Hibachi Failed

Father's Day with its snafus.  First, I got the week wrong.  It had been my intention to make a corned beef which takes about a week.  Two days to defrost the brisket, five days with Morton Tender Quick, then a few hours of boiling.  Thought I was on target, only to look at the calendar which listed Father's Day the Sunday before I had expected.  So I headed to Trader Joe's for some good Kosher ground beef.  I could make hamburgers on the restored hibachi.

I had purchased this when my children were school-age.  Must have cost about $15.  A few years ago I thought about buying one from Amazon, as mine was long lost.  Price, about $80.  Rarely used, not worth it.  However, on cleaning my basement about two years ago it reappeared.  I cleaned it.  Good as new.  Many opportunities to grill something passed me by.  The hibachi sat under a table in the dining room for maybe two seasons.  Now some hamburger in hand, hot day just prior to the summer solstice, and a special occasion.  I took it out.  

In my garage, I had a package of unopened charcoal.  Not the briquettes, but real assorted pieces of charcoal logs.  Never opened.  In the basement, I had a package of briquettes, similarly unopened.  I opted for the good stuff, as much for its proximity as its superiority.  I assembled the hibachi, placing a layer of assorted charcoal pieces atop the lower grid.  The charcoal package gave three options for igniting it.  I did not have a flue style starter, nor did I have lighting fluid.  That left me with the easy choice, twisting some newspaper, placing it on the cast iron base of the grill, igniting it, then put the lower grid atop the newspapers and restore the charcoal above that.  Easy enough.

Commercial progress blindsided me.  Apparently, newsprint has changed.  It must be chemically treated differently than it once was.  Using a Bic lighter, I could singe the edges, but there must now be some fire retardant put into the manufacturing process.  Those twisted logs of newspaper never created the raging flame that newsprint on fire once did.  The charcoal never acquired part of the flame.  I gave up, though between Father's Day and Fourth of July I can purchase a container of charcoal starter fluid.  And maybe use my more spacious fleishig grill and briquets to give barbecue a second go.

Ground beef patties created with an egg, some Panko crumbs, and seasonings, then cooked in a skillet.  Trader Joe's Kosher beef is the best, a sensory step ahead of what Shop-Rite Kosher Meat department carries.  It was good.  Just not charcoal grilled.

I will need to scrub the hibachi once more, dry the cast iron to avoid rust, then plan its Second Act more carefully.