Why Steak Tastes So Much Better From A Hibachi Grill

No matter how many oils and spices we use in our home kitchen, steaks almost never seems to taste as good as it would at a restaurant. In the case of steaks from a hibachi grill, the elevated flavor could come down to a few different factors. So, if you really want to recreate the experience of a hibachi steak, get ready to put in the work. 

For one, you'll have to do a lot of research. Professional chefs at hibachi grills obviously just have more knowledge than the general population on the dishes that they're crafting. They've done all the trial and error and have learned what flavor combinations and secret steak preparations work the best. As a result, they can be truly confident in the consistently delicious tastes of their steaks. 

But general knowledge and experience aside, a chef's tool kit at a hibachi grill is likely much more advanced than the one in a home kitchen. The grills at a hibachi restaurant can get much hotter than traditional grilling equipment, opening up more opportunities for a perfect sear on those steaks, which often require really high heat to reach a perfectly browned state. Of course, as far as what makes a hibachi steak so great, that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Because a hibachi grill is a professional kitchen, the ingredients are usually expertly sourced and probably much better than whatever you can get at a home kitchen. These restaurants have access to truly prime cuts of steak and the highest-quality oils and seasonings. Plus, since these kitchens are prioritizing taste, they are probably very liberal with their use of those flavor-enhancing additions like butter, salts, sugars, and spices. That excess use of flavorful ingredients means even a lackluster steak at a hibachi restaurant can trick your tastebuds. 

Another big potential reason for the elevated flavor of hibachi steaks comes down to one truly transformative ingredient: monosodium glutamate, aka MSG. This sodium salt is the secret ingredient behind many of your favorite restaurant foods, especially in Asian cuisine. The powerful addition brings out hidden flavor layers in dishes of all kinds, especially meat-based ones, making for a more well-rounded, umami flavor. Because this spice isn't typically a common household ingredient — unless you're a fan of cooking cuisine that features MSG — this might be the very thing your steak is lacking at home. 

One of the biggest reasons why a steak might taste better at a hibachi grill than any other location is simple but powerful: A hibachi grill offers a truly unique experience. From fragrant volcanos made of stacked onion rings, expert knife tricks, and humorous banter with the chef, eating at a hibachi grill is often an intimate, memorable experience that sets it apart from traditional restaurants. Diners can sit back and be entertained — and at the end of the exciting show of enticing sights, smells, and flavors, what's possibly a standard cut of beef will transform in front of your eyes. (Not to mention your tastebuds.) This engaging experience sounds a lot more satisfying than one where you have dishes in the sink at the end of the night, so the love for a hibachi grill and its steaks could make sense in more ways than one.