GB2503647A

GB2503647A - Device for producing a bed of lit solid fuel for barbeques

Info

Publication number: GB2503647A
Application number: GB201209422A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Rupert Such
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-05-28
Filing date: 2012-05-28
Publication date: 2014-01-08
Also published as: GB201209422D0

Abstract

A device for producing a bed of lit solid fuel for barbecues comprising a container such as a box or bag 10 of combustible material such as paper or cardboard having two chambers separated by a perforated combustible support 12, the upper chamber contains the solid fuel 11 such as lump-wood charcoal and the lower chamber contains a flammable accelerant material 13 such as forest waste. The base of the container includes a central perforated section as an ignition section 14, the ignition section may be flaps 15 formed from a cross cut and made from a flammable material such as tree bark.

Description

DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A BED OF LIT SOLID FUEL

FOR BARBECUES

The invention relates to a device for producing a bed of lit solid fuel for barbecues.

Background

Barbequing is a popular method of cooking food. A widely adapted method of barbequing involves the production of a bed of lit solid fuel, most commonly charcoal, normally in the form of lumpwood charcoal or charcoal briquettes.

Lumpwood charcoal and charcoal briquettes are difficult to ignite and messy to handle.

It should be noted that the term charcoal" used herein is to be understood as meaning not only lumpwood charcoal and charcoal briquettes as just referred to, but any other solid barbecue fuel product which, while not being charcoal, is intended to act in the same way as charcoal does for cooking food by barbecue techniques.

One solution to the ignition problem is to use charcoal lighter fluid, which may consist of petroleum-based inflammable liquid or an alcohol, usually methanol or ethanol. Dousing the charcoal with such fluid and then lighting it provides an accelerant that rapidly ignites the charcoal. However, if not all of the lighter fluid has been combusted, the fumes will impart any food grilled with an unpleasant, chemical taste. Also, charcoal lighter fluid is itself an environmental pollutant, releasing volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere which has led to a legal ban on its use in some jurisdictions.

Another disadvantage of charcoal lighter fluid is that, since it is a highly combustible liquid, it can be hazardous to use and hazardous to store.

This has led to the treatment of lumpwood charcoal with charcoal lighter fluid as part of the packaging process or the treatment of charcoal briquettes with charcoal lighter fluid as part of the manufacturing process. These products are often referred to as "instant lighting charcoal". However these products still impart an unpleasant taste to food as well as causing environmental pollution.

All these disadvantages suggest the need for a way to ignite lumpwood charcoal or charcoal briquettes and the like without the use of charcoal lighter fluid. There is also the need for an environmentally safe or non-polluting way to ignite lumpwood charcoal or charcoal briquettes and similar substances that does not affect the taste of the cooked food.

One popular alternative is the chimney starter, disclosed in US-A-3167040.

This is a metal canister with grille separating the main body of the chimney from a smaller, bottom compartment. Charcoal is placed in the main body of the chimney while the smaller compartment is stuffed with a flammable material, often newspaper. The newspaper is lit and the flame extends through the perforated barrier and ignites the charcoal. Once the charcoal glows red, the chimney is emptied and the charcoal embers are spread out on a barbecue base to form a bed of lit charcoal for cooking. However, this can be time consuming and potentially dangerous as the user must tip red hot coals onto the grilling grate. Additionally, the device must be cooled sufficiently before it can safely be stored. Transferring the ignited charcoal is hazardous, and the requirement of a cooling period is disadvantageous in practice. The chimney is difficult to clean and requires storage between uses, taking up valuable space.

Another known ignition method is to use an electric charcoal starter. The electric starter is placed on top of a layer of charcoal then an additional layer of charcoal is placed over the top of the starter. The electric charcoal starter ignites the charcoal once it has heated up sufficiently. This is also time consuming and needs access to an electrical power point. Just as the chimney starter, the electric charcoal starter must be allowed to cool before it can be safely stored. This method is clearly limited by the need for a power point as well as a cooling period.

These two methods avoid the use of charcoal lighter fluid but they still have restrictions suggesting that a disposable, portable ignition system would be more convenient and safer for the ignition of charcoal.

All of these approaches to providing a bed of lit charcoal, whether from lumpwood charcoal or charcoal briquettes suffer from the fact that such materials are dusty and messy to handle, causing stains and black marks to clothes and hands.

According to the present invention, charcoal is contained in a combustible package that provides when ignited a bed of lit charcoal. It does not require the use of manufactured accelerants such as fossil fuels, oils or waxes, and accordingly provides an environmentally safe and non-polluting alternative to the products currently on the market.

Statement of Invention

According to the present invention, there is provided a device for providing a bed of lit solid fuel which comprises a combustible container having an upper chamber partly or wholly filled with charcoal or charcoal substitute material, resting on a perforated combustible support extending across the interior of the containers and a lower chamber filled with a natural cellulosic flammable material, and a base supporting the cellulosic flammable material and including an easily lit central perforated section.

In use, the central perforated section of the base is lit, e.g. using a match, and the entire container then placed on top of the barbeque base. The flame spreads from the perforated section through the cellulosic flammable material, igniting it and this in turn causes the overlying charcoal in the upper chamber to become lit. Once this occurs, the material of the chamber also catches fire, and the entire unit collapses to deposit a bed of lit charcoal in the barbeque base, which can be simply raked level if desired to leave a bed of red hot charcoal ready for use in cooking.

The combustible chamber is preterably formed of a natural fibre-based paper. The natural cellulosic material that acts as an accelerant is, for example, dry untreated forest waste. Located adjacent the central perforated section of the base of the container is preferably some highly inflammable natural cellulosic sheet material -for example birch bark -to assist in easy lighting.

Such a device has the advantage of avoiding the need by the user to come into contact with the charcoal. Until it is used to form a lit bed, it can be handled easily, avoiding any risk of soiling hands or clothes with charcoal dust. Since it can be made only of combustible natural material, the only products released into the environment can be carbon dioxide and water vapour.

The device is carbon neutral and fully biodegradable, using natural fibre based paper, untreated lumpwood charcoal and naturally occurring, recycled, untreated forest waste as an accelerant and naturally occurring, recycled, untreated bark of the birch tree or other species of tree or other natural flammable materials as an ignition system. Because it can use naturally occurring, recycled, untreated accelerants, it can provide a bed of red hot charcoal that cooks without unwanted and unnatural flavours being imparted to food.

Introduction to Drawings

An example of the invention will now be described by referring to the accompanying drawings: Figures 1 and 2 illustrate examples of a device for producing a bed of lit solid fuel for barbecues in accordance with the present invention.

Detailed Description

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate an example of a device for producing a bed of lit solid fuel for barbecues in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In this example, the device is generally in the form of a cylindrical bag 10. The bag is preferably made of paper or paperboard or other lightweight flammable material with sufficient rigidity and strength to hold lumpwood charcoal 11 or other combustible material; a perforated paper separator 12; naturally occurring, recycled, untreated forest waste 13 as an accelerant and naturally occurring, recycled, untreated bark of the birch tree or other species of tree or other natural flammable materials as a central ignition system 14.

In one embodiment, ignition flaps 15, formed by a perforation in the shape of a cross or other shape, extend up into the central ignition system. The flaps 15, in certain aspects, are made of the same material as the central ignition system 14, e.g. naturally occurring, recycled, untreated bark of the birch tree or other species of tree or other naturally occurring flammable materials.

To make the device, the cylindrical base 10 can be filled successively with the ignition system 14, a layer of naturally occurring, recycled, untreated forest waste 13 as an accelerant, a perforated paper separator 12 placed on top of the layer of naturally occurring, recycled, untreated forest waste, and untreated lumpwood charcoal 11, placed on top of the perforated paper separator 12. The top of the bag may then be simply folded over and sealed with a peel-off sticker so that the materials within the bag are contained.

In a specific embodiment, the cylindrical bag 10 is 30 cm tall with a base 20 cm in diameter. The cylindrical base 10 can be filled successively with the ignition system 14 and a layer of naturally occurring, recycled, untreated forest waste 13 as an accelerant to a depth of 10 cm. On top of the perforated paper separator 12, is a supply of untreated lumpwood charcoal 11 between 1 Kg to 2 Kg in weight.

In use, when it is desired to start preparing the barbecue base for cooking, the device is prepared by folding out the ignition flaps 15, and removing the peel-off sticker from the top so that air can now escape upwardly from the bag. The bottom edges of the ignition flaps 15 are then ignited, e.g. with a match, causing the central ignition system 14 to burn. The device is then placed on the barbecue base, whereafter the ignition system causes the forest waste accelerant 13 to ignite and burn, thereby lighting the lumpwood charcoal 11 above.

While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements as would be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A device for providing a bed of lit solid fuel which comprises a combustible container having an upper chamber partly or wholly filled with charcoal or charcoal substitute material, resting on a perforated combustible support extending across the interior of the containers and a lower chamber filled with a natural cellulosic flammable material, and a base supporting the cellulosic flammable material and including an easily lit central perforated section.
2. A device according to Claim 1 wherein the charcoal is untreated lumpwood charcoal.
3. A device according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the combustible container is formed of paper or paperboard material.
4. A device according to Claim 1 wherein the container is made from natural fibre-based paper, the charcoal is untreated lumpwood charcoal, the natural cellulosic flammable material is recycled, untreated forest waste and includes naturally occurring, recycled, untreated bark of the birch tree or other species of tree or other natural flammable material as an ignition system.