Review on Dual Temperature Control Electric Hot Pot Grill: Smokeless Shabu Korean BBQ Cooker for 1-8 People, Simmer, Boil, Fry, Roast, and More! by Eric Fuego

I'm not aware of other comments about the grill not heating up but we loved it.1. heating works. The skillet was simmering so all you had to do was manage and regulate the temperature, but all of our meat was cooked in the soup. The grill works. We put some butter on it while it was heating up and some minced garlic, pork and boiled meat. Simply level the grill to cook well and tilt diagonally. That was our mistake because then the fat and oils of the meat stay in the side where we fried. It had to go into the oil pocket which was accessible when tipped.3. It is smoke free in the sense that it will not and should not set off a smoke alarm. We live in an apartment, we fried in the dining room near the fire alarm and it didn't work.4. The dining room/living room really didn't have that weird smell of smoke from the grill. You know the one you get on your hair when you eat at a bbq like a Korean bbq and the smell sticks to your hair afterwards. So it wasn't right for us. We grilled the same beef as you and ate the stew and that was it. This is a large one that 3 of us ate and I could say it should be good for 4 people. I recommend you buy this. Received no defects, works great and spends family time as we do!