Michael > wrote:

> Webers are hard to get hot enough to cook a steak properly
> as the coals are so far away from the grill, especially if
> you only use the amount of coals you can fit in a chimney.
> They're much better suited to indirect cooking.

I agree. I have had several experiences with my 18-inch Weber
in which I failed to achieve hot-enough conditions for
cooking a steak. Part of the problem is the separation as
you mention, another is the limited air-flow in the Weber design.

The best procedure I have found to avoid this is to
use a seemingly excessive amount of charcoal.

I can't really recommend that Smokey Joe in general, as
it is useless for many grilling and barbecuing tasks, but
it may do a slightly better job on steaks than the larger
Webers.

Steve