How to use Shichirin / Hibachi Japanese BBQ Grill

How to use

1.Set up a grill space

Charcoal gives off carbon monoxide when burned, so place your shichirin outdoors when using.  Ensure there are no hazards close that could ignite and that your shichirin is on a stable surface / ground when in use.

2.Light up the charcoal

There are some main methods of lighting the charcoal; heat them on a stovetop, heat them in an external vessel such as a “fire chimney” with firelighters, heat them inside the actual hibachi grill itself, and use a blowtorch. We will introduce the stove top method as below.

< Fire lighter method > 

Using a common firelighter is the easiest and safest way to ignite your charcoal.  It requires no handling of hot charcoal and is CIBI recommendation.

1. Place your shichirin outside in a cleared, well ventilated area and on a stable surface / ground 
2. Place fire lighter/s into shichirin as directed by the instructions on packet, this may vary depending on the size of the shichirin you have purchased.
3. Add enough charcoal to cover the bottom of shichirin.
4. Ensure the charcoal does not extend above the sides as you need to be able to place the grill on top of shichirin in order to use.
5. Ignite the fire lighter, being careful not to burn your hand.  CIBI recommends using long matches.
6. Charcoal will take approximately 25 - 30 minutes to heat.  When ready charcoal shall change color and be white in appearance.
7. You may need to adjust the position of your coals prior to cooking to get the best range of heat.  This can be easily done using tongs however be very careful as charcoal is extremely hot and will burn on contact.

3.Cook!

Enjoy cooking meat (yakiniku, yakitori), seafood, and vegetables!!!

Tip: If you would like to do Japanese style BBQ (yakiniku), we recommend to cut beef or pork into thinly sliced and bite-sized pieces. You can also get these cuts from Asian butchers. For larger western style cuts, it is best that the meat be seasoned with salt and pepper.

After use

A great benefit of “Shiro Ogatan premium grade white charcoal” is that it can be re-used multiple times.  In order to do this you need to stop the charcoal from burning upon completion of cooking.

1. FIll a metal bucket with water and using tongs carefully place charcoal one piece at a time into water.
2. Due to sudden change in temperature when placing charcoal into water, spurting of water can result.  CIBI recommends standing to the side of the bucket at arms length distance, whilst safely placing, not dropping charcoal into water.

IMPORTANT: Do not pour water into a shichirin, it cannot be washed and can result in permanent damage.

1. Shichirin does take time to cool depending on the quantity of charcoal used and the duration of use.  Ensure it is cooled before moving or transporting.
2. Once cooled, turn upside down to remove any residual charcoal or ash.
3. Clean the oil stains. If it is not very dirty, you can leave it, however, if you are concerned, wipe it with a wet rag or scrape it off with disposable chopsticks.
4. Clean the air ventilation window by turning shichirin sideways and repeatedly open and close the window or tap the metal fittings to remove the clogged ash. We recommend doing that after each use to avoid the window getting stuck and cannot be open.

How To Keep your Hibachi Grill in Good Condition