Updated: October, 2024
In this Lodge sportsman grill review, we have a look at the Lodge sportsman grill also known as the L410 pre-seasoned sportsman’s charcoal grill because it is the number one seller in the outdoor tabletop grills category on one of the largest online retail stores.
Cast iron is still a very popular material for hibachi grills because of its durability and retaining heat so well. Some people call it a vintage cast iron hibachi grill but they perform still pretty well.
Read the rest of this Lodge sportsman grill review:
Before digging deeper into this review you have to realize that cast iron is a great material but will hold the temperature for a long time. This might make cleaning up take a little longer than with other types of grills.
About the Lodge Sportsman’s cast iron hibachi grill
The Lodge hibachi measures 19 x 10 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches and this is big enough to cook for a family and still small enough to use as a portable grill. although you have to realize it ways about 32 pounds.
The cast iron lodge sportsmans grill comes pre-seasoned and is ready for use.
Better Grills Rating: 4.7
Customer Reviews of the lodge sportsman hibachi grill
“Two bolts to assemble. Great hibachi! The hamburgers and steaks I have made on this are phenomenal. The only thing I wished was that somebody would have told me how much charcoal to use. I would recommend starting with 45 pieces of charcoal for hamburgers and steaks. I used 60 to do some T-bones and it cooked very fast, even with the grill turned up. In many instances, 40 may be too few. I lined it with aluminum foil as recommended by another, and that helped with cleanup. I have owned many hibachies in my lifetime, and this is absolutely the best ever…”
“Nice little grill, I collect cast iron and had to have one. The only problem I see is the grate is very flat, which makes it hard to keep sausages in place. I have no problem where they put the logo, like some people have. I found it a little hard to grill chicken on, you have to constantly turn it to keep it from burning, since the meat is so close to the coals, and chicken takes at least a half hour to cook. Works great searing a steak though. I would recommend to anyone, that knows how to use a grill….”
read more here: more reviews)”
My opinion About the Lodge Sportsman’s grill
If you like cast iron and need a grill that will probably last for years and years this lodge sportsman charcoal hibachi-style grill is what you should get.
I have not read all of the over 700 customer ratings, but with an average of 4.7 stars out of 5, there is not much wrong with this lodge sportsman grill. It is also recommended as a small portable grill I think with its 32 pounds it is not too easy to carry around.
Some assembly is required.
although it is not much, there is some minor assembly you have to do before you can use this grill.
All the hardware, two flathead screws, two washers, and two nuts, is included. They are used to secure the food base to the fire bowl. The only assembly after that is sliding in the aluminum handle, the fire door, and the inner grate where you place the charcoal.
How does the Lodge sportsman perform?
Adding charcoal and placing the grill grates is all you have to do.
Adjusting the airflow you can with the sliding draft door. More open is more air is hotter temperature.
One of the major advances is that the grill is pre-seasoned and this also prevents it from rusting.
As I mentioned this grill is pretty heavy but perfect for the campground. It is perfect to use because you do not have to move it around all the time.
One thing we found is that the little door at the front does not have a latch to keep it in place and comes off easily.
One user mentioned the Lodge sportsman grill was great to sear a steak because of the grate is getting so hot.
Charcoal for the lodge cast iron sportsman’s grill.
Since this cast iron grill is most of the time used for grilling and this needs a hot bed of coals, I suggest using lump charcoal since they burn hotter. They also burn faster, so if you are planning on grilling longer or more food it might be better to use briquettes.
Experiment with the number of coals you need so you don’t lose too many coals when you are done cooking and the more coal you use the hotter it will get.
One more tip about charcoal is like I mentioned many times, is to use a charcoal chimney starter like the one I use.
Just a few pieces of paper at the bottom and charcoal at the top and within 10-15 minutes you are ready to start grilling.
Here are some more tips from people who use the Lodge cast iron sportsman grill.
- When you pick it up it will tilt towards the front because it is off balance.
- Be aware of the fact that the legs become very hot and can burn the table you set it on.
- Someone put an old cookie sheet under it to protect the table.
- Remember this Lodge sportsman grill is made of cast iron and it will rust even if you try to take care of it.
- Read one user that had the previous model and it lasted them 10 summers.
Lodge Sportsman Grill Cleaning
The lodge logo in the middle makes it hard to clean according to some reviews, but not too many people seem to find that a problem.
But that is also about the only problem we found with cleaning the sportsman grill.
For the rest, all you need is a good grill brush like the ones we looked at here and it will get the job of cleaning the Lodge sportsman grill done.
Great cast iron hibachi grill made by Lodge
Click here to see the price of this Lodge sportsman grill here on Amazon
Lodge Sportsman Grill Cover
The Lodge sportsman grill cover is specially made for this cast iron Hibachi grill we reviewed here and fits perfectly.
After reading all the customer reviews I was first a little skeptical of even recommending it here on better grills but since more people gave it a good review than I could find bad comments I decided to put it here anyway.
The complaint I found most is that the fit is a little tight, but you got to remember that these types of products still are made by hand and that explains why the size is not 100% accurate.
If you find it too snug, just send it back or ask for a replacement.
I found that it will fit all other 19x10x8 inches grills.
One tip I found for if it fits snugly is to cut the elastic band and remove it or replace it with a large one.
My opinion of the Lodge Sportsman grill cover
At first, I thought that a grill cover for this grill was a little overdoing it, but then I realized that many people use a cast iron Hibachi grill and with a cover are able to keep it nice for many years.
The overall quality is pretty good and the price is very affordable (seen it for under 15 bucks). It is made of heavy-duty polyester with a kind of PVC coating on it.
I have not found any complaints about the used material in the reviews.
This grill cover does not prevent the Sportsman grill from rusting, but it most certainly will help a little in my opinion.
The inside of the cover will get a little dirty after you use the grill for a while. But that is normal for this type of Hibachi grill.
You can read all the reviews here if you like.
If you are looking for a grill cover for your grill you can have a look at our grill cover review page here.
Eddie van Aken
Eddie van Aken has years of experience in running his full-service restaurant and with this came working with using and dealing with all types of kitchen equipment. With his experience, he can find all the pros and cons of grills and add them to the grill reviews he is doing. You can read more on the about page for Eddie van Aken
Click on the picture or here to see the price.
Pictures of the Lodge Sportsman cast iron hibachi grill
It is nice if you read all the info in our lodge hibachi review but a picture can show a thousand words. So here are some detailed pictures and videos.
I read people using this lodge logic sportsman grill for meat and especially to sear meat since it gets so hot, but also for fish and even vegetables. By moving the charcoal around by opening the little door you can create hot and cooler zones. This will offer more options to use the Sportsman’s grill.
More choices.
Although this lodge l410 pre-seasoned sportsman’s charcoal grill is a great choice with some great reviews you might want to have a look at some other hibachi grills. Here you can find all our Cast iron Hibachi grill reviews here.
Eddie van Aken
Eddie van Aken has years of experience in running his full-service restaurant and with this came working with using and dealing with all types of kitchen equipment. With his experience, he can find all the pros and cons of grills and add them to the grill reviews he is doing. You can read more on the about page for Eddie van Aken