Lodge Manufacturing 410 Hibachi Iron Sportsman’s BBQ Grill

Cast iron, simple, fuel-efficient. Draft door for heat-control. Upper flip-door for adding / managing coals. 2 cooking levels (flip footed-grill). All you really need. Used every other day in bitter N.E. winter. Small, perfect w/ practice. Some tips (still learning / welcoming ideas):

1. Grill on outdoor wood surface (if desired) by elevating feet w/ bricks / flat stones
2. Use charcoal chimney starter
3. Level grill prevents food rolling on un-edged surface. Otherwise, watch closely.
4. Don't stress cast iron (your investment) by spraying water. Move food to side. Let flare-ups die down.
5. W/ grill's ability to hold heat, plan cooking and next day's meals: Start with long-cook foods, move to quick-cook foods, EAT, and while watching TV, roast potatoes in coals and in cast-iron pot or pan on the grill cook beans, roasted corn and onions, etc (you decide). Killer.
6. Lodge's #404 Sportsman's Cooker completes grill's potential: cooker bottom perfect fit as grill lid for smoking or indirect grilling, cooker and lid obviously cook fish and stock beautifully, and flipped lid is pancake / egg / sausage, etc. -heaven. Good additional investment.
7. When cooking's finished, wait till grill's warm and pores are open, brush down thoroughly and use clean, plain paint-brush (natural bristle) or foam brush to brush grill surface (both sides), top rims, and outside with oil -- peanut oil has an excellent, high smoke point.
8. Grill can be left outdoors with oval galvanized bucket as lid, or plastic tarp.

Definitely email me with further tips.

If you wanna have more control over how your foods are cooked, even on a grill, then this is the way to go. The coals are right there! They're easily adjusted - this is something you definately cannot do with a more typical kettle shaped grill - at least as easily.

Once this grill becomes seasoned, and once you've learned how to use it properly, you won't find better control OR - Much more importantly - You won't get better RESULTS!

There's something beyond the fact that the grill is entirely constructed of cast iron - it's also the shape. Even the grate seems to have a designed-in intention of bringing the best part of the flames up for cooking. The grate is very deliberately shaped.

The thing is this: if you want to get a grill that grows with you, so to speak, and does not limit your mastery of it by its design, like a kettle pot, then this grill will not dissappoint.

This is great stuff.

This grill is made of heavy cast iron (emphasis on heavy). The base of the grill is painted with heat resistant black paint, while the removable grills (where the charcoal and food sit) are untreated cast iron. They will have to be seasoned or they will rust if exposed to rain or humidity. If it does rust, just take a wire brush and scrub the rust off, and slather it up with shortening and cook something (or throw it into the oven at 350 degrees for an hour). A few iterations of this and the grill will almost be non-stick.

This is a hassle in the beginning, but if you take care of it, this grill will outlast you and probably your children. After I figured out it had to be seasoned, I haven't had any trouble with rust.

Also, the top grill has legs that rest on the base. You can flip this over, effectively adjusting the grill height down two inches towards the coals.

To give you an idea on the size, I was able to cook about 2.5 lbs of hamburger meat shaped into seven largish patties at the same time.

Although I was worried about the whole thing heating up, the base didn't heat up enough to do any damage to the wooden picnic table. In fact, I could touch the base without burning myself. However, if you are going to a tailgate party with this grill, I would bring along a piece of sheet rock or plywood to set it up on, as extra insurance.

Although I keep mine in a protected location, and have the grill well seasoned (or so I thought), wire brushing the grill knocks off metal flakes which end up in the food, and the bars keep getting thinner. Lodge does not offer a replacement grill-top, but I have written to them requesting one.