Charcoal is not a flavour

People say they want the taste of charcoal. What they actually want is the crust: the dry, dark, slightly bitter surface that only direct heat makes. Charcoal is a tool for building that crust, not an ingredient.

We keep two fires going. Binchotan for beef and fish, burning clean and hot for a long time. Olive wood in the second grill for anything that should carry smoke, like aubergine or lamb ribs. Mixing them is a mistake you can taste.

The mistake most kitchens make is distance. Too far from the fire, and you are baking. We keep the grill as close as the skin allows, and we move the food, not the fire.