Patent Application
20180213974
Smoking is a known form of preparing food and other organic material wherein smoke, and often heat, are applied for cooking, flavoring, and/or preserving. Smoke can be formed from any combustion source, including a wood or charcoal fire, which may also provide heat, smoking chips or smoldering coals, or from food itself. Produced smoke may be trapped, such as in a smoking box or covered barbeque pit, for example, for exposure to the cooking object, or smoke may be directed onto the cooking object. Given a sufficient smoky atmosphere, organic material, including meats, vegetables, or any other food, can absorb and/or react with ash and incomplete combustion material in the smoke, adding flavor, color, and/or preservation qualities.
Known smoking devices that trap smoke include drum smokers, smoking pits, smoke houses, and smoking boxes. Smoking boxes are conventionally enclosures that can produce their own smoke but use an external heat source, such that they are useable with any ventilated cooking environment, including large commercial heating surfaces or smaller, conventional home charcoal, electric, or gas grills. For example, food and a smoking material, such as wood chips or pellets, can be placed in a smoking box and set on a gas, electric, or charcoal grill to provide heat. The smoking material smokes in the box from the heat, and the box traps the smoke such that the food is sufficiently exposed to the smoke. Conventional smoking boxes can include small openings in the top of the box to allow some rising smoke to escape, preventing any pressure buildup, while trapping the majority of smoke within the smoking box for exposure to food.
Example embodiments include smokers that can enclose a smoking material, such as pellets or wood chips, in a cavity that produces substantial amounts of smoke that can be exposed to food. A cover is attached at any point on the smoker, while permitting flow through the smoker. The cover prevents materials from falling into the smoker and causing flare-ups, extinguishing, and/or interfering with smoke exhaust and air flow. The resulting smoking without flaming may produce smoke to fill conventional gas or electric grills or barbeques for smoking food also placed therein. Desired airflow rates, such as only approximately 1.5E-5 to approximately 3.5E-5 oxygen grams per second per cubic inch volume of the smoker, can be achieved through natural convection and proper placement of air inlets and exhausts, or through forced airflow mechanisms like blowers, as well as spacing the cover away from the exhausts. For example, a smoker body of approximately 60 cubic internal inches may include an air inlet of four 2-millimeter holes where the body will contact the cooking surface or applied heat, with opposite exhaust openings. This example may achieve the limited oxygen availability and consumption rate through natural convection in typical cooking situations.
Example methods include smoking food by enclosing food in a smoky environment created by example smokers. For example, a smoking material can be placed in an example embodiment smoker and subjected to a heat source of about 200 degrees Fahrenheit or more, such as 600-700 degrees Fahrenheit. Food may be placed directly over example smokers without interference from dripping or separation due to the cover. Optionally, through control or design, oxygen flow of approximately 1.5E-5 to approximately 3.5E-5 grams of oxygen per second per cubic inch internal volume of the smoker can then be achieved through atmospheric or specially directed air. Example methods are useable with conventional grills and other heat sources, and with a variety of foods and smoking materials, including wood chips, pellets, etc. Example methods may further include attaching or removing a removable handle from example embodiments for safe handling.
Example embodiments will become more apparent by describing, in detail, the attached drawings, wherein like elements are represented by like reference numerals, which are given by way of illustration only and thus do not limit the terms which they depict.
This is a patent document, and general broad rules of construction should be applied when reading and understanding it. Everything described and shown in this document is an example of subject matter falling within the scope of the appended claims. Any specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely for purposes of describing how to make and use example embodiments. Several different embodiments not specifically disclosed herein fall within the scope of the appended claims; as such, the claims may be embodied in many alternate forms and should not be construed as limited to only example embodiments set forth herein.
It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
It will be understood that when an element is referred to in a spatial or physical relationship, as being “connected,” “coupled,” “mated,” “attached,” or “fixed,” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, for example, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between”, “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent”, etc.). Similarly, a term such as “communicatively connected” includes all variations of information exchange routes between two devices, including intermediary devices, networks, etc., connected wirelessly or not.
As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include both the singular and plural forms, unless the language explicitly indicates otherwise with words like “only,” “single,” and/or “one.” It will be further understood that terms like “have,” “having,” “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, ideas, and/or components, but do not themselves preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, ideas, and/or groups thereof.
It should also be noted that the structures and operations discussed below may occur out of the order described and/or noted in the figures. For example, two operations and/or figures shown in succession may in fact be executed concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved. Similarly, individual operations within example methods described below may be executed repetitively, individually or sequentially, so as to provide looping or other series of operations aside from the single operations described below. It should be presumed that any embodiment having features and functionality described below, in any workable combination, falls within the scope of example embodiments.
The Inventor has recognized that while smoking devices benefit from specific amounts of air through-flow, top-most openings required for such flow and exhausting of smoke may permit moisture or other material, such as drippings from food or preparation materials from above, to enter the smoking devices and limit smoking. For example, users may often use a smoker between a grill surface and heat source, such as a gas or charcoal burner, with foodstuffs being cooked on the grill surface. Water, oil, and/or food itself may drip or separate from the food and descend from the grill surface onto the smoker. These materials may block openings and air flow-through, as well as wet or smother the smoking material, like wood chips, preventing any combustion or optimized smoking. The materials blocking exhaust or entering the smoker through exhaust holes may be difficult to clean or remove, and may cause undesirable smell or poorly-flavored smoke. Example embodiments described below uniquely solve these and other newly-recognized problems by providing shielded smokers that still permit critical, limited oxygen intake for optimal smoking.
The present invention is a shielded smoking device that permits airflow through a relatively closed environment, and air/smoke outflow into a space where food is smoked, and well as methods of using the same. In contrast to the present invention, the small number of example embodiments and example methods discussed below illustrate just a subset of the variety of different configurations that can be used as and/or in connection with the present invention.
Co-owned patent publications 2013/0011535 and 2014/0154381, both for AIRFLOW-REGULATED SMOKERS AND METHODS OF USING THE SAME to Mafi are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Body 205 is shown in example embodiment smoker 200 as generally box-like, to sit flat on grilling racks and/or other heating surfaces. Likewise, body 205 can have other shapes and sizes that accommodate smoking materials and heat sources, including spheres or obloids, etc. Body 205 can be formed from any materials that are resilient to cooking conditions, including temperatures over 200 degrees Fahrenheit and/or direct flame exposure. For example, body 205 may be formed of a high-temperature glass, steel alloy, aluminum, ceramic composite, etc.
Smoker 200 includes at least one exhaust point located where combustion products and/or air through-flow may exit smoker 200 as smoke that fills a cooking area. For example, as shown in
Example embodiment smoker 200 may include at least one air intake point located where atmospheric or available air flow may enter smoker 200 at a desired rate. Because inlets are located at areas where air will flow into smoker 200, sizing and placement of apertures control the ultimate airflow, oxygen availability, and oxygen consumption rate within smoker 200 during typical cooking conditions. If body 205 has an interior volume of 60 in3, for example, apertures that result in an oxygen availability and maximum consumption rate of 0.002 g/s within body 205 when exposed to a cooking surface of 400 degrees Fahrenheit and average fill amounts cause optimized smoking conditions. Of course, several sizes, locations, and shapes of inlets may be used for differently sized or shaped bodies 205 to achieve desired oxygen consumption rates within other example embodiments using apertures to achieve desired flows.
In use, example embodiment smoker 200 may be loaded with desired smoking materials. For example, several coarse woodchips, for example, solid chips having a 0.3 porosity, or up to 0.7 fill, of body 205, of a desired flavor may be sealed into body 205 through lid 210. Smoker 200 is then placed on a heating surface or cooking environment where produced smoke can be trapped and air is available from a heat source. For example, smoker 200 may be placed on a lower level of a grill, or barbeque, or cooking pit, directly under food being cooked for maximum smoke sxposure.
As smoker 200 heats to cooking temperatures, the smoking materials begin to partially combust and smoke, typically over 200 degrees Fahrenheit and up to 600 or 700 degrees, and any foodstuffs begin to cook, including oxidize, pyrolize, denature, etc. Smoke may be produced at optimal rates in body 205, where it can escape at limited outflows through top exhaust slits 215 to provide ample smoking and flavor to a covered grill or barbecue, for example. Similarly, oxygen in ambient air flows in through inlet apertures at a limited rate of 1.5E-5 to 3.5E-5 g/s/in3 (6.5E-5 to 1.5E-4 g/s/in3 total air flow) through natural and/or driven convection between inlets and exhaust sholes 215, resulting in desired oxygen consumption, exhausting, and/or smoke production for foodstuffs from example embodiment smoker 200. After a desired cooking time, such as when foodstuffs exhibit a safe internal temperature or have a desired smoked appearance, food and/or smoker 200 can be removed from the enclosed smoky environment and the prepared foodstuffs may be consumed.
As shown in
As shown in
Body 105 is shown in example embodiment smoker 100 as generally elongate and elliptical/cylindrical, in order to accommodate grilling racks and/or other heating surfaces. Likewise, body 105 can have other shapes and sizes that accommodate smoking materials and heat sources, including prismatic boxes, spheres or obloids, etc. Body 105 can be formed from any materials that are resilient to cooking conditions, including temperatures over 200 degrees Fahrenheit and/or direct flame exposure. For example, body 105 may be formed of a high-temperature glass, steel alloy, aluminum, ceramic composite, etc.
Smoker 100 includes at least one exhaust point located where combustion products and/or air through-flow may exit smoker 100 as smoke that fills a cooking area. For example, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In use, example embodiment smoker 100 may be loaded with desired smoking materials. For example, several coarse woodchips of a desired flavor may be sealed into body 105 through lid 110. As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
An example embodiment thus being described, it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that example embodiments may be varied and substituted through routine experimentation while still falling within the scope of the following claims. For example, although an example embodiment is described with an elongated body that control airflow through sizing and placement of openings, it is understood that example embodiments may include a wide variety of shapes and air-flow controls, including completely sealed boxes having forced oxygen inlets and exhausts as desired rates. Further, it is understood that example embodiments can be used in connection with any type of application where a smoking is useful to provide desired characteristics to a subject. Such variations are not to be regarded as departure from the scope of the following claims.
