Today, "yakiniku" commonly refers to a style of cooking bite-size meat (usually beef and offal) and vegetables on gridirons or griddles over a flame of wood charcoals carbonized by dry distillation (sumibi, 炭火) or a gas/electric grill.

[18][19] Steak and roasted meat were translated as yakiniku (焼肉) and iriniku (焙肉), respectively, as proposed western-style menus in Seiyō Ryōri Shinan[20] although this usage of the former word was eventually replaced by the loanword sutēki.

The name Jingisukan is thought to have been invented by Sapporo-born Tokuzo Komai, who was inspired by the grilled mutton dishes of Northeastern Chinese cuisine.

[21][22] Common Japanese style of yakiniku, drawing heavy influences from Korean dishes such as bulgogi and galbi, became widespread in Japan during the 20th century, most notably after the Second World War.

Restaurants serving this dish either advertised themselves as horumonyaki (ホルモン焼き, offal-grill) or simply Joseon (Korean) cuisine (朝鮮料理, Chōsen ryōri).

[24][25] Ventilated barbecue systems, introduced by Shinpo Co., Ltd. in March 1980,[26] quickly spread throughout Japan as they enabled diners to eat yakiniku in a smoke-free environment and greatly extended the clientele.