(Continuing from the previous blog) the Manuka wood is very dense and hard, so once it has burned down, the resulting charcoal  becomes a hard type similar to Japan’s high-quality binchotan. It has a strong heat, making it ideal for grilling meat and fish over high, indirect heat.  Now that the grilled meat has rested for about 20 minutes, it’s time for lunch. As usual, I have prepared salad and mashed potatoes for my  daughter and wife. I quickly cut into the perfectly cooked meat. To my satisfaction, the roast beef reveals a beautiful medium doneness with  a consistent, lovely pink color throughout. I had rubbed a generous amount of rock salt on it, and the saltiness is just perfect—thanks to  the sweetness from the impurities in the rock salt. If I had used refined salt, its sharpness and saltiness would have made it inedible.

It lacks the mildness of rock salt. For this dish, I add chopped herbs such as onions, celery, bell peppers, and coriander, along with minced  garlic, salted olives, and a squeeze of lime or lemon juice. Most of these vegetables and citrus fruits are from my garden, so they are free.  The bread is Ciabatta Bread from a bakery inside a nearby supermarket, and I like this place because their baker makes delicious bread.  Ciabatta originated in Italy, and it has become one of my favorites. When it comes to cooking beef, preferences vary from well-done to medium to rare. However, when I order medium-rare at a steakhouse or  restaurant, I often find it served almost raw, with the inside barely cooked, which I find quite disappointing.

The color of a properly cooked steak is noticeably different from that of an undercooked one. Even though both are red, raw meat has a purplish hue.
There may not be any bacteria inside the meat, but I think properly cooked, pink meat to be far more flavorful, and I’m not fond of undercooked steaks. Some time ago, perhaps due to my extended time living abroad, I became more interested in Japanese culture. For ten years, I traveled  back and forth between Japan and New Zealand, and eventually joined a 300-year-old kyudo (Japanese archery) dojo in my hometown.  Under the guidance of a renowned master teacher, I devoted myself to daily practice (the photo is from that time).  One day, I went with fellow students to a specialty hamburger restaurant.

I vividly remember being quite surprised when the waiter asked, “How would you like your hamburger cooked?” Hamburgers are made by  shaping ground meat, also known as hamburger steak, but despite the term “steak,” they are quite different. Once the meat is ground, it can  easily be contaminated with various bacteria. Naturally, it’s not something that should be eaten rare; it should be thoroughly  cooked. I was genuinely shocked to find that options like medium or rare hamburgers are available in Japan. After being away from  Japan for so long, I still find myself surprised by many things.