Pork-Wrapped Enoki (えのき巻き, Enoki-maki)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Shichirin charcoal grill, outdoor grill, broiler, or heavy skillet
• •Flat metal skewers or soaked bamboo skewers
• •Small saucepan for tare
• •Small brush for tare

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the skewers

   If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes while you prepare the mushrooms. Soaking doesn't make them fireproof, but it keeps the exposed ends from blackening before the pork has time to brown. Metal skewers need no soaking.

2. 2

   Mix the tare

   If making the tare finish, combine the shōyu, mirin, sake, and sugar in a small pan. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, just until the sugar dissolves and the sauce lightly coats a spoon. Don't reduce it to a thick syrup. It will tighten again on the heat, and too much sugar on the grill burns before it seasons.

   For shio finish, skip the tare entirely. Salt and citrus are not lesser; they simply let the pork and mushroom speak more plainly.
3. 3

   Trim the enoki

   Cut away the dense root end and any trace of growing medium. Divide the mushrooms into 8 to 10 thumb-thick bundles, keeping the stems aligned so they wrap neatly. Don't wash them unless they are gritty. Water clings between the stems and cools the grill, so if you rinse, pat them very dry.

4. 4

   Wrap the bundles

   Lay one slice of pork belly flat. Set an enoki bundle across one end with the caps and tips peeking out, then roll on a slight diagonal so the pork overlaps itself. The pork should hold the bundle firmly without crushing it. A tight wrap traps the mushroom's moisture inside; a loose one unwinds before the pork can set.

5. 5

   Skewer and season

   Thread one or two rolls onto each skewer through the pork seam, not just through the mushrooms. This gives you control when turning and keeps the seam from opening. For shio finish, salt the rolls lightly on all sides. For tare finish, use only a small pinch of salt, or leave the salt out if your shōyu is strong.

6. 6

   Heat the grill

   Heat a shichirin, outdoor grill, broiler, or heavy skillet to medium-high. Oil the grate or pan very lightly if using a skillet. You want an immediate, clean sizzle when the pork touches down. Heat that is too low lets the enoki leak water before the pork browns.

7. 7

   Grill seam-side down

   Set the rolls seam-side down and leave them for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, until the pork grips and the first side browns. Turn every minute or so, cooking 6 to 8 minutes total, until the pork is browned, no pink remains at the thickest overlap, and the enoki tips have softened and turned glossy. If checking with a thermometer, the pork should read at least 63 C / 145 F.

   That first seam-side minute is the first secret. It fixes the roll before you ask it to move.
8. 8

   Finish shio or tare

   For shio finish, take the rolls off the heat and serve with citrus wedges and shichimi if you like. For tare finish, brush the rolls lightly during the last minute only, turning once or twice until the glaze looks soy-dark and glossy. If cooking in a skillet, pour off excess pork fat before brushing, or the tare slides away instead of clinging.

9. 9

   Rest and serve

   Rest the rolls for 2 minutes before serving. That short pause lets the pork juices settle and the enoki finish softening inside the wrap. Serve in odd-numbered groupings on a small plate with space left bare. A crowded plate makes a simple dish look anxious, and this one has done nothing to deserve that.

Chef Tips

• •Buy enoki with dry, pale stems, small caps, and a clean smell. If the base is slimy or the stems look tired, change the dish. Nothing hidden.
• •Ask for butabara usu-giri, thinly sliced pork belly. Don't use bacon. Smoke and cure take command of the mushroom, and then you are eating bacon with passengers.
• •If your pork slices are too thick, chill them until firm and slice thinner, or use a different quick grill dish. Thick pork won't finish before the enoki collapses.
• •Choose the finish by the ingredient. Very fresh enoki and good pork want shio. Tare is for a rounder, glossy finish, but it should be a brush, not a bath.
• •A shichirin gives the cleanest small-grill feeling, but a broiler or heavy skillet works well. The point is steady medium-high heat and the patience to let the seam set first.

Advance Preparation

• •The tare can be made up to 1 week ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Warm it briefly before brushing so it loosens.
• •The rolls can be wrapped up to 4 hours ahead. Keep them covered and refrigerated, then salt just before cooking because salt draws water from the mushrooms.
• •Bamboo skewers can soak earlier in the day. Drain them before skewering so excess water does not drip onto the grill.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 100g)