Infrared searing grills advertise higher numbers than Arteflame's 1,000°F+ center — some reach 1,500°F — so on paper they look like the more serious searing tool. Temperature is only half of what produces a steakhouse crust, though. The other half is what's actually touching or radiating onto the food, and that's where a live wood or charcoal fire and an infrared emitter genuinely diverge. Here's an honest look at both, not just the numbers on the spec sheet.
How Infrared Searing Actually Works
Infrared searing grills — the category includes brands like Schwank and Beefer — use a ceramic or ceramic ember element heated by propane or natural gas, positioned close above (or, on some models, below) the food. The element radiates intense heat directly onto the food's surface without a flame ever touching it. Schwank's portable infrared grill, for example, is independently listed at $1,490 with a stated 1,500°F ceiling and 240 square inches of total grilling area across two zones (verified via BBQGuys' product listing). Beefer's own site states its top-down infrared units also reach roughly 1,500°F. Both are propane or natural-gas fueled, push-button ignition, and purpose-built around one job: searing meat fast.
How Arteflame's 1,000°F+ Center Works
Arteflame's center sear zone isn't an element — it's an open ring directly above a live wood or charcoal fire, with the surrounding carbon-steel cooktop absorbing and radiating that same fire's heat outward. Center-zone surface temperatures run 1,000°F+, dropping to roughly 300–400°F at the outer ring. Getting there takes a real fire build (30–40 minutes from lighting to searing-ready), not a push-button start — but what's actually cooking the food is live combustion, not a radiant element.
| Grill | Fuel | Peak Temp | Cooking Surface | Ignition | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schwank Portable Infrared | Propane / natural gas | 1,500°F | 240 sq in | Push-button, ready in minutes | $1,490 |
| Beefer (top-down infrared) | Propane / natural gas | ~1,500°F (mfr. stated) | Not independently verified for U.S. retail model | Push-button, ready in minutes | Varies by model |
| Arteflame 40" Classic | Wood or charcoal | 1,000°F+ center | 1,250+ sq in total | 30–40 min fire build | $2,495–$3,995 |
Pro Tip: Cooking surface, not peak temperature, is the number that determines whether you're searing one steak or feeding a table. A 240 sq in infrared grill sears fast, one or two pieces at a time; Arteflame's full cooktop sears, griddles, and holds food warm simultaneously.
Which Actually Produces a Better Crust — Temperature or Fuel?
The Maillard reaction that produces a seared crust starts accelerating well below 1,000°F, so both categories comfortably clear the threshold — raw peak temperature past that point mainly buys speed, not a fundamentally different crust. What genuinely differs is flavor: an infrared element radiates clean, flavor-neutral heat with no combustion byproducts near the food, which is exactly why it's marketed on speed and consistency rather than taste. A live wood or charcoal fire does the opposite — smoke, rendered fat vaporizing and redepositing, and direct proximity to combustion all contribute actual flavor compounds a radiant element can't produce. Whether that trade-off matters depends on what you're after: pure searing speed favors infrared; wood-fired flavor on top of the sear favors live fire.
What You Give Up Either Way
Infrared grills: single-purpose (built to sear, not to cook a full meal), a small cooking surface relative to price (roughly $6/sq in on the Schwank), and flavor that's clean but neutral — no smoke or char character.
Live-fire flat tops like Arteflame: no push-button start (a real fire build every time), no enclosed hood, and hands-on fire management instead of a thermostat — in exchange for a full-meal cooking surface and genuine wood-fired flavor alongside the sear.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do infrared grills actually get hotter than a live-fire flat top?
By the numbers on a spec sheet, yes — infrared units like Schwank and Beefer state roughly 1,500°F versus Arteflame's 1,000°F+ center zone. Both are well past the temperature needed to sear, so the practical difference is more about speed and flavor than crust quality.
Can an infrared grill cook a full meal, not just sear?
Not really — infrared searing grills are built around a small, single-purpose cooking area (roughly 240 sq in on the Schwank) sized for one or two pieces of meat at a time, not simultaneous sides, vegetables, or a full spread.
Does higher heat always mean a better sear?
No. Once you're well past the temperature the Maillard reaction needs — which both infrared and 1,000°F+ live fire clear comfortably — additional heat mainly speeds up the process rather than improving the crust further. Flavor and cooking capacity are usually the bigger differentiators at that point.
Is a live-fire sear harder to get right than infrared?
It takes longer to start — a real fire build runs 30–40 minutes versus a push-button infrared ignition — and requires managing an actual fire rather than a dial. Once it's going, searing itself is comparably fast on either.