Charcoal Oil?

[&roid]

I ate at Simon Rogan's new restaurant in Manchester last week and had an amazing dish of ribeye tartare. What I liked most about it was that the meat was cut fairly large for a tartare and had been dipped in charcoal oil so it had an almost grilled flavour. I'd really like to try this but a google search doesn't seem to turn anything up.

Is this something that can be bought or can anyone suggest how to make it?

[mkayahara]

I would probably use any of a number of recipes for vegetable ash (see the Mugaritz book, for example), then disperse that in a neutral oil.

Edit: Of course, I don't have first-hand experience of the oil in question, I'm just taking a shot in the dark based on the name!

Edited March 22, 2013 by mkayahara (log)

[gfweb]

Charcoal is pretty flavorless. Its smoke has flavor & what hot smoke does to meat makes flavor. I bet there's more to making this than extracting charcoal.

Did the tartare taste smoky or more like meat with a char?

[Baselerd]

Perhaps it was made with some liquid smoke of sorts?

Edited March 22, 2013 by Baselerd (log)

[Lisa Shock]

I think it was probably made with a charred fruit or vegetable. The Ideas in Food people have been working a lot with charred things in the past few months. IIRC they did a lot with charred lemon ash.

[Ttogull]

Apparently it is an El Bulli thing. Here is a link:

http://books.google.com/books?id=6PCrdGUUyz4C&pg=PA388&lpg=PA388&dq=charcoal+oil+adria&source=bl&ots=DspXbYwI0t&sig=cB9BjHqjEHt-13dLir8ygr8ooag&hl=en&sa=X&ei=rbdMUcWVBaHc0QHUwID4Bg&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=charcoal oil adria&f=false

It is charcoal burned down to embers, cooled, and then put in oil. Inspired by charcoal milk.

EDIT: I don't think raw charcoal would taste good infused in oil. A tiny bit of raw charcoal is good added to salt. I often cook meat directly on coals, and charcoal ashes sometimes stick to the meat. That is pretty good.

Edited March 22, 2013 by Ttogull (log)

[&roid]

Charcoal is pretty flavorless. Its smoke has flavor & what hot smoke does to meat makes flavor. I bet there's more to making this than extracting charcoal.

Did the tartare taste smoky or more like meat with a char?

Definitely more like charred meat than just a smoke flavour... Maybe I'll try getting some meat scraps really charred then infuse them in oil...

Apparently it is an El Bulli thing. Here is a link:

http://books.google.com/books?id=6PCrdGUUyz4C&pg=PA388&lpg=PA388&dq=charcoal+oil+adria&source=bl&ots=DspXbYwI0t&sig=cB9BjHqjEHt-13dLir8ygr8ooag&hl=en&sa=X&ei=rbdMUcWVBaHc0QHUwID4Bg&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=charcoal oil adria&f=false

It is charcoal burned down to embers, cooled, and then put in oil. Inspired by charcoal milk.

EDIT: I don't think raw charcoal would taste good infused in oil. A tiny bit of raw charcoal is good added to salt. I often cook meat directly on coals, and charcoal ashes sometimes stick to the meat. That is pretty good.

Will try this too, cheers

EDIT - found this description which I'll give a go too:

For the charcoal oil

Burn the charcoal until it's red hot and plunge it into a metal container or pan containing the oil. Cover at once with a lid to trap the steam and leave to cool. Pass the oil through a chinois and reserve to baste the fillets on the grill.

Edited March 22, 2013 by &roid (log)

[FeChef]

I can tell you from experience that turning lump wood charcoal to powder and mxing with salt results in a very bitter taste and taste nothing like a really juicy charred steak. I have not tried burning the lump charcoal to ashes and mix with oil though.

I have tried liquid smoke mixed with oil though and it does add a subtle smokey flavor. I put oil of choice in a dish and add drops of liquid smoke and taste. Keep adding drops till you like the taste. Then you can brush on meats as they cook or whatever.

[Ttogull]

I think maybe covering at once wth a lid might be more relayed to avoiding a fire than trapping steam! In any case, this sounds like a good technique. There are lots of places it might be useful.

Another possibility might be to burn wood chunks down to embers and do the same. The difference is that wood chunks, I would think anyway, should impart more smoke flavor. IMO, charcoal has most of the wood aromatics burned off, which I think was what was meant above by "flavorless." (I do not find charcoal flavorless, but rather bitter and unappealing.). Mesquite oil for steaks, cherry or apple oil for fish, oak oil for veggies... It might even work by putting embers in melted butter. Smoked beurre noisette on scrambled eggs?

[Ttogull]

I can tell you from experience that turning lump wood charcoal to powder and mxing with salt results in a very bitter taste and taste nothing like a really juicy charred steak. I have not tried burning the lump charcoal to ashes and mix with oil though.

I agree. A tiny amount goes a very long way, and as said the taste is not reminiscent of grill flavor. For me, the Taste is pretty much The same as the smell when charcoal is first lit - not appealing. Charcoal salt is good on the right application, but I wouldn't want it a lot. I also haven't tried the oil, but oddly I've had a bit of ash from spent charcoal. A completely different taste. No bitterness at all. In my mind's tongue, I think it would be a good combination.