How Hot is a Hibachi Grill? Binchotan and Ideal Temperature
Hibachi grill are available as cylindrical or box-shaped containers with one or more ventilation holes on the sides and an open top for grill grates and sear food.
The container is made of heat-resistant material thick enough to withstand continuous burning of charcoal for hours.
Here's Chef Hiroyuki Terada preparing his little hibachi grill with Haymachi charcoal for just the right amount of heat:
In modern times, hibachi grill has evolved into a flat-top gas grill, and gas griddles, teppanyaki grills, or planchas can also be used interchangeably.
They can be built-in or freestanding, although freestanding models are often referred to as teppanyaki, and sometimes incorrectly.
Teppanyaki grills are one of my favorite projects, mainly the teppanyaki grill has a flat cooking surface instead of a grate.
These commercial grills are great for cooking spaces because they provide a versatile cooking surface and provide enough heat to cook whatever you want.
Ideal Temperatures for Flat Top Grills
High heat is critical to grilling food, as heat is a key factor in cooking delicious grilled food.
Most experts and chefs agree that the ideal temperature for a typical hibachi grill should be somewhere between 450°F in the center and 250°F around.
This is especially true if you're going to be using Japan's famously unique n-chome charcoal, which burns at extremely high temperatures (the heat from the n-chome charcoal is said to have broken hibachi grills before).
It is recommended to start searing meat at 425°F and finish at 350°F to seal in the delicious juices and flavors in the meat.
This will make every bite to die for!
Thermodynamics of Cooking
Cooking food involves heat, materials through which heat is transferred, and food being cooked in kitchen utensils.
The branch of science that studies heat transfer is physics, specifically thermodynamics.
All three laws of thermodynamics discuss how energy interacts with matter, and how energy is converted from heat to work and vice versa, or through matter into energy again.
Heat cooks food primarily in three different ways.
In fact, it is the excitation of the molecules in the food (the molecules are vibrating so fast) that causes the temperature in the food to rise, and the heat causes this excitation when it is transferred into the food.
Which one you use is crucial. The 3 ways heat is transferred to food are as follows:
Conduction is when heat is transferred from one object to another through physical contact, their proximity is almost equal to zero.
Convection is the transfer of heat from a heat source (charcoal, gas, electricity, or wood) to another body (food) through a medium (i.e. liquid or gas).
Radiation is the transfer of heat through space or a medium (i.e. air molecules) by emitting or transmitting waves or particles.
Why Hibachi Grilling Is The Best
Hibachi griddle are specifically designed to be used as a heat source, especially when you cook food using Binchten charcoal to generate heat.
With the vents, you can easily control the temperature of the grill and increase the heat when food needs to cook faster for better flavor.
Or lower the heat and slowly cook fish and other seafood for a succulent flavor that's even better when you toss it with vegetables, side dishes, and dressings.
