how well does it cook steak, does it let smoke escape?
62080
I've never cooked steak on mine, but the smoke would escape from the sides. It doesn't seal all the way around like when you have a cover on a grill...it is open on the sides, and the top plate and bottom plate are what gets hot and cooks the meat.
62081
I cook steak on mine regularly and it does beautifully. It's not really smoke so much as steam, and yes, it does let it out the sides. I've grilled steak just out of the package and after marination and it does great.
2063299
This grill does cook very hot, which makes it an excellent choice for steaks. I have found if you like to cook over indirect heat or low flame, you must turn the gas valve off and rely on the preheat. This has not been a problem, as it re-lights very easily.
2173063
i did not do anything to seal the smoke chamber....there are a lot of gaps...as you well know...but after usung the grill for about a year now I dont think that those 'gaps' really affect the performance of the grill...again, its good not great- but for the price you will do just fine with this unit. fyi, i have smoked fish, shrimp,lamb , etc ...and have had great success....
1890825
I have used it for chicken, steak, burgers and hot dogs and it has not smoked at all while I was cooking them. The only smoke generated would be from you having the pan too hot. There is some steam but definitely no smoke.
1580236
I would say that it does a great hamburger & hot dog. It may take a little longer to cook them but the flavor is great. As far as the steak goes, you will have a hard time charring or searing it cause the grill just can't get that hot. The flavor is awesome though. You can buy some special charring grates from REC TEC. I am thinking of trying them at some point. I use this unit for all of my grilling. It takes a little longer to cook everything but let me tell you it is worth every second to get the smokey wood flavor.
1187231
I use it to cook all the time if I'm just cooking for two. You can adjust the temperature if full blast is too hot. Steaks, tuna and pork chops all do very well just on the infrared burner. For thicker meats, like chicken or a very thick steak, I'll use the regular grill, too. Last night I cooked two ribeyes medium rare in about six minutes on the side burner. Warm up is quick, too, two minutes or less. I'm saving gas like crazy.
1103329
I bought this for my parents as they love grilled sandwiches. I agree with the other people that cooking bacon would be a grease overload. As for steak, I don't believe it would have the same flavor as barbequing does. If your looking for a short cut, try it, but some things need that extra step for flavor. Great sandwiches.
969263
Thus far I've found that the 14.5" model uses less charcoal (less volume) cook time remains the same. Something very important that I've learned - Wrap your wood chunks (2-3) in foil and cut several vent slits in the top to alot smoke to escape. Using this technique prevents the wood from catching on fire (increases the temperature which is a bad thing) and your chunks/smoke last much longer.
2058877
Goodness NO! It's not "Smokeless"! There is no 'ventilation' of any kind provided with this grill. If you're going to cook anything that gives off a lot of smoke you most assuredly will need to use an exhaust hood or whatever keeps your smoke alarms from going off. That said ... I've never had an issue with alarms going off while cooking : burgers, steak, chicken, salmon, hot dogs, etc etc etc.I'd guess that you don't realize with this type of a grill, the grease runs off. Meaning the food doesn't sit in burning (and smoking) hot grease, the way it does in a pan. Goodness NO! It's not "Smokeless"! There is no 'ventilation' of any kind provided with this grill. If you're going to cook anything that gives off a lot of smoke you most assuredly will need to use an exhaust hood or whatever keeps your smoke alarms from going off. That said ... I've never had an issue with alarms going off while cooking : burgers, steak, chicken, salmon, hot dogs, etc etc etc.I'd guess that you don't realize with this type of a grill, the grease runs off. Meaning the food doesn't sit in burning (and smoking) hot grease, the way it does in... » Read More Goodness NO! It's not "Smokeless"! There is no 'ventilation' of any kind provided with this grill. If you're going to cook anything that gives off a lot of smoke you most assuredly will need to use an exhaust hood or whatever keeps your smoke alarms from going off. That said ... I've never had an issue with alarms going off while cooking : burgers, steak, chicken, salmon, hot dogs, etc etc etc.I'd guess that you don't realize with this type of a grill, the grease runs off. Meaning the food doesn't sit in burning (and smoking) hot grease, the way it does in a pan. « Show Less
810443
Never had any problem I suppose you could get it to smoke if you had a lot of meat at very high temp or a lot of bbq sauced burning on the grill.
1881792
I never found a good way. This item is a better smoker than it is a grill. I could never get the coals close enough to the grill to sear a steak, so i got a piece of grate and a couple of bricks and just raised the level about four inches. It works much better.
2058882
I haven't experienced the grill smoking, but it does produce a lot of steam, so I use it under the exhaust vent of my stove.
1240944
It could produce a lot of smoke if allowed to really heat up, but as a cook I heat to the point of light smoke then add the food, so using it inside without a vent isn't an issue.
468823
There is some smoke, but not much at all. Hasn't set off my smoke alarm. It's built the same way as all the other "smokeless" grills where the heating element is in the grid and drippings don't drip down onto a heat source. The drip tray is deep and could be filled with water, but the instruction booklet says nothing about it and I've found no reason to do it. I'd be afraid it might cause more of a "steamed" flavor to the food. It seems to be far enough away from the grill top that what's in it doesn't dry out and smoke. After a little soak, it cleans up with absolutely no effort and looks brand new. I believe it's stainless steel. The other brands may recommend using water because the drip pan is closer to the heating element or made of a material that doesn't withstand heat or clean up as well. This grill may smoke a touch more than competing brands due to the higher temperature I think it acheives. I wouldn't have it any other way though. Food really does taste "grilled" and a bit smokey like it was cooked on a gas grill. The older design electric grills with the heat source under the grid are still sold, but no longer recommended or sold for indoor use due to much more smoke, flame and a much greater chance of fire. They won't clean up like this grill does either.
901614
There is some smoke but not a lot. It really depends on what you are cooking on the stone. We have tried lots of things from sausages to korean bbq to veggies and more. Sausage and veggies don't make much smoke. Meats that take longer to cook and have a marinade make more smoke. But it's still minimal. We really like this raclette maker and have used it a lot more than I expected. We even put it out at a holiday party for people to melt cheese as an hors d'euvres.
1710356
That's where I like to cook and it does an excellent job. Just know that you will need to check it every few hours. Changes in outside temperature and the level of water in the pan and even the increasing meat temperature can affect the actual cooking temperature. This is the easiest smoker I've ever used.
525014
Yes, it does. We use it in a fire pit at a mountain home. Can grill steaks, then swing it out if the way to enjoy the fire.