Patent Application
20170238759
Grilling food often requires special attention to the intensity and disposition of a heat source of a cooking structure. For example, the intensity and disposition of the charcoal briquettes may influence the temperature across a grilling surface of a charcoal barbecue.
While many barbeque chefs desire to alter the temperature of a grilling surface, it is often hard to find suitable mechanisms to achieve this functionality. Traditional “snap-on” assemblies include a rotating cooking grate positioned above an existing stationary cooking grate (i.e., a “static” grate specifically configured for grilling food within a given cooking structure). In this approach, the duel-grate configuration (i.e., a rotating cooking grate adjacently disposed to a stationary cooking grate) limits and distorts the distribution of heat throughout a cooking structure (e.g., due to the multiple layers of grate material). The excess material contributes to a lack of circulation in the cooking structure and increases the weight of the cooking structure due to the inclusion of excess materials.
This cumbersome, dual-layer approach may also make clean-up exceedingly difficult. The lower static grate may collect grease and dirt during the grilling process (e.g., due in part to the adjacent disposition of the lower static grate with the upper rotating cooking grate), which may contribute to grease fires, flare-ups, and other undesirable outcomes. In this regard, conventional solutions leave the barbeque chef with few options to rotate food relative to a heat source in a manner that avoids the foregoing deficiencies.
The present disclosure relates to a rotatable grilling device, for example, for use in rotating a grilling surface relative to a heat source, such as charcoal briquettes and/or other heat sources associated with barbequing or otherwise grilling food.
It has been recognized herein that because temperatures may vary across such grilling surfaces, it may be desirable to rotate the grilling surface relative to the heat source. In this manner, food disposed at a particular location on the grilling surface may be exposed to various temperatures by rotating the grilling surface relative to the heat source. This may be ideal for grilling food in a manner that utilities various cooking temperatures (e.g., a high-heat cooking stage following by a low-heat cooking stage, etc.) to achieve a desired final grilled product.
To meet the needs of the grilling challenges discussed above, the present disclosure presents an elegantly simple, yet robust design that facilitates altering the temperature of a grilling surface by rotating a grilling surface relative to a heat source with a single-layer spinning cooking surface (e.g., grilling grate) that replaces the existing static cooking surface of a conventional charcoal grill. The single-layer spinning cooking surface may be rotatably attached to a support structure to allow for rotation about a common axis (e.g., via an axel and bushing assembly). The common axis may extend perpendicularly to the extent of the cooking surface. The support structure includes a unique spoke assembly configured for maximum heat distribution throughout a cooking structure (e.g., by limiting structural impediments between the charcoal briquettes and the spinning cooking surface). In this regard, the support structure may include a fewer number of supports than that of the cooking surface. In various embodiments, the support structure may include less than six spokes, less than five spokes, less than three spokes. As such, the limited number of spokes extending between the heat source and the cooking surface may promote more even and efficient heat distribution to the cooking surface.
The existing grill grate supports of the charcoal grill (i.e., those supports integral to the cooking structure initially configured to support the existing static grill grate) engage the support structure and rotatably attached spinning cooking surface within the charcoal grill such that the single-layer spinning cooking surface structure and associated support structure replaces the existing grilling grate of the cooking structure, thereby allowing the cooking surface to rotate relative to the heat source.
The absence of excess materials or overlapping grilling surfaces allows food disposed at the spinning cooking surface to experience different temperatures (e.g., by rotating the cooking surface) in manner that contributes to even heat distribution throughout the cooking structure and prevents excess grease build up common to the conventional dual-grate systems. It will be appreciated that the single-layer spinning cooking surface and associated support structure may be configured in a variety of other manners to facilitate the foregoing, including installing the single-layer cooking surface and associated support structure within a charcoal grill in various different configurations that result in the cooking surface being disposed at various heights relative to the heat source.
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.
Disclosed herein are utilities (e.g., apparatuses, systems, processes, etc.) for a rotatable grilling device, for example, for use in rotating a grilling surface relative to a heat source (e.g., charcoal briquettes) of a cooking structure (e.g., a charcoal grill) in a manner that promotes efficient heat transfer to the cooking structure (e.g., by providing a support structure for a rotating grilling surface free of unnecessary structural impediments, such as those that block efficient heat transfer to food disposed for grilling at the grilling surface). In this regard, the disclosed utilities may employ a grilling surface (e.g., a metal grate or any other appropriate structure) configured axial rotation relative to an associated support structure about an axis. The grilling surface may include an axial rotational member receivable by a bushing of the support structure disposed along a common axis. The support structure may include one or more spokes extending from the bushing to an outer support ring. In turn, the outer support ring may be disposed in adjacent relation to one or more support tabs of the cooking structure such that the rotatable grilling surface and associated support structure are positioned above a heat source of the cooking structure.
Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which assist in illustrating the various pertinent features of the various novel aspects of the present disclosure. The following description is presented for purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, the description is not intended to limit the inventive aspects to the forms disclosed herein. Consequently, variations and modifications commensurate with the following teachings, and skill and knowledge of the relevant art, are within the scope of the present inventive aspects.
In this regard,
The rotatable grilling device 104 includes a grilling surface 116 and a support structure 120. Grilling surface 116 and support structure 120 may be of any appropriate shape and configuration corresponding to the geometry (and associated support tabs 112) of hemispherical bowl 110 (e.g., such that the rotatable grilling device 104 may be supportively engaged by the cooking structure 108). In one embodiment, the grilling surface 116 and support structure 120 are substantially circular in shape. The grilling surface 116 may comprise a metal grate (wire mesh, etc.) or other thermally conductive material designed for contactable relation with food for purposes of grilling. The grilling surface 116 may include a first handle 124a and a second handle 124b configured to facilitate the rotation of the grilling surface 116 with respect to the support structure 120. The grilling surface 116 may further include axial member 128. The axial member 128 may be disposed about an axis transverse to the plane of the grilling surface 116 configured for supporting a food item. In some instances, the axial member 128 may be concentric with the grilling surface 116.
The support structure 120 may be configured to receive the grilling surface 116 (via the axial member 128) for rotatable attachment thereat. In this regard, the support structure 120 may include a bushing member 132 configured for receiving the axial member 128 of the grilling surface 116. In this regard, the axial member 128 may rotate relative to and within the bushing member 132. The bushing member 132 may be integrally connected with one or more spokes 136. In the illustrated embodiment of
As discussed above, the support structure 120 may have fewer members (e.g., spokes 136) than the grilling surface 116. In turn, efficient heat transfer may be realized to the grilling surface 116 as the members of the support structure 120 may extend between a relatively small overlapping area between the heat source and the grilling surface 116. As such, a large portion (e.g., at least a majority of the area) of the grilling surface 116 may have direct exposure to the heat source (i.e., not have any support structure disposed between the grilling surface 116 and the heat source). For instance, as in the depicted embodiment, the support structure 120 may only have three spokes 136. In other embodiments, the support structure may have fewer than five spokes 136 (i.e., four spokes), fewer than six spokes 136, or fewer than seven spokes 136.
The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, the description is not intended to limit the invention to the form disclosed herein. Consequently, variations and modifications commensurate with the above teachings, and skill and knowledge of the relevant art, are within the scope of the present invention.
The embodiments described hereinabove are further intended to explain best modes known of practicing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in such, or other embodiments and with various modifications required by the particular application(s) or use(s) of the present invention. It is intended that the appended claims be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art.
This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 62/278,235 filed on Jan. 1, 2016 entitled “ROTATABLE GRILLING DEVICE”, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62278235 | Jan 2016 | US |
