Japanese Shichirin Table Grill, Grill Bill

A rectangular shichirin table grill is the Japanese way of barbecuing: a small fire, close to the food, with everyone sitting around it themselves. You fill the box with charcoal, put the grate on top and within a few minutes you're grilling yakitori, skewers or prawns straight off the grate. No knobs, no lid, no half-hour wait.

Why the shape of this rectangular shichirin table grill works

The narrow, elongated box is exactly as wide as a skewer is long. That means the ends of your sticks rest on the edge and only the meat hangs above the coals. Your handle stays cool, the fat doesn't drip next to the embers, and you only need a handful of coals to bring the whole length up to temperature. For yakitori that's the difference between simmering and actually grilling.

How to light it

Light the coals outside the grill, for instance in a chimney starter, and only shovel them in once they're grey all over. That way you avoid smoke and flames at the table. Traditionally binchotan goes in it: it burns long, calmly and almost smoke-free, but good pieces of regular charcoal work too. Find both at the bbq charcoal.

Specifications

Shape

Rectangular

Fuel

Charcoal

Use

Table grill, indoors with good ventilation and outdoors

Brand

Grill Bill

Item number

GBS1

Bill's tipCut everything into bite-sized pieces and put small bowls of marinade and salt on the table. A shichirin works best when the food comes in rounds, not when you dump everything on the grate at once.

Prefer a model more people can sit around, check out the round Shichirin table grill. All models are together in the table bbq and Japanese Shichirin grills category.