What’s the difference between hibachi grilling with coconut shell charcoal and hibachi grilling with regular charcoal? There are several differences. Here’s what you need to know about coconut shell charcoal.

Coconut shell charcoal burns hotter

If you’re doing some hot grilling, coconut shell charcoal might be just what you need. They burn up to about 800 degrees F, while natural charcoal burns around 735 degrees and briquettes burn around 715 degrees. If you appreciate extra heat for things like steak, coconut charcoal can’t be beaten. On the other hand, if you’re grilling something that needs lower heat, make sure you’re prepared to control it on your hibachi grill.

It’s Eco-friendly

Coconut shell charcoal is more eco-friendly than regular charcoal. The main reason for this is that it’s made from waste that would be there anywhere. For regular charcoal, people cut down trees just for the charcoal. Coconut charcoal is made from discarded shells that would be there, anyway. You can get it from just about any tropical areas that produce coconut products.

Most Coconut charcoal is chemical free

One great part about hibachi grilling with Coconut Shell Charcoal is that many manufacturers like Coshell don’t add extra chemicals to their blend of charred coconut shells and a bit of coconut meat. This means you get a very clean burn, unlike with some types of regular charcoal. Expert grillers say the taste comes out more like if you grill with real wood instead of charcoal. Unlike what you might think, you don’t get any coconut flavor with this type of charcoal.

Evenly Sized for No Sparks

Natural charcoal lumps come in uneven sizes, which can cause sparks to jump up. Charcoal from coconut shells tend to be more evenly sized in little donut-like pieces, which makes for a more even burn. It’s nice when you want to avoid burning your skin over your hibachi grill and when you want to grill delicate items that can’t handle sparks.

You get more for your money

Something that’s great about Hibachi Grilling with Coconut Shell Charcoal is that you can get a bit more for your money. Because it burns hot and slow, it lasts longer than regular charcoal. Even though it’s a little more expensive, it will last longer.

Less ash to clean-up

You’ll love this! Grilling with your hibachi is simpler with coconut shell charcoal because it creates less ash, which means less cleanup time!

Coconut shell charcoal can be difficult to find

One of the main problems with coconut shell charcoal is that it’s still a little hard to find. Since hibachi grilling and grilling with eco-friendly materials is getting more popular, it’s easier to find than it used to be. Coshell is the most popular brand and can be ordered here.

Coconut Shell Charcoal, as you can probably guess, is made from coconut shells, and it’s a popular fuel for hibachi grills, among other things. This type of charcoal is often used in tropical areas, since coconut shells are abundant there. The biggest advantages to grilling with coconut charcoal is that it burns hotter, cleaner and its manufacturing process is much friendlier on the environment than traditional charcoal because it uses a material that would typically be filling landfills and doesn’t require cutting down trees.

How is Coconut Shell Charcoal Made?

There are lots of different ways to make this type of charcoal. Basically, though, they all involve burning down coconut shells until they’re mostly hot-burning carbon you need for fueling grills and other things. One way to carbonize coconut shells is to put it in a drum that locks out most of the oxygen. Then, you burn the coconut shells until what you’re left with is charcoal. This is one of the most popular methods of forming the charcoal, since it doesn’t need super-specialized equipment.

Coconut Shell Charcoal comes from fully-matured, dried coconut shells, and the output is pretty interesting. It takes about 1,000 whole shells to be turned into just 35kg of charcoal! Luckily, the insides of the coconuts have other uses, so you’re really just using up waste with this type of charcoal. This makes it a fairly eco-friendly, green way to get charcoal for all your grilling needs. Something interesting that some industrialized tropical areas do is to actually burn the coconut shells to use the heat for other things, like drying copra, the coconut meat! That way, the charcoal is actually just a by-product of the copra drying! Again, this is a really “green” method of using energy and getting this type of charcoal.

The Best Coconut Shell Charcoal for Hibachi Grills

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can make your own Coconut Shell charcoal through the cottage barrel method – but it’s much easier of course to just buy it. The coconut charcoal you’re interested in for grilling is obviously the stuff that comes in briquettes. It also comes in powdered form, but for hibachi grill purposes, you’re going to want to stick with the briquettes. You might also find it called coconut husk charcoal, which is the same thing and is processed in pretty much the same exact way.

The most popular brand is Coshell. Their briquettes are made of 100% recycled coconut shells, which not only burn hotter & cleaner than traditional charcoal, but are more environmentally friendly. A standard 9 pound bag of Coshell coconut briquettes typically runs around $20. Unfortunately it can be tough to find Coshell charcoal at local stores, but you can get them quite easily online. I typically buy them here.

Amazingly slim! At less than 1 inch in thickness, the Notebook Portable Grill has got to be the slimmest portable hibachi grill currently on the market (when folded up) which makes it an ideal choice for those with limited and narrow storage space such as tent trailers or RV camping. This stylish designed barbecue grill was originally only available in the UK and has only just recently made it to a State-side distributor.

When assembled (un-folded in cooking-mode) the Notebook Grill measures 18 x 12 inches, stands at an impressive 14.18 inches high, and provides 192 square inches of cooking surface which is enough to squeeze on 6 good size hamburgers and 4 hot dogs. Not to shabby for a little hibachi grill that folds down to less than 1 inch thick.

Notebook Portable Grill Contents

The Notebook Portable Grill also comes with a carrying case and a manufacturer’s 1-year guarantee.

Notebook Grill Specifications

• 18 x 12 x 14 inches assembled
• Folds down to 1 inch thick for transporting
• Weight: Slightly over 8 pounds
• Material: High Heat Resistant painted steel
• Stainless steel black surface has waterproof finish

Notebook Grill Pros

• Slim, slim, slim
• Requires minimum storage space (did I mention that it’s super-slim)
• Can be easily carried with 1 hand (like a briefcase)
• Lightweight
• Generous cooking capacity for such a compact grill
• Superstylish looks
• Inexpensive

Notebook Grill Cons

• Made in China
• Some customer reviews have suggested that the notebook portable grill could be a little too flimsy for rugged travel and that care must be taken if it is expected to last. See customer reviews here.

I found this tasty little recipe online the other day and had to try it out on the hibachi grill immediately. It’s fun, it’s easy, and it’s got a spicy kick!

The original recipe called for chicken breast and cubed sirloin. I omitted the sirloin and just stuck with chicken and it turned out fantastic. I also did the first batch with turkey-bacon (trying to healthy-it-up some) and don’t recommend it. If you get the chance to try this recipe out, I’d suggest sticking with real bacon, or omitting it all together if you really want to cut-the-fat-out.

One quick mention if you’re not accustomed to cooking with hot peppers, you want to be careful to avoid touching your face or eyes until you have washed your hands. Wearing gloves is recommended by most people.

Ingredients

• Boneless, skinless chicken breast (1 – 2 pounds)
• Jalapenos
• Bacon strips
• Garlic Cloves, minced (3 should do it)
• Red pepper flakes (1 tsp)
• Pineapple juice (1/3 cup)
• Canola oil (1/2 cup)
• Soy sauce (1 tsp)
• Toothpicks or skewers (if using toothpicks, be sure and presoak them in water)

Directions

Hibachi Chicken Marinade

1. Create a marinade by whisking the canola oil, minced garlic, soy sauce, pineapple juice, and red pepper in a large mixing bowl until well blended.
2. Prepare the chicken by trimming any fat and cutting into strips.
3. Place the marinade and chicken into a zip-lock bag, close tightly and shake well to ensure the chicken is completely covered.
4. Allow the chicken to marinade for at least 1 hour (overnight is best).

Prepare For The Hibachi Grill

1. Cut the jalapeno peppers in half, lengthwise and remove all seeds and membrane.
2. Place 1 half of the jalapeno on each strip of bacon.
3. Place 1 chicken strip in/on each jalapeno pepper half.
4. Place the second half of the jalapeno onto of the chicken breast strip.
5. Wrap bacon strip around the pepper and secure with toothpick or skewer.

Grill It

1. Prepare the hibachi grill
2. Cook on medium heat over the grill for around 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes or so.
3. When finished, the juices from the chicken should run clear and the bacon should be crisp.