Party Griller Yakitori Mangal Grill Review
Many Eastern and Middle Eastern food cultures have long-standing traditional meals that feature meat grilled over high heat. Japanese Yakitori and Kebabs are two of the more common dishes that Americans are familiar with. Party Griller attempts to fill this niche with their 642213299118 Yakitori Mangal Grill.
At 32-inches long and 11-inches wide it is big enough to charcoal grill a lot of food. Yet it is also small enough and has folding legs that allow you to use it as a portable grill. Even though it evokes some East Asian terms, the truth is this grill is just as much at home on the tailgate of a pickup truck making some brats before heading to watch the game.
The Party Griller 642213299118 Yakitori Mangal Grill is made completely from 430 stainless steel. It comes with two stainless steel shakers and a pair of tongs. Unfortunately, it doesn’t include any skewers. Party Griller does sell a matching set for around $20.
The stainless steel grill grates split in the middle. This allows you to grill something directly on one grate while placing skewers over the open fire on the other side.
Construction & Ease of Assembly
The Party Griller 642213299118 Yakitori Mangal Grill is made from 18-gauge, 430 stainless steel. This gives is a noticeable gleam. Just watch out for the corners which can be sharp enough to give you a cut or a scrape if you aren’t careful. The legs fold up nicely to make it portable, but they sometimes feel a little wobbly. Make sure that they are firmly in place before you start building a fire.
There is very little assembly required with this grill. You should be able to put it together in around 10 minutes or less.
If you are concerned about the sharp edges, you might want to use a file or find some medium grade sandpaper that is rated for metal. With a little care, you can buff down any worrisome edges in 5 to 10 minutes.
Grilling Performance
The Party Griller 642213299118 Yakitori Mangal Grill is meant to be a direct heat grill, that puts the meat close to the fire. It is capable of replicating a wide range of high heat dishes including Shish Kebab, Lamb Kebab, Shashlik, Japanese Yakitori, Malaysian Satay, Thai Satay, and Chinese Lamb Skewers as well as Juicy Shish Kebab, Shashlik, and Spiedini.
The total depth of the firebox measures in at 11-inches. Once the bottom panel is installed and you fill it with charcoal you will have a distance of roughly five inches between the burning coals and the food. The perforated holes in the bottom panel allow spent embers and ash to fall away. This prevents them from getting in the way of the burn, to provide you with a hot fire throughout the grilling session.
The type of charcoal you use can also be a factor in the grill’s performance. Cheap briquettes are going to give you an inferior fire compared to quality charcoal briquettes. Jumbo lump charcoal will really give you a hot fire, just make sure you look for the word “Jumbo” on the bag. Small pieces of lump charcoal have a tendency to fall through the holes in the bottom panel and either burn down below or fail to burn at all.
Also keep in mind, that if you want to use the Party Griller Yakitori Mangal Grill for portable grilling, that you will need to fold out the legs. The bottom of the grill can still get very hot anything that it is set on can be burned or damaged.
When it comes to grilling classic kebabs on skewers, it’s best to load up the various meats and vegetables on dedicated skewers. Meaning that all the chunks of beef are together, all the onions are together, cherry tomatoes share the same skewer. This allows you to set up one side of the firebox for maximum heat, for searing meat, while putting fewer coals on the other side to gently sear tender vegetables.
Grilling Areas
The grill grates provide you with 320 square inches of grilling space. However, if you just want to grill skewers over the fire, you will get a little more available real estate. The lip at the side if just half an inch, so if you are using skewers by another manufacturer make sure the skewers are at least 11 inches to span from one side to the other.
Special Features
The split grate is nice for times when you might want to lay something down like a hamburger patty, yet still, use the other half of the grill for skewers of kebabs. For a longer grilling session, the split grate also allows you to reload charcoal or wood chips, without completely removing the entire grate screen.
Ease to Clean
The Party Griller 642213299118 Yakitori Mangal Grill is a pretty simple charcoal grill. There is no lid to help suffocate the fire. You simply have to wait until it completely burns out. You should never dump water into the grill as wet charcoal ash is very corrosive, and it can shorten the grill’s lifespan.
Because the grill grates are in a square or diamond pattern, they can be a little tricky to scrape down. It’s best to leave them over the fire while it dies down. This will dry out deposits. You should then be able to work a metal bristled grill brush over them in both directions to loosen any remaining material.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a high heat charcoal grill for making kebabs and other Asian ethnic dishes like Japanese Yakitori, the Party Griller Mangal Grill is worth considering. Just watch out for the sharp edges and make sure that you always have the legs properly installed if you use it as a portable grill.
