Charcoal selection in Japan

[Huskee]

Our Editorial Director, davejoachim, happens to be in Japan right now doing some BBQ stuff...I have forwarded this on to him. Perhaps he can offer a tip or two if he sees it and has time. Maybe even after he gets back. Hang tight...

[davejoachim]

Greetings from Japan! I've been traveling with pro chefs here and had dinner at Badu the other night https://restaurant-monk.com/badu/ where charcoal grilling is a big part of the menu (see the picture of the grill at the end of the night, the pic with the crosshatch "cooling rack" set over it). We also had dinner at a fantastic yakitori spot in Osaka last night (see second pic with grill grate over longer box-style yakitori grill). The chefs here said that charcoal making in Japan in something of a dying art. The chef/owners of Badu recommended using binchotan from Laos because binchotan from Japan is so expensive. They actually buy their Laos binchotan off of Amazon to use in their Kyoto restaurant! And the yakitori place in Osaka also gets its binchotan from Laos. See the third pic here of their boxes of binchotan from Laos. Of course, as you and others have mentioned, binchotan is ideal for hot and fast grilling, but for low and slow, it will take some trial and error, as it burns so hot. However, the steady burn and long burn time are great for a consistent temp. I have never used binchotan for low/slow cooking, but just a few lit pieces may do the job. The ogatan style of charcoal may be a better bet for longer cooks (these are the hexagonal sticks of compressed hardwood sawdust). Let us know what you find out in your trials! Incidentally, Marc Vetri the chef/owner of Vetri Cucina in Philadelphia also recommended the "hole in the middle" style of compressed charcoal, specifically Prime 6: https://www.prime-six.com/. I have never used this brand. Please let us know how it goes!

[TokyoBBQ]

Thanks very much, David, for the follow up.

Ogasumi = Ogatan, to my understanding, so that indeed is the hexagonal stuff made of sawdust that I have bought but not yet tried. It will be next on my list, either this coming weekend or other next barbecue.

When I try binchotan for low and slow I will let you know of the results for sure- if you don't try it first.

[TokyoBBQ]

Belatedly - I did a family gathering with a mix of Ogatan and the Iwate uniform lump, and it was great. Hard to say if it was the charcoal or just because I filled the kettle with a layer of chicken wings and drumettes along with oak chunks and have gotten better generally with experience, but got rave reviews from the family, and while we had thought we definitely would get enough for leftovers the next day all the food disappeared.
My rough sense is that the Ogatan does indeed have good staying power and heat, and I suspect its shape helps keep the Iwate uniform lumps better 'connected' together for the Minion method effect, which sometimes has fizzled out on me when my Iwate lumps are too sparse. (In a quest to maximize airflow in my earlier efforts, sometimes the coals didn't have enough connected areas to properly keep the fire spreading, is my interpretation of a couple cooks where the temperature fell partway through - not to out but not as hot as intended)
The next few weeks promise a few more opportunities to continue my study.

[Henrik]

The charcoal "with the hole in it" is very good, but more for direct grilling. With the holes you get (want) more air flow, so this is used for max burn. Again, it's really awesome, but more for direct heat.

[TokyoBBQ]

The charcoal "with the hole in it" is very good, but more for direct grilling. With the holes you get (want) more air flow, so this is used for max burn. Again, it's really awesome, but more for direct heat.

Henrik, thank you for the tip. I suppose it also depends on what we are comparing with - briquettes are not so common in Japan, but instead the uniform sectioned oak chunk charcoal which itself has natural airholes in it. Online sources suggest using the sectioned oak chunk charcoal for hot and fast, perhaps for the same reason you suggest the 'with the hole in it', so perhaps it is a continuum - briquettes --> ogatan (with the hole in it) --> mokutan (uniform oak chunk charcoal)? I have a sense that the 'with the hole in it' ogatan may be long-lasting and uniform than the mokutan, though it is hard for me to really tell since I am mixing.

[randy.56]

""while we had thought we definitely would get enough for leftovers the next day all the food disappeared."

This is an interesting thread, you are doin it with what is available to you.