Anyone grilled with a Wolf infrared charbroiler?

[AustinRansom]

I am considering purchasing a Wolf SRT364C 36" Sealed Rangetop, 4 Burners, Infrared Charbroiler, mostly for the internal grilling. Has anyone used this unit? Do steaks come out like they were grilled on an outside unit (gas, of course)?

Does it really deliver even heat, high heat for searing?
thanks!

[MuskyHopeful]

I have one on my 48" all gas WOLF. They're hot, alright. You need the metal damper plate inserted to cook steaks without burning the outside before you reach medium rare, or medium for chops or chicken. Takes a little practice at first. Great for burgers and browning parboiled sausages. Cooks shrimp lickety split. Perfectly roasts peppers black. We love ours.

One thing you should know. If you're crazy about having everything shiny, you will be disappointed. After you use it for awhile the liner and grate look, well, used. I gave up trying to make mine look perfect.

That's why there is a cover.

Kevin

[AustinRansom]

Thanks for the feedback. Does the metal damper plate come with the unit, or did you have to get one after market?

Also, what kind of hood are you using? I understand that there is a lot of smoke with the char grill and that you need a big 1200 cfm unit with a smoke catch area (the hood can't be flat on the bottom). Is this true?

BTW I have an island situation.....

[MuskyHopeful]

You'll need plenty of ventilation. I have a 24" inch deep, 48" wide 1200 CFM WOLF fan. My range is against the wall. Ideally the fan would have been 54" wide but it screwed up the design of the cabinets. We bumped the fan out 2 inches from the wall, and no smoke escapes AT ALL. I can crank burners and the char broiler.

Because of the 1200 CFM, my municipality required a return air system for supposed safety, which was about $800, unfortunately. To be honest, I hardly know how it works, but it satisfied the building inspector. Make sure you look into that. I see WOLF now makes a 1200 CFM island hood as of last fall. I believe they'll tell you you can get by with 900 CFM for a 36" range top.

The damper plate came with the range. It's just a piece of stainless sheet metal.

Kevin