We had one of those grills when I was growing up. It always seemed kind of unsteady to me. I saw a box grill at WalMart last year with an adjustable height charcoal grate. You adjusted it with a knob, but the cooking grates stayed put. It MAY have been this one, I can't remember... http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4308906 Also, there's this one that looks promising... http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Char_Broil_Santa_Fe_03308740_Grill,__7187072

amcgeorge, In shoort yes. I do not fave my WSM anymore but yes you could do steaks on it. I presently have 3 BGE's and one other ceramic cooker and you can and I do steaks on them regularly. For planning purposes a Large BGE has the same grate size at a Weber 18.5 inch Kettle and the same size grate as my old WSM. Jeff

"We are just beginning a remodel and are looking at a 36" pro-style range w/a grill. We've been told by one store that a 600cfm hood would be sufficient and another place said we would need 1200cfm. Any thoughts on which is correct?" We went through the same decision--hardest aspect of the whole renovation. One main thing we learned is CFM by itself is pretty much meaningless unless you're talking about differences in the same brand/model. CFM stats are supplied by manufacturer, and the actual effectiveness will depend on hood size, shape, type (wall v. island, flanking upper cabinets, etc.) and duct run. We have a 600cfm VH, 27"X42" over 36" range with a short run, one turn, and it works well enough with our grill. It's a wall mount with flanking cabinetts. VH customer service advised us on the sizing. The biggest detriment to upward air flow is a high riser shelf that we remove for the smokiest of grilling). I would have preferred a 900cfm VH, but the ducting requirements couldn't be spec'ed. IR versus regular grills: I've worked behind the line and imo IR is superior due to how it cooks (again, like charcoal). IR is like standing in sunlight, while the other grills are like standing in a warm breeze or pressing something warm against your face: IR directly heats the surface of what's being cooked, while the other ways heat the air and grill grates. My guess is the IR carmelizes the meat surface more effectively. This having been said, the question of how much better is very much an individual preference (I'm usually too lazy to bother starting charcoal and use a gas grill for outside cooking and the steaks taste fine).

My experience with a 'sear burner' is that it really isn't 'all that'. I watched a video of someone cooking two steaks on the same grill, one side with a sear burner, the other with it's 'normal' burner. Both steaks turned out the same. When I was searching around several years ago for a grill I saw that there are mostly 3 levels. Those from $99 to around $999, those from $1000 to around $2900, and those above that. The lower level used cheap steel, cheap valves and cheap burners, all of which would rust to death in a few years. The middle level used better components (stainless in more places, valves that actually had a low setting, stainless tube burners), but there construction was a bit less (screws instead of welds). The higher end used 304 stainless throughout, heavy stainless grill surface rods (instead of porcelain steel that will eventually crack and rust), welded seams throughout the firebox and lid. So it really depends on your budget. What I would look for: 1. stainless steel cooking grates over porcelain. Cast iron is going to rust unless you take constant care of it. There are some stainless grates that are 'non-stick', not a coating but a special way they are made. 2.alternative lighting system. Pretty much all have electric start, either by spark or by glowplugs. The alternative "emergency" lighting Ive seen uses a 'flame tube' where you hold a match over it and the flame flows down to the burner. Nice to have it the batteries or power go out. 3. Decent rotisserie system. Look for how much weight it can support and how big the burner is in relation to the whole cooktop. 4. Lights. Sometimes good to have at night but they do get sooted up over time. 5. Easy opening/accessible splatter tray. Cover with foil and cleanup is a breeze. 6. Stainless tube, stainless cast or brass burners. They should never rust out on you. 7. Some gas grills come with dividers that separate the grill sections for each burner. This allows you to cook at different temperatures on the same grill. So one section for steak, one for burgers and one for chicken. This can come in handy. BBQ grill source