Jingisukan: Lamb and Mutton BBQ – A Hokkaido’s Local Dish

Jingisukan is a local dish of Hokkaido, known for its lamb and vegetables grilled in a special dome-shaped pan. This dish is a favorite gourmet dish of the locals, perfectly suited to Hokkaido’s cold climate, where the succulent flavor of the meat and the sweetness of the vegetables can be enjoyed hot and fresh.

What is Jingisukan?

Jingisukan is a local Hokkaido dish of grilled mutton or lamb meat with vegetables. A special pot with a raised mountain-like center is used to grill the meat on the top and the vegetables underneath. This shape allows the juices from the meat to flow and soak into the vegetables roasting underneath, giving the vegetables a rich flavor.

Sapporo citizens not only enjoy Jingisukan with beer at Jingisukan specialty restaurants, but some families also do it like BBQ at cherry blossom viewing or camping, or have a special pot for Jingisukan. It is truly a beloved food, familiar to the people of Hokkaido!

Type of lamb meat: Mutton and Lamb

Mutton is the meat of adult lambs that are at least two years old, and is characterized by its unique flavor. Lamb, on the other hand, is a lamb less than one year old and is characterized by its tender meat and mild flavor.

Some people may not like Jingisukan because of its slight odor, but if so, why not try lamb instead of mutton? Compared to mutton, lamb has no smell, and if you marinate it in sauce after grilling, the smell is hardly noticeable.

Let’s Go Eat Jingisukan!

This time I visited “Jingisukan Hokkaido” in Obihiro City.

I visited a famous jingisukan restaurant located close to one of the Obihiro’s tourist attractions, Obihiro Racecourse (Banei Tokachi). The food is so delicious that it is praised by the locals ✨The wooden carved bears on the front of the restaurant are a landmark.

The delicious smell of grilling meat wafts through the air, and the retro Showa-style restaurant is filled with the autographs of many famous people.

I visited a famous jingisukan restaurant located close to one of the Obihiro’s tourist attractions, Obihiro Racecourse (Banei Tokachi). The food is so delicious that it is praised by the locals ✨The wooden carved bears on the front of the restaurant are a landmark.

The signature dishes are “King Lamb” and “King Mutton,” so I ordered “King Lamb”! King Lamb and King Mutton are very valuable raw shoulder roasts that can only be obtained from one sheep, about 500 grams. The quantity is limited, so it may run out.

It was so tender and had just the right amount of fat on it and the lamb flavor was so good that I couldn’t stop eating ✨.

5 restaurants where you can eat Jingisukan

Matsuo Jingisukan Sapporo Ekimae (松尾ジンギスカン 札幌駅前店)

Aji No Hitsujigaoka (味の羊ヶ丘)

Kirin Beer Garden Urban store (キリンビール園 アーバン店)

Daruma Main Shop (だるま 本店)

Fukuroutei (ふくろう亭)