Bincho-tan or white charcoal has been used in Japan for more than four centuries.
It is oak charcoal, more precisely Quercus phillyraeoides or evergreen Asian oak ( Yeuse oak). The top of the tops is Kishu ubamegashi.
It's very hard, porous and mineral rich charcoal, generally sold in large 15 to 25 centimetre pieces, and of a very good quality.
It gets its white charcoal name from the whitish colour of its surface (due to very quick cooling in the production process and being mixed with soil, sand & ashes) and its metallic interior colour and also its crystaline sonority when tapped one against the other.
It is also special because it burns much more slowly than normal charcoal.
There is no smoke nor unpleasant smells, on the contrary, it brings subtle and delicious fragrances and tastes to the food. Its powerful infrarouge radiation enables the food to exhale all their fragrance and taste.
It is much appreciated for barbecued eel and fish, duck and beef…It is a well respected sign of quality and well known, top quality Japanese grill restaurants are proud to use it.
Binchotan also has certain other well known and surprising properties:
- It absorbs bad smells ( socks or shoes, in the kitchen, the refrigerator…)
- It soaks up dampness in a room
- Placed in a living room it helps improve blood circulation
- As a filter it purifies drinking water (removing chlorine, bad tastes or smells) or washing water. 60 gr are needed for 1 litre of tapwater to filter drinking water. Before using boil it for a quarter of an hour in a large quantity of water to remove any residue. Then let it dry overnight in a dry, temperate place, or in full sunlight, then place in the water jug. After about ten hours you can drink a pure, mineral rich water. For best results change every ten weeks.
- It repels termites and other damp atmosphere insects
How to get the best results from a bincho-tan barbecue :
Start the barbecue with normal charcoal. Then place the pieces of bincho-tan on the barbecue grill for about twenty minutes to warm it and to remove any trapped air to avoid explosions when being used. Then put it on the live normal charcoal until it is well warmed and reddens, then remove the normal charcoal and start cooking.
Bincho-tan burns very slowly and can be used over several hours.
It offers an advantage that no other charcoal has when it comes to putting it out. Drop it in water for several minutes, then dry overnight, and finally leave it in the sun or on a radiator (in winter) for one or two days to remove any remaining moisture. Then you can use it again
