Authentic Japanese Cooking: Artisan edition: Kabayaki (Grilled Unagi Eel)

Our theme this episode is kabayaki grilled unagi eel. We'll introduce you to the traditions of this Japanese favorite, starting with the chef cutting up the eel while it's still alive, then putting the meat on skewers, dipping it in a soy sauce-based sauce, then grilling it until it's perfectly browned and delicious. On this episode, we'll be visiting a long-established unagi eel restaurant, where we'll learn about the impressively complex world of working with unagi eel, and we'll find out what their saying "three years for skewering, eight years for cutting up, and a lifetime for grilling" means. We'll also be taking a look at the secret techniques used to raise the perfect unagi eels for kabayaki.