1 2
proper. The baffle plate is easily removed when neces
PELLET-FIRED BARBECUE sary for cleaning purposes.
With the barbecue contemplated, a number of advan
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE tages result. Fire startup is relatively rapid, and far less
INVENTION 5 time-consuming then the starting of a briquet fire. The
This invention relates to barbecue apparatus, herein- ^J** is considerably less expensive than briquets,
after for brevity's sake being referred to simply as Furthermore, the^ount offuel used is only that neces
», , j u- u sary to produce the cooking, smce with termination of
barbecues, which include a source of heat and which J. ,* . . ■ , ,r
,, „ . ... . the feed of pellet material, the burner extinguishes itself
are usable, usually in an outdoor setting, to prepare ,„ . .. , y ... TT ..,' - ,, , & .,
u u -r I.. ,t 10 relatively rapidly. Unlike gas-fired barbecues, the matefoods as by broiling or baking them. . . .' , K J, . . , . ° ~ . . , , . w , 6 Jr , i V ii j nal cooked is subjected to a flavorful wood smoke to Most barbecues, as currently known, utilize so-called . . „ J . „ , , , , .' „ , retain some of the taste thereof. With the advantage charcoal briquets, or, m some instances, gas burners as q{ CQnvection heatin ^ the b^h coo|.
he source of heat Briquets are expensive, require time ^ m of ^
to become properly igmted and reach operatmg temper- ,5 ^ ... of cooki are ^bject t0%reater
atures, tend to be messy to handle, and when cooking is variation
finished, are difficult to extinguish As a consequence, ^ othef ... and advant m attained
they are usually left to burn themselves out, resulting m b ^ whJich is described hereinbelow in
wastage of the briquet fuel. While gas burners have conjunction with the acc0mpanying drawing, wherein: certain convenience features not shared by briquets, 2Q FIG t u a ective view of a barbecue as contem. they do not impart a flavor to the cooked material be- Med ^ ions bfoken aw cause of the lack of smoke which characterizes a wood- FIG 2 is a side elevation> also with portions broken
based fire. awa of the barbecue shown in FIG. 1; and
Wood-based peUets are known which have been used FIQ 3 ^ a cross.sectional view> takea generally to some extent m the past for household heatmg pur- 25 ai0ng the line 3 3 in FIG 2
poses. Such pellets are conventionally prepared by pel- Referring now to the drawings, the barbecue illusletizing under heat and pressure comminuted wood trated comprises what is referred t0 as a barbecue pan, waste or other residues to produce a pellet product of shown generally at 10. Such is supported in an elevated substantially uniform size. Typical pellets might have p0sition above the ground, to place the top of the pan at diameters within the range of one-quarter to one-half 30 a convenient working height, through legs 12 secured inch and lengths of one-half to one mch and, dependmg t0 ^ extending downwardly from the base of the pan. to some extent upon their source, may have consider- For convenience of moving, if desired, wheels 14 are able heat content for a given mass of material. provided rotatably journaled on the base of two of the
A general object of this invention is to provide a iegs in the barbeCue. For moving purposes, the barbenovel barbecue which utilizes as a heat source therein a 35 cue may be partially raised utilizing handles 16 conpellet-fired burner evolving heat adjacent the base of a nected to the pan whereby ground contact is solely barbecue pan. through those legs having wheels 14, the barbecue then
Another object is to provide such a barbecue where bejng rollable to the position desired, the burner in the barbecue includes forced-air means p-m io includes a bottom 20 and opposed side and end contributing combustion-supporting air for the burning 40 waus 22,24joined to bottom 20. The top of the pan may of the pellets, and which further produces a form of be reinforced as by framing 25. Pan 10 is open at the top. convection heating for the food being cooked. Hot if desired, a hinged cover 26 may be included conforced air circulates in the barbecue pan as a result of nected by hinges 28 to pan 10. The cover is swingable the forced-air means, resulting in more even cooking, between a closed position where the cover closes off the and greater flexibility in the cooking use of the barbe- 45 top of the barbecue pan, as shown in FIG. 2, and an cue. • open position where the cover is swung to one side to
Yet another object is to provide such a barbecue expose the barbecue pan interior, as shown in FIG. 1. where the fire pot of a burner, where burning of fuel The cover may further include a ventilating hood as occurs, opens to the interior of the barbecue pan at the shown at 30.
bottom of the barbecue pan. An auger feed mechanism 50 Shown at 32 is a burner assembly which extends for supplying pellet material for burning extends under underneath the barbecue pan from approximately centhe barbecue pan in a more-or-less heat-isolated posi- trally of the pan to a position on one side thereof, tion. Combustion supporting air may be forced through In the specific embodiment of the invention disa suitable housing in the apparatus to be expelled first closed, the burner assembly includes an elongate housinto the fire pot of the burner and, thence, upwardly in 55 ing 34 of substantially rectangular, i.e., square, cross circulated flow through the interior of the barbecue section, and including top, bottom, and opposed side pan. walls indicated at 36, 37, 38, and 39. The ends of the
In a specific and preferred embodiment of the inven- housing are closed off by end walls 41, 42. tion, a metallic baffle plate is mounted within the inte- Top wall 36 has a circular aperture 44 adjacent one rior of the barbecue pan in covering relation over and 60 end. Suitably secured as by welding within the housing spaced upwardly from the top of the pot in the burner. and communicating with this aperture is a cylindrical This baffle pan serves a number of important functions, fire pot 46 which is open at its top and closed at its including promoting proper circulation in the barbecue bottom. The interior of the fire pot faces upwardly, and pan, providing a means which is heated and serves as a communicates with the interior of pan 10 through aperradiant heat source for food cooked in the barbecue, 65 ture 48 in bottom 20 of the pan. The cylindrical wall of and further providing a means extending under the food the fire pot contains perforations 50. to be cooked for collecting drippings and such and With the construction described, the housing walls preventing such from falling to the base of the pan define a chamber extending along the interior of the
