You may already be in the habit of putting a piece of activated charcoal, called binchotan, into a jug or bottle to purify water. But did you know that you can also use it to gently grill your summer dishes without producing any smoke or smells?
At the beginning of spring, the Michelin-starred chef Jacky Ribault's Les Mérovingiens restaurant -- in Noisy le Grand, just outside Paris -- started serving a perplexingly titled dish, promising a foie gras escalope 'au binchotan.' Arnaud Baptiste, the chef helming the kitchen of this establishment, popular with the Parisian foodie community, has opted for a gentle way of searing the foie gras with a charcoal that has the particularity of heating gently and slowly thanks to its long burning time. This charcoal is known as binchotan. The dish promises a subtly smoked flavor while preserving a soft, melt-in-the-mouth texture. And that's exactly what this type of charcoal is all about.
An eco-friendly charcoal
Native to Japanese forests, this white oak wood of the ubamegashi species has been an integral part of Japanese culinary culture for several centuries. In the land of the rising sun, the famous yakitori -- skewers of chicken, duck and vegetables -- are cooked on binchotan, either in a Japanese barbecue or directly on the embers. In the latter case, the meat is cooked almost instantly. Even better, it does not burn! This seems almost implausible. But, in fact, binchotan does not emit carbon dioxide. This activated plant-based charcoal produces very little smoke and does not give off any odor. It is the perfect solution for those who dream of a barbecue without having adequate outdoor space at home! Or for those who have swapped their barbecue for a plancha grill, taking heed of public health warnings. The formation of gas and smoke, but also the combustion of proteins when using a traditional barbecue, produce substances recognized as carcinogenic by the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Increasingly used by chefs, binchotan has another important advantage: it is reusable! While traditional charcoal is good for the trash can after cooking summer burgers, the Japanese version can be used several times. First, it must be extinguished by dipping it in a container of water before being left to dry out for up to two days -- the aim being to eliminate all trace of moisture. It's particularly cost-effective.
Nevertheless, using this charcoal can require some dexterity, because it's not so easy to light.
