Hi calynn, We have an open air cooking spot. Maybe what you need is a low noise ventilation fan. Most fans have noise decibel rating at the back panel. , Here is a link that might be useful: Outdoor Kitchen Guide

Forgot to mention - we are hoping to find hood that are recommended for outdoor use as well that are cheaper than upper $2k (including duct cover if needed). Thanks!

Thank you, thank you for all the wonderful feedback. I do want to stick with getting the grill and am going to do so. We probably will be cooking steaks outside most of the year (Jersey Shore), but in the dead of winter (especially like the last one) we would be cooking inside for 3 months or so. I want to grill vegetables, romaine, etc. inside. Two of you mention that you have the Wolf hood. Did you entertain the Best one? I have not priced the Wolf, but based on your comments will look into it. I had thought of Modernaire, Best and now Wolf. I do think I want to go a bit higher than the 1200cfm just because we have had such problems with setting off alarms. I will definitely try seeing how a 27" looks/feels - my hubby is 6'1" and because of his height we have had to scrap buying cute little converible :( so want to make sure he is okay with the height of the hoodt - he is the steak pro at our house! JScout - where do I look up more info regarding make up air. Would it only go on when the fan was on? Where should it be installed, how much, etc.... We keep finding and adding things in $$$$$! But, this is our dream house and we are so looking to doing it the way we want. Again, to all of you who took the time to write in - THANK YOU! Pls let me know any more thought on the air thing and if the brand of the hood makes a difference. Will certainly post once we are in. Ordering cabinets and they are beautiful. Now in the midst of all the appliances .

My husband has decided on only getting the Green Egg and using it as a grill. According to him it's suppose to be the greatest invention ever! Yeah, we still have another grill hanging around, but the Egg is the only one we ever use any more. I think we're going to gift the charcoal grill to our daughter and new son-in-law. They're pretty much starting from nothing, so they'll appreciate it. Annette, I like your set-up. We're planning on something fairly similar. We intend to add a second, smaller Big Green Egg later. This'll allow us to use the smaller one when we want to cook just for us two, and when we have guests we can use the smaller one for an appetizer and the larger one for an entree. We also want a smaller one so we can take it camping. "If you want to cook on a covered porch, you must use a strong vent hood." ... i agree. Been there, done that. Won't do it again. Wondering how we're having such different experiences ... here's what I suspect: My covered porch, which works FINE with a no-hood grill is set up like the one on the left -- covered porch is attached to the house /is open to the air on three sides and gets a pretty good breeze. My porch is about 6' above ground level /steps on both ends -- could that make a difference? I wonder if people who are having a different experience have a porch more like the one to the right -- an "indented" porch? Or at least a porch that in some way gets less breeze.