Japanese Binchotan - Ubame Hanmaru (Split large pieces)

Kishu Binchotan is considered to be THE best binchotan in the world.
Our binchotan is graded by quality and size. Please choose a grade that suits intended your use.

Made by Master Artisan Mr Akira Yamada

Although our grills can be used with any charcoal we would recommend using Japanese Binchotan or Japanese white charcoal which is known as the King of all charcoals, a favourite amongst Yakitori bars all over Japan due to it's clean burning properties and the amazing aroma and flavour it imparts when grilling. It is much harder and denser than ordinary black or lump charcoal and has a characteristic metallic sound when struck together.

Japanese Binchotan is the perfect charcoal for barbequing due to its long steady burning properties, and food grilled over Japanese binchotan results in a juicier texture and heightened flavours compared to other charcoal. There is no smoke and it is completely odourless when burning, so the flavour of the food is kept pure. This of course all changes when you add meat to the grill.

TIP:  If grilling fattier meats place your grill directly under your kitchen extractor and put it on full and grill your favorite cuts.

Genuine Kishu Binchotan

The Kishu binchotan we source is pure, 100% produced from Ubame oak (Quercus phillyraeoides) trees grown and processed in Wakayama Prefecture and is sustainably sourced.

Kishu binchotan has a total burn time of up to 4-5 hours.

The flavour when cooking on authentic Japanese Binchotan is unparalleled, and as local demand in Japan far exceeds supply we are very fortunate to be able to offer this to our customers in South Africa.

Kishu Binchotan can be used to grill indoors as there is little to no smoke and completely free from carcinogens and chemicals.  Lighting binchotan can be achieved by using our Charcoal Starter pan, which can be found on our LIGHT page.

Our Kishu Hanmaru pieces of Binchotan comes in large sizes so should you want to make smaller pieces they can be cut down to smaller sizes using a sharp axe. Binchotan tends to break clean but please take care when doing so and wear appropriate eye protection.

Compared to regular natural hardwood charcoal, Japanese Binchotan will burn many times longer and when finished grilling, you should simply extinguish the charcoal so you can use it again.

To extinguish simply place the charcoal in our binchotan extinguishing pot, which can be found in our EXTINGUISH page. Alternatively, dip each piece of charcoal in cold water for 30 seconds and leave to dry.

TIP:  Before lighting place the binchotan into a hot oven to warm up on a baking or roasting tray.  This will speed up the process of lighting it as well as reduce any pockets of trapped air within the binchotan.