Hibachi Grill | Outside Hibachi Grill | How to Cook Hibachi Barbecue?
You can grill all the foods you cook regularly on the Hibachi, as long as you take full advantage of its limited capacity. Hibachi grills have a small surface area and are best for the fast-cooking foods you often see at Hibachi restaurants, such as thinly sliced meats and chopped vegetables. You can use the shelving system that comes with most hibachis or use the grate's perimeter to accommodate slow-cooked items like thick steaks and whole chicken breasts. Like a regular barbecues, use kebabs when cooking sliced and shredded food on the Hibachi grill.
Place the Hibachi grill outside on a stable, flat, insulated surface. Use common sense when choosing a location. Just like a regular grill, do not place it near any flammable objects such as dead leaves, drooping branches, overgrown branches, bushes, firewood, tinder, haystacks, tumbleweeds, or any other potential fire hazard in your backyard.
Fire about half a charcoal chimney starter filled with natural lump charcoal. When you see a red glow in the center of the chimney starter and the coals at the top begin to ash, remove the Hibachi and empty the charcoal from the Hitachi charcoal tray. Replace the grill grate.
If applicable, adjust the height of the grille. Most Hibachi grills have two wooden handles that you can pull out to release the cooking grate, which you can then use to lift the grate to a second and third position above the coals. Use the lowest position to cook thin steaks, half chicken breasts, skewers, and vegetables, and the second position to cook 1-inch-thick steaks, whole chicken breasts, and delicate foods that burn easily, such as fish and seafood. Use the third or highest position to cook steaks more than 1 inch thick and keep cooked food warm.
If your hibachi does not have a rack system to elevate the cooking grate, place delicate and longer cooking items such as thick steaks and fish steaks around the cooking grate and place faster cooking items in the center of the grate such as Thin steak, chicken breast and vegetables. You can also push the coals to one side of the grill and cook a thick steak on the other side.
Move the food to the center of the grate, or lower the rack to the lowest position, to sear the food and add some char after cooking.
After cooking, let the coal go out on its own, then transfer it to a metal bin just for charcoal. Charcoal stays hot for about 24 hours after the fire is out, so don't put it near regular trash cans or anything that could catch fire.
Clean the grate with a wire brush and tap a few times to shake off char and ash. Empty the ashes from the metal coal bunker.
