Posted at 11:00 a.m.
Japanese grill and smokeless charcoal
Fueled with binchotan, an exceptional charcoal, the konro is the ideal grill for cooking yakitoris (literally “grilled bird”!) and other skewered foods.
Photo françois roy, the press
The konro is a Japanese grill, usually rectangular in shape. In the best of all possible worlds, only precious binchotan, particularly pure charcoal (from 93% to 96%, compared to 75% for American charcoal), is deposited there. This produces no smoke, except for the occasional puff created by grease touching the embers.
Julian Doan bought his first konro about seven years ago, at Korin, a cult New York store where you can find every imaginable Japanese kitchen item. His passion for Japan’s rich culinary traditions was ignited around the same time. Already a fan of Japanese cinema by dint of attending the Fantasia festival, he made a first trip to the land of the Rising Sun in 2014 which changed everything. He has been there four times since. The guest bedroom in her apartment is filled with small boxes containing beautiful Japanese ceramics.
Photo François Roy, THE PRESS
Aaron Polsky and Julian Doan cook on the konro. The two friends share bags of binchotan for their barbecues.
Today, the anesthetist who cooks like a chef organizes meals for very small tables (usually eight people) in the “kappo” spirit. At the counter of the Vinette, a room located at the back of the Liverpool House restaurant, the guest chefs prepare a carte blanche meal in several courses.
The lights are on and you can see everything. The chefs who carve, the magnificent ingredients, the beautiful pottery. By serving very few people, exceptional ingredients can be used. It’s not possible to serve premium tuna to 60 people. Even locally, live snow crab is hard to find for a ton of customers.
Julian Doan
During these meals, there are bound to be a few services that are cooked on the konro. During the next one (which is unfortunately sold out, on May 26), chef Ari Schor, from the Beba restaurant, will prepare, among other things, arrosticini, Italian skewers made from shoulder of lamb. We got a taste of it for our photo shoot on Julian’s terrace.
Photo François Roy, THE PRESS
It’s in the “itameshi” spirit that the one we also call “JD” (because of his informative Instagram account @jd.514) received us. Another konro expert, Aaron Polsky, assisted him. We can follow the culinary adventures of the former co-owner of the Cordova restaurant and participant in the show master chef on Instagram @anchoviesanonymous.
Photo François Roy, the press
Aaron Polsky
Simply meaning ‘Italian food’, itameshi spread across Japan in the 1990s to become a permanent fixture in major cities. Today there are “itameshi” restaurants outside of Tokyo. Right here in Montreal, chef Hiroshi Kitano, from Bistro Otto, doesn’t hesitate to serve a dish of carbonara with uni (sea urchin) and dry ramen (mazemen) with burrata.
Photo François Roy, THE PRESS
Lamb arrosticini are served on sourdough bread (here, that of Jake Bagshaw, former baker at Elena’s restaurant) with olive oil.
In addition to the arrosticini (also one of the specialties of the new Gia restaurant in Saint-Henri), Julian and Aaron had planned well-marbled beef skewers, slightly more whimsical creations by butcher and charcutier Phillip Viens, combining cubes of mortadella, beef and marinated peperoncini, pork chops, trout, white and green asparagus and morels. All the meat was purchased from Aliments Viens and the fish came from Affinity Fish, an exceptional fish store in Toronto.
It’s up to you, now, to skewer whatever suits you and set the coal on fire.
Advice from Julian Doan
• Julian lights some of his binchotan using a cast iron pot over a butane burner. A fireplace can also work. The main thing is to apply a good intensity of heat and to be patient.
• The best binchotan kinshu is one whose shape is still intact, like a piece of ubame oak branch several inches. It will burn more evenly, for longer, and produce less smoke, if any. A good oak charcoal will burn easily for five hours. Also, you can grill in several small shifts, for an entire afternoon or evening.
• Try to avoid using the metal grid which is sometimes sold with the konro. We want to maximize the effect of the binchotan so that it is this one and nothing else (read the hot metal of the grill) that cooks the food.
• As with other barbecues, it is important that the skewered pieces are of equal size to promote even cooking.
• To make arrosticini, insert small layers of fat between the pieces of meat. Season with salt only, serve on sourdough bread, with olive oil, and accompany with a glass of montepulciano!
• Since binchotan is expensive ($30 to $50 per kilo, depending on quality), it is best to reuse it as much as possible. Simply extinguish the charcoal with water after use. When it reaches the end of its life, the binchotan will decompose into ash.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Rice is obviously the perfect accompaniment for a Japanese-inspired barbecue.
• It is said that a piece of binchotan added to rice during cooking could absorb less pleasant tastes in the water and release minerals.
To drink with all that
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
We obviously want to accompany this feast with sake. Although it is not easy to find these days, for reasons of delivery times, the SAQ still has a few vintages. You can also buy a few nice bottles at the Flowers and Gifts restaurant (at a 25% discount if you take it out) or join the Déserteur company’s sake subscription waiting list.
Recipe: yuanyaki marinade from Affinity Fish in Toronto
Photo François Roy, the press
At Affinity Fish, we vacuum pack trout in yuanyaki marinade.
Makes about 3/4 cup of marinade
Ingredients
- 7 c. sake
- 4 tbsp. tablespoon mirin (sweetened rice wine used as a seasoning)
- 1 1/2 tsp. tablespoon light soy sauce (Usukuchi Shoyu)
- 1 1/2 tsp. tablespoons regular soy sauce (Koikuchi Shoyu)
- Citrus zest, of your choice
Preparation
- Boil the sake and mirin for 2 to 3 minutes to evaporate some of the alcohol. Add the soy sauces and let cool.
- Add the citrus zest, ideally yuzu, but you can take what you have on hand.
- Marinate the trout fillets in this mixture for at least one night.
Recipe: alla veneta egg sauce for asparagus
This sauce looks like a gribiche, but hot and Italian!
Photo courtesy of Aaron Polsky
White asparagus topped with alla veneta egg sauce
For 4 to 6 people, as an accompaniment
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- Aromatic olive oil in good quantity
- 1 cup of parmigiano reggiano
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Salt as needed
PHOTO PROVIDED BY AARON POLSKY
The eggs cook in olive oil.
Preparation
- Pour 2 tbsp. tablespoon olive oil in a non-stick skillet or well seasoned cast iron skillet and heat over high heat. Break in the four eggs without breaking the yolks. Cook until the whites are almost firm, the underside crispy, but the yolks are still runny.
- Place the eggs in a deep plate, cover with parmesan, pepper and add two or three good spoonfuls of olive oil. With a fork and a knife or two spoons, chop and mix these ingredients until you obtain a textured “sauce”.
- Serve over asparagus.