of operators blending American and Asian BBQ methods on one plate.

Chicken Satay

The textbook “Sprint” approach: small, skewered cuts over direct high heat for a fast char. Marinated in Kikkoman® Gluten-Free Tamari Soy Sauce and Poke Sauce, it’s an easy way to show foodservice menus how Asian BBQ technique scales for high-volume service.

A blue plate with glazed chicken wings and a small container of dipping sauce next to a large bottle of tamari soy sauce on a white surface.

Chicken Wings with Orange Kimchi Sauce

Wings remain a menu staple, and this one rides the emerging-glaze wave the data points to. Kikkoman® Tamari Soy Sauce, Orange Sauce, and Oyster-Flavored Sauce combine for a bold, Korean-BBQ-adjacent flavor that goes beyond standard teriyaki.

Grilled meat served on a plate with lettuce, cucumber slices, and a small bowl of sauce on a marble surface.

Grilled Black Pepper Lamb with Jaew Sauce (Gae Yaang Jim Jaew)

Direct-grilled lamb chops paired with a charred, tamarind-forward dipping sauce. Built on Kikkoman® Thai Style Chili Sauce and Soy Sauce, it spotlights regional Southeast Asian BBQ traditions operators can use to differentiate their menu.

Grilled meat pieces on flatbread with chopped onions, fresh herbs, green sauce, and a drizzle of white sauce, served on a metal plate lined with a banana leaf.

Lamb Boti Kabab Roll

Skewered, grilled lamb wrapped in naan with a curry leaf marinade made using Kikkoman® Soy Sauce and Sushi (Unagi) Sauce. A good illustration of how soy sauce acts as a foundational, flavor-bridging ingredient across BBQ traditions.

Grilling Done Right Starts with the Right Technique

Whether a kitchen runs indirect smokers or fast-fire grills, the throughline is the same: bold, well-built sauces do the heavy lifting. Mastering both ends of the grilling spectrum, low and slow and glazed and spiced, gives operators more flexibility to meet regional tastes and operational demands. These techniques, paired with Kikkoman’s foundational sauces, are shaping the next generation of restaurant grilling menus.

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Grilling Tips: How Restaurants Are Mastering Direct Heat and Bold Glazes

What’s the difference between American BBQ and Asian BBQ techniques?

Follow Kikkoman Professional

Why is direct-heat grilling gaining ground in foodservice?

What are the best Kikkoman grilling recipes for foodservice menus?

Blackberry Tamarind Char Siu Pork Ribs

Chicken Satay

Chicken Wings with Orange Kimchi Sauce

Grilled Black Pepper Lamb with Jaew Sauce (Gae Yaang Jim Jaew)

Lamb Boti Kabab Roll

Grilling Done Right Starts with the Right Technique

Request a Sample

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Grilling Tips: How Restaurants Are Mastering Direct Heat and Bold Glazes

What’s the difference between American BBQ and Asian BBQ techniques?

Follow Kikkoman Professional

Why is direct-heat grilling gaining ground in foodservice?

What are the best Kikkoman grilling recipes for foodservice menus?

Grilling Done Right Starts with the Right Technique

Request a Sample

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