Japanese Charcoal Binchotan: Upgrade Your Barbeque Experience

 The one thing it's known about food and barbecue is that it's best prepared on charcoal. Prepared that way, the food tastes simply better, and that's because charcoal enhances food flavour through smoke infusion from vaporised drippings. The distinct "barbecue" taste and flavour are basically due to chemical reactions, as a result of newly created chemical compounds during the cooking process. These new compounds engage the sense of smell, which is the dominant flavour and taste in the prepared food as well.

And while you can easily find charcoal for grilling, have you ever tried the Japanese charcoal binchotan?! This charcoal will give you a completely new experience of grilled food, making it completely different nd much tastier than the one prepared on standard charcoal.

What Is Japanese Binchotan?

source: chefsarmoury.com

Well, a Japanese charcoal binchotan is a staple in Japanese cooking for centuries, thanks to its ability to give food a distinctive taste and aroma. This, in fact, is an activated charcoal, which is also known as white charcoal or Japanese oak charcoal. Its name comes from a combination of "bincho,"- the region where it was first produced, and "tan," which means charcoal.

Unlike the typical charcoal, this one seems more dense, hard and nearly pure carbon. The Japanese charcoal binchotan is basically made from oak, or to be more specific, from the 'ubame oak tree', which is native to the Kii Peninsula in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. This particular oak tree is known for its density and slow growth, which explains its higher price in comparison to the traditional types available on the market.

What Sets it Apart from the Typical Charcoal?

Well, as already mentioned, this product is mainly made from Ubame oak, which is a hardwood native to Japan. Unlike the traditional ones, this charcoal undergoes a unique production process that gives it its distinctive properties. This distinctive process includes burning the wood slowly in a kiln at a low temperature until it reaches a carbonisation stage. After that, the kiln's temperature should rapidly increase so that the charcoal can quickly be covered with a mixture of ash, sand, and soil to cool it down. As a result, the obtained charcoal is ultra-dense and hard, which produces almost smokeless and odourless flame. This property of his makes it the perfect option for cooking.

When looking at it, you can tell a binchotan is different from the rest of charcoal for its silvery-grey colour with a slightly shiny surface. This, in fact, is the reason for this charcoal obtaining the title "white charcoal" despite its dark appearance.

Its surface, on the other hand, is super smooth and hard, without the flaky texture of some other types of charcoal. When compared to the rest, this product also seems to burn differently, which is just another visual difference you can see in it.

How to Use It?

First things first, you should know that this product isn't like any others. In order to use it, you should stock yourself with some patience, knowledge and technique, of course.

Start Early

If cooking with it is your first time, you should know that it will take time, so tasting early is paramount. The main reason for this is that this barbecue product takes longer to light than regular charcoal, so it would be better if you start at least 30-45 minutes before you want to cook.

Use a Chimney Starter

According to Japanese chefs, it would be great if you take a chimney starter or a specialised binchotan starter to start it right and better. Once lit, carefully spread the coals evenly in your grill.

Take Your Time

Once spread, take your time and allow the coals to burn until they're glowing red. They should also be covered with a white ash, which is just another indicator of them being ready to use.

Start Grilling

Once ready, you can start grilling your food, but you should be careful. That's because this charcoal provides an intense and direct heat, so keeping a close eye on your food is mandatory. Otherwise, you risk burning it, which won't be tasty at all.

What Kind of Grills Can be Used with Binchotan?

The last thing you should know about this charcoal is that it won't work with any kind of grill. While you can still use it on any Western-style grills, it seems that this product is most effective when used in these traditional Japanese designs. Consequently, binchotan can work best with grills designed for its use. Some of them are:

Konro grills

These are small rectangular grills, perfect for preparing yakitori and other skewered foods.

Hibachi grills

These are the most classic Japanese grills and are ideal for binchotan. Many of the traditional types are made from Japanese clay (konro) for superior heat retention, however, the newest models are made from ceramic or metal bowls designed to hold the charcoal.

Shichirin

This is a small, portable grill generally made from diatomaceous earth.