Shibanuma, Gluten Free Yakitori Sauce, 1.8L
A glossy yakitori tare, made gluten free by a soy brewery founded in 1688. One 1.8L bottle for the grill section.
Yakitori tare is the sweet, savoury glaze brushed onto grilled skewers until they lacquer and shine. Shibanuma makes this one as a gluten-free sauce, so one tare can go on every skewer, including for guests who need to avoid gluten, without giving up the deep soy backbone a good tare needs. It comes in a 1.8L bottle, or a case of six, for kitchens running a grill every service. Shibanuma Shoyu has brewed in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki, since 1688.
More from Shibanuma: gluten-free unagi sauce, yuzu ponzu, yakiniku sauce, barrel-aged soy sauce and gluten-free sesame dressing.
Why Chefs Choose This
- One tare for every cover: made gluten free, so the grill section does not need a separate sauce
- Proper lacquer: it clings, caramelises and builds a glossy coat over two or three dips
- Soy depth, not just sweetness: a brewer's sauce with a real savoury backbone behind the sugar
- Ready to use: saves making and reducing tare from scratch every day, with the same result each time
How to Use
- Yakitori: grill skewers most of the way, then dip or brush and return to the heat two or three times
- Tsukune: glaze chicken meatballs and serve with an egg yolk for dipping
- Grilled fish and vegetables: brush onto aubergine, shiitake, salmon or mackerel in the last minutes of cooking
- Rice bowls: spoon over yakitori-don or grilled chicken on rice
Yakitori (焼き鳥) means grilled chicken, and the tare (たれ) is the sweet soy glaze that defines it. Traditional yakitori-ya keep a pot of tare going for years, dipping cooked skewers in and topping it up, so the sauce picks up the flavour of the grill. Shibanuma Shoyu (柴沼醤油醸造) was founded in 1688 in Tsuchiura, on Lake Kasumigaura in Ibaraki, and still ferments soy sauce in large wooden barrels. That brewing knowledge is what sits behind its sauces.
Learn more: Japanese Sauces
What does yakitori sauce taste like?
Sweet and savoury in balance. The salt and deep umami of soy sauce sit under a glossy sweetness, and the sauce is thicker than soy, closer to a glaze, so it clings to the skewer. Over the grill it caramelises into a sticky, slightly smoky lacquer with a hint of bitterness at the charred edges, which is exactly the point. It tastes of good yakitori: moreish, savoury and grill-sweet.
Product Details
| Type | Yakitori tare (焼き鳥のたれ), sweet soy grilling glaze, gluten free |
| Brand | Shibanuma (柴沼醤油醸造), brewing since 1688 |
| Origin | Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan |
| Volume and Format | 1.8L bottle; also available as a case of 6 |
| Storage | Refrigerate once opened |
| Allergens | Check the bottle label before serving guests with allergies |
| Best Used As | Glaze and marinade for grilled chicken, skewers, fish and vegetables |
When do I brush yakitori sauce on?
Late, and in coats. The sugars catch and burn over direct heat, so grill the skewers most of the way first, then dip or brush them and return them to the grill for a moment. Repeat two or three times for a deep lacquer. Keep a separate portion of sauce for this rather than dipping raw or used skewers into the main bottle.
Is this yakitori sauce gluten free?
Shibanuma makes and labels it as a gluten-free sauce, which is why many kitchens use it as their only tare. As with anything served to guests with coeliac disease or allergies, check the allergen information on the bottle itself before service, as the label is the legal source of truth.
How should I store it after opening?
In the fridge, cap on, and use it within the time given on the label. Wipe the neck and reseal between uses. Decant a working amount into a dish or tare pot for the grill rather than working from the bottle, which keeps the main supply clean through a busy service.
Ingredients and allergens
Ingredients: Tamari soy sauce (soybeans, salt, alcohol), corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, water, sugar, rice fermented seasoning, sunflower oil, thickener: E1442.
Allergen information is taken from the manufacturer's import specification; always check the pack before use.
SKU : S0001