Cooking on a konro grill

Our favourite way of enjoying the best Japanese food in an outdoor environment is on a genuine konro grill. These small but mighty Japanese bbqs are second to none for heat retention properties thanks to their construction from diatomaceous earth. This, when combined with binchotan charcoal, means food is cooked via infrared heat.

Here's Jon, grilling up some English wagyu and forest-grown shiitake from Japan, for lunch on the farm:

Konro grills, also known as hibachi grills, are synonymous with the Izakaya bars in Japan. These are equivalent to a pub in the UK, where you can enjoy a lively atmosphere and some great food served up fresh and piping hot, washed down with a beer or your favourite sake.

Food is cooked from the inside out on a konro, so the end result is wonderfully tender with a cooked up outside, retaining all the flavour of the marinade. Meat, fish, seafood and vegetarian - such as shiitake - all work equally well and can be cooked on skewers directly over the heat or on the grill.

For best results, we recommend binchotan charcoal which burns virtually smoke free, at a high temperature and for several hours.