Braai vs hibachi: We pit the SA classic against a trendy Japanese table grill

This taste test wasn't meant to be anything scientific, just a bit of fun after friends, great foodies, raved about the food cooked on their new Japanese hibachi, a table-top portable rectangular griller.

It also happens to be — as MasterChef Australia fans will know — last season's most-used appliance on the show.

We prepared food and split it between the braai and the griller and compared the results.

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Grilled sardines

Gutted and marinated in a mixture of crushed garlic, grated ginger, yuzu juice (or any citrus juice), chilli flakes and chopped fresh mint. The sardines were rubbed in coarse salt before being threaded onto kebab sticks and grilled over the coals.

Vegetable kebabs

Made up of cubes of aubergine, sweet pepper, mushroom, courgette, patty pans and cocktail tomatoes, which were lightly steamed and threaded onto bamboo kebab sticks that had been pre-soaked in water to stop them burning.

The basting was made up of a mixture of 60ml (4 tbsp) miso paste, 45ml (3 tbsp) mirin, 50ml caster sugar and 30ml (2 tbsp) water combined in a pan over a low heat.

Chicken wings

Rubbed with coriander, cumin and paprika and left overnight. Precooked in the oven, then grilled and tossed in a mix of sriracha, lemon juice and honey.

Few grills can beat the direct, concentrated heat of the compact Japanese-style griller. The ceramic casing ensures the heat is retained for much longer than a metal braai.

Whereas a braai can be adapted to cater for any number of people, the table-top griller is designed to cook for 2-4 people. Great for indoor cooking, the hibachi can be used at the dinner table much like a fondue, where everyone cooks their own food.

For most of what we cooked there was little difference in flavour except for the meat, a highlight, prepared over the hibachi it was melt-in-the-mouth tender and juicy. Delicious.

LEARN THE LINGO

Hibachi - is the Japanese word for grilling and is the common name of a Japanese style of charcoal grill that is available in different sizes and shapes.

Konro grill - refers to any compact ceramic table-top grill that is rectangular and narrow so skewered food can be placed on the grill without falling in.