Patent Application
20160095328
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This disclosure relates to barbecue grillers and smokers in general, and more specifically to transportable barbecue smokers having a reverse air flow system and an external heating source.
The art of cooking over an open flame or grilling outdoors has been enjoyed by many for hundreds of years. Various improvements in the art, such as increases to the control of the heating temperature, and the ability to increase or decrease the amount of air circulation have been implemented.
One substitute for cooking over an open flame is to provide indirect heat through smoke such that temperatures sufficient to grill or barbecue meats and vegetables can be achieved without placing the food in direct contact with an open flame, thereby eliminating the risk of charring the food.
Smoking also allows for the infusion of a variety of flavors through the introduction of different types of wood or other combustibles.
Many prior art barbecue smokers suffer from various shortcomings, including uneven heat distribution within the cooking chamber, a lack of portability and transportability, as well as difficulty in providing suitable heat for grilling and barbecuing from a chamber that is separate from the cooking chamber.
In general, this disclosure provides a transportable barbecue smoker containing an evenly heated cooking chamber with a separate fire chamber for generating and supplying sufficient heat and smoke to enable barbecuing and grilling without direct flames and the associated risks of charred food.
In one exemplary embodiment, the main components of the smoker are the fire chamber where the fire is built, the cooking chamber where the food is cooked, the triangular distribution channel for transferring the heat and smoke from the fire chamber to the cooking chamber, and the smoke stacks where the heat and smoke exit the cooking chamber. The smoker also has a trailer assembly for attachment to a vehicle when transporting, that can also be detached and dis-assembled when shipping the smoker.
In another exemplary embodiment, the triangular distribution channel for transferring the heat and smoke from the fire chamber to the cooking chamber may have holes toward the end of the channel after it enters the cooking chamber to allow for increased flow of heat and smoke into the cooking chamber earlier.
It is an object to provide a barbecuing and smoking apparatus that can reach sufficient heating temperatures to grill and barbecue without charring caused by direct exposure to flames.
It is an object of the invention to provide a transportable barbecuing and smoking apparatus that can be easily moved from one location to another, yet be stable and well supported when in use.
It is a further object to provide a barbecuing and smoking system that can be easily assembled by consumers when shipped to them. The barbecue and smoking system has separable components that can be nested and compacted so as to minimize shipping dimensions and thereby reducing shipping costs for both the manufacturer and consumers.
It is also an object to provide a scalable barbecuing smoking apparatus that can be used for personal use at home, or sized for larger gatherings or even commercial applications.
It is another object to provide improved temperature control and airflow for the cooking chamber so that all the food in the cooking chamber is cooked evenly.
It is additionally an object to provide a triangular channel for conducting and transporting heat that also causes fat and grease to flow down the angled sides toward bottom of the cooking chamber.
It is a further object to provide a barbecue and smoking apparatus that requires less cleaning and maintenance of the cooking chamber.
It is also an object to provide an improved air flow system that channels the heat and smoke from the fire chamber through the triangular distribution channel, and into the cooking chamber at an increased rate.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of any described embodiment, suitable methods and materials are described below. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting. In case of conflict with terms used in the art, the present specification, including definitions, will control.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description and claims.
The present embodiments are illustrated by way of the figures of the accompanying drawings, which may not necessarily be to scale, in which like references indicate similar elements, and in which:
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The following detailed description is illustrative of an exemplary embodiment of the transportable barbecue smoker trailer. The description is not to be taken as a limitation of the embodiments of the trailer, but as a representation of one of the many embodiments that fall within the scope of the appended claims.
The barbecue smoker trailer provides the temperature advantages of an open flame barbecue grill without the prior art disadvantages of charred meats and risk of grease-induced flare ups. The heat and smoke is created in the external firebox chamber and provided through the narrowing triangular channel to the cooking chamber. The channels triangular shape increases the flow of heat and smoke from the firebox chamber to the cooking chamber. The narrowing point at the top of the triangular channel going into the cooking chamber, compounded by heats natural propensity to rise causes an increase in the air flow speed through the channel and into the cooking chamber. The increased air flow rate through the channel draws more air into the firebox chamber, enabling a higher temperature for barbecuing and grilling.
As the heat and smoke flow through the triangular channel to the opening in the center of the back of the cooking chamber, and towards the channel opening at the center of the front of the cooking chamber, some of the heat is released through the channel walls into the cooking chamber. The remaining heat and all of the smoke are released into the cooking chamber when they reach the opening at the center of the front of the chamber.
In an alternate embodiment the heat and smoke flow through the triangular channel into the cooking chamber and begin releasing into the chamber through the channel holes that are inside the cooking chamber. The channel holes allow the heat and smoke to be released more quickly inside the cooking chamber providing higher cooking temperatures and greater smoking potential more quickly.
The heat and smoke are released from the cooking chamber through the smoke stacks that are located at opposite sides of the back of the cooking chamber. The improved flow of the smoke and heat from its entrance at the center of the front of the cooking chamber, throughout the cooking chamber, and finally to its exit from the smoke stacks at the rear sides of the top of the cooking chamber creates a reversal in the air flow to the side of its original entry point. The reverse flow causes a more even heat and smoke distribution and enables higher overall cooking temperatures within the cooking chamber.
The improved flow of heat and smoke throughout the cooking chamber ensures that the food in all areas of the chamber is evenly cooked and avoids the cold spots associated with prior art grills with direct heat from open flames, and the charring that can also occur with open flames.
Having the heat and smoke source separate from the cooking chamber allows the cooking chamber to be opened only for checking the food instead of having to also open the chamber to check on and adjust the wood and fire and thereby reduce the cooking temperature and dissipating the smoke needed to properly cook and flavor the food. The external firebox chamber in conjunction with the triangular channel for improved delivery of the heat and smoke into the cooking chamber provide the advantages of having a heat source internal to the cooking chamber without all of the disadvantages.
Additional advantages of the external firebox chamber are that the cooking chamber does not have to be opened to manage the chambers grilling and barbecuing temperatures, nor does the cooking chamber have to be cleaned as often without the wood, charcoal or other fuels normally required in an open flame grill.
The barbecue smoker trailer is scalable in size to accommodate a variety of quantities of food. As the size of the cooking chamber increases in size, the size of the firebox chamber increases proportionately.
Though comprised of several large components, the barbecue smoker trailer can be shipped in a single box due to its variety of disconnection points. The disconnection points illustrated in the drawing figures exemplify the ability to disconnect the different portions of the barbecue smoker trailer such that the removed portions can be placed inside the cooking chamber for a significant reduction in overall volume of the packaging for shipping, thereby greatly reducing shipping costs. The firewood platform, trailer jack, smoke stacks, tables and tongue can be disconnected and packaged inside the cooking chamber for shipping or transporting.
An illustrative embodiment of the barbecue smoker trailer has been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the various embodiments presented herein. For example, the cooking chamber could have multiple levels of cooking grates to increase the surface area available for cooking and smoking food. Additionally, the cooking chamber and firebox chamber can be adapted to be free-standing and stationary when removed from the trailer. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
