Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance

FAMILY HEIRLOOM RECIPES

Illinois State Fair

August 12, 2022

Third Prize

Grandma Jenne’s Teriyaki Marinade
Joanne Belle (Jenne) Gunderson, Springfield, Illinois

History of Grandma Jenne’s Teriyaki Recipe

My mother remembers this particular recipe in use by my paternal Grandmother from before she was married to my dad in 1971. There is some dispute as to whether Grandma Charlotte (Jenne) started using the recipe first, or whether it was her sister-in-law Hazel (Carnes) Jenne who found the recipe and shared it. Regardless of its origins, its been a staple of my parents since they were married and it was one of the first recipes I remember asking for when I got married. It has become a regular feature at my family’s dinner table ever since.

I remember the recipe largely being used with beef and as grilled kabobs. We made it at home regularly, but I also remember having it at Grandma’s for family gatherings. I had an uncle who notoriously liked his beef rare and would eat the teriyaki raw straight out of the vintage Tupperware marinade container. When I started making this recipe for larger groups, I began experimenting with using it on chicken and found it works great! I’ve even had scout parents reach out after campouts to get the recipe when my boys made it for the troop! I had always used the version that was published in the 1991 genealogical society cookbook. This is the version of the recipe that I started using shortly after I was married, more than three decades after Grandma Jenne introduced it to my mother, and it has become a staple recipe in my house and one that never disappoints any member of my family when they hear what’s for dinner.

TERYAKI Charlotte Jenne
1/2 tsp ginger, ground
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp meat tenderizer
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp water
— submitted by Linda Jenne, Decatur, IL —
3-6 lbs arm or chuck roast,
cut In 2″ chunks 1/4 c soy sauce 1 tbsp oiI 1 tbsp brown sugar 1 clove garllc, minced
Mix marinade ingredients and pour over meat chunks. Turn meat over every hour. Marinate at least 2 hours or overnight. Cook meat on grill 10-15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. Also good marinade for chicken and steak.
page 36

(recipe from “Recipes Old and New” curated by the Moultrie County Historical and Genealogical Society of which my Grandmother Malloy (maternal) and Mother were members, published in 1991)

Years later I came across the original recipe that my mother copied down into her recipe journal from around the time she married my dad. I was interested to see the original recipe lists use with beef, chicken and even fish. I have since used it with salmon to great deliciousness. The marinade can also be converted (absent the meat tenderizer) into a great stir fry sauce (on its own or with a small amount of cornstarch slurry to give it a thicker sauce texture). I’ve used it many different ways and have always been pleased with the results. I am certain it will remain a staple in my family’s recipe box for many more decades to come.

(Copy of the my Mother’s handwritten version of the marinade recipe from the recipe journal she made as a young adult around the time she was married in 1971)

Two new fix-ahead ideas with Lipton Onion Soup Mix
KIKKOMAN Teriyaki –

1968

Now a favorite in CHICAGO!
NU H IN JOT f RM HIHIII tha woruWHul laate ol kikkonan Hawaiian Tanyakl Sauca. So <■•*•. id called caw war “> “”»’• C.tve* a faatua haul taatr n. aleak*, raaata.
Siaply uie Kikkoaua Hawaiian Tarir’ki diracllv Iron lha botlla a uannada and Mia … and a* a maal taut*
Ait unfotfttablv ratca d+ttgM’ Try kikkofaaa Hawaiian Tanyaki. timmht’
KIKKOMAN HAWAIIAN TERIYAKI SAUCE
Teriyaki, as well as other traditional Japanese cuisine, became popular in the United States during the 1960s. Most advertisements from that time are for branded teriyaki sauce but there are some recipes. Most include pineapple juice and sometimes mirin. It is interesting to me that the version my family has in its books contains neither of these ingredients. As a result, the marinade is more savory than sweet and particularly well suited to grilling because there is not a lot of added sugary ingredients except for the brown sugar. This marinade doesn’t flame up a lot on the grill compared to bottled marinades or other recipes that contain juice. While mirin would give the marinade a distinctly Japanese flavor, I would imagine it might have been a rare ingredient in rural central Illinois in the late 1960s and early 1970s and, perhaps, that is why it is not included in my grandmother’s recipe. I have not found any recipes that are identical in my research, though there are some that substitute dry sherry for mirin which would make sense if mirin was hard to get in more rural areas. I have made many teriyaki sauces with mirin over the years and while they are more distinctly traditional in teriyaki flavor, my grandmother’s marinade is the universal favorite in my household.

Third Prize

Grandma Jenne’s Teriyaki Marinade
Joanne Belle (Jenne) Gunderson, Springfield, Illinois

Ingredients
1 ½-2 lb Meat of Your Choice (Beef Chuck Pot Roast, Beef Arm Roast, Chicken, & Salmon all work great)
¼ Cup Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. Meat Tenderizer (if using a tougher cut of meat like Beef Roast)
1 tsp. Kosher salt
2 Tbsp. Water

Directions
Combine all the ingredients and marinade for a few hours (for fish) to overnight or up to 48 hours. Grill as kabobs or saute at high heat in a stir fry until meat is done to your liking. I will usually double or triple the marinade recipe depending on how much meat I am working with. If desired, you can reserve some unused marinade (that does not include the meat tenderizer) and use it as a sauce in a stir fry.