bonz50
Take a breath!
aside from novelty, I don't see the point.
I have seen the Alton Brown episode where he did this. As I recall once the coals were ready, he used the blower end of a vacuum to blow all the soot off the coals, this also super heats them. Then he laid down the steak.
I would humbly state that "Serious Eats" was the best production from the Food Network, probably is still the best that network ever produced, but I quit watching when it became the "Stupid Contests" network.
Good Eats?
Wait, Good Eats was Alton's thing. Was Serious Eats never a show? I know it's a brand now with that guy who's name I can't remember at the moment who does all the sciencey food explanations. Was he never on food network?
It also works well to put a grate on top of the charcoal chimney. Sort of a concentrated, enhanced, Slow 'n Sear effect.
The only time I grilled a steak directly on the coals I did it Argentinian style, where you enrobe the entire steak (a length of tenderloin, in my case) in a 1/8 to 1/4 in layer of salt, roll it in a wet piece of cloth, and toss it in the coals. Of course, the cloth and salt protect the meat from the coals and ash.