The word hibachi literally means fire bowl. In Japan it was originally a charcoal heating pot, not a grill. Outside Japan, hibachi has become the umbrella term for any small Japanese charcoal grill, and in American restaurants even for a gas griddle where the chef cooks in front of you.
Hibachi, shichirin or teppanyaki?
- Shichirin: the small Japanese charcoal grill made of diatomaceous earth. This is what most people mean when they're looking for a hibachi grill.
- Konro: the long, narrow variant for skewers.
- Teppanyaki: a flat iron griddle, usually gas-powered. That's what you see in a so-called hibachi restaurant, but it's not a charcoal grill.
If you're after the real taste of charcoal at the table, you need a shichirin.
Which table grill should you choose?
For a group, and to grill meat, fish and vegetables alternately, the round 34.5 cm shichirin is the handiest choice: room for two to six people and, at 10.6 kg, still easy to move. If you mostly grill skewers, the rectangular shichirin table grill suits you better.
Fuel it with binchotan
A shichirin gets the most out of binchotan, the hard white Japanese charcoal. It burns for hours, gives off almost no smoke or smell, and produces very even heat. Choose binchotan maitiew or binchotan eucalyptus, and reuse the coals after extinguishing and drying.
Safe grilling
Even low-smoke charcoal releases carbon monoxide. So grill outside or in a well-ventilated spot, place the grill on a heat-resistant surface, and let the coals fully extinguish before you clear up.
