Can't reach high heat on BJ2

I'm new to my BJ2, so I'm still trying to figure it out. I'm trying to figure out how to get HIGH heat for cooking and searing steaks. The problem is the BJ2 is so BIG, that I have to use a TON of charcoal to get it up to temp, and the grates are so far away from the coals, the sear seems to take a long time.

I was wondering if maybe filling in with some briquetes would help? Or does anyone have a way to move the coals up higher to the grate? Or something else I haven't thought of...