Active Time

　　15 minutes

　　Total Time

　　35 minutes

　　Every izakaya in Japan offers this iconic yakitori on its menu. Bacon and asparagus are a perfect combination: the salty, fatty pork adds incredible flavor to the grilled asparagus spears. Serve these bacon-wrapped asparagus skewers alongside grilled shiitake mushrooms and other yakitori. As the bacon crisps up, the asparagus cooks through but still remains fresh-tasting and crunchy, and that’s the texture you’re shooting for. 

　　

Ingredients

Makes 12 skewers

　　1 pound bacon, thinly sliced and cut into 3-inch strips

　　1 pound asparagus (preferably jumbo), trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces

　　1 lemon, quartered

　　

Step 1

Wrap a strip of bacon around each piece of asparagus. Skewer these rolled pieces (about 4 per skewer) so they cover about 4 inches of skewer.

　　

Step 2

Preheat a grill to medium-hot. Grill for about 6 minutes, turning the skewers about every 2 minutes as they brown. Don’t hesitate to shift skewers as you grill, especially if you notice some skewers browning too fast over a hot spot; trade them with skewers grilling over a less hot part. The bacon will crisp up and sizzle when the skewers are ready. Squeeze lemon juice on the skewers, and serve immediately.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Japanese Grill by Tadashi Ono & Harris Salat. Copyright © 2011 by Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat; food photographs copyright © 2011 by Todd Coleman. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House. Buy the full book from Penguin Random House or Amazon.