DE4426214C2 - Smoke generator for food preparation - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a smoke generator for Generation of smoke, with a smoldering bed of embers, especially for hot smoking and cooking systems for Food, and with a facility for production of a hot air stream.

Numerous foods, such as B. sausages, ham as well as fish a. preserved by smoking. Smoking is particularly large-scale thereby in so-called hot smoke and cooking systems, in which the food not only smoked, but also dried, cooked or boiled in superheated steam, can be showered and cooled if necessary. In Depends on the preparation method selected and the So food is i. A. several process steps executed one after the other. Crucial for the quality and taste of this way prepared food is the most exact possible Compliance with the various parameters each Processing step. This applies to the Smoking not only intensity, density and temperature of smoke, but also the length of stay of Food in the smoke.

The smoke is generally generated by a Ember bed in which wood chips (wood chips) smolder. To the Firing the chips is usually a electric heating element used. This must especially when igniting for the first time every day (Cold start) be preheated for at least 10 min.  

An under-air blower is then switched on and thus made the bed of embers smolder. The disadvantage here, however, is that the heating elements wear out and have a limited lifespan have the size of the smoke generator as well depends on the size of the ember bed.

From EP-A-0 397 127 is a steam smoke generator as well a process for the production of steam smoke known the wood chips placed on a rotating grate and then flowed through to produce smoke will. The wood chips become pyrolytic Turning a grate into ash by about 360 °. The handling and keeping ready for those The wood chips required to produce smoke is at the known smoke generator consuming.

The invention is therefore based on the object To create smoke generators of the type mentioned at the outset, its handling is simple and that simple Way can be ignited quickly.

This task is solved at the beginning mentioned smoke generator in that an ember bed through a hot air stream directed at it is ignited and that the ember bed by smoldering a log is produced.

The smoke generator according to the invention is simply too handle. Neither steam is used to produce smoke used, still a rotatable grate used. The Ember bed is easily made using hot air ignited. The invention is also suitable for Ignition of a wooden block that is particularly easy to do handle.  

A particular advantage of this solution is that the ignition time is reduced significantly and now only is still about 2 minutes. This is especially true for one automatic process design very important. Of the quick and reliable ignition of the ember bed depends on the taste of the Incense products. The invention enables an accurate Controllability of this ignition.

An arrangement is also known in which a Wooden block by means of one at its lower end arranged friction wheel, which is caused by friction heat generated, ignited. However, this arrangement works very loud and therefore has only one very limited scope. In the case of the invention This disadvantage does not occur solution.

Another advantage of the invention has been pointed out that by this type of ignition the Ember bed temperature drops, in one area between 600 and 700 ° C, while it was previously between 750 and 1200 ° C. As a result, the smoke is more contains aromatic components because not - as with the high temperatures - part of these substances is immediately burned again. It is also advantageous the fact that due to the lower ember bed temperature less tar accumulates, so cleaning the chamber is easier and the danger that tar splashes the Contaminating food is significantly reduced.

The device for generating the hot air flow has preferably an electric heating coil.

This makes it electronic in a very simple way Ignition control possible.  

The device for generating the hot air flow has further preferably a tube at its first end the heating coil is arranged and its second end is directed to the ember bed.

The first end of the tube is preferably in the free ambient air, with a fan can be provided with a in the tube Airflow directed towards the second end is produced.

The fact has another advantage proved that smoke generation by induction or Switching off the fan and the heating coil almost abruptly started or stopped can, so that the length of time during which the Incense in the smoke should remain, essential can be adhered to more precisely.

The pipe is to reduce heat loss preferably thermally insulated.

More details, features and advantages of the Invention result from the following Description of an embodiment using the Drawing.

The only figure shows a schematic Cross-sectional representation of an embodiment of the Invention.

The smoke generator shown in the figure consists essentially of a smoke generator housing 3 and an ash drawer 2 .

Furthermore, there is a device in the smoke generator housing 3 for generating a hot air stream directed onto an ember bed 10 . This device essentially has an insulated tube 7 , at the first end of which a heating coil 6 is arranged, and the second end of which is directed towards the ember bed 10 '. The tube is surrounded by thermal insulation in order to keep the heat loss of the hot air flow passing through the tube 7 low. The first end of the tube 7 is in the free ambient air. At this end there is also a blower 5 which sucks in the ambient air and blows through the pipe 7 via the heating coil 6 .

Finally, the smoke generator has a smoke outlet 11 , which leads to the smoke chamber and through which the smoke generated is sucked off via a vacuum.

A solid wooden block 12 rests with its lower end on a perforated disk 14 . A weight 13 rests on the upper end of the wooden block 12 , so that the wooden block 12, regardless of its length, always rests on the perforated disk 14 with a certain minimum pressure. The second opening of the tube 7 is directed towards this perforated disc 14 .

The ignition of the ember bed 10 takes place in a simple manner in that a heating current is passed through the heating coil 6 and the fan 5 is switched on. The blower 5 blows a relatively small amount of air over the heating coil 6 , as a result of which the air is heated and then led to the ember bed 10 . The ember bed 10 is formed at the lower end of the wooden block 12 in the area of the perforated disk 14 by the hot air supplied through the insulated pipe 7 . The smoke generated in this way leaves the smoke generator through the smoke outlet 11 and is supplied to the smoke chamber, for example, by means of a negative pressure. The ash residues created during smoldering fall into the ash drawer 2 .

Claims (6)

1. Smoke generator for generating smoke, with a smoldering ember bed ( 10 ), in particular for hot smoking and cooking systems for food, and with a device ( 5 , 6 , 7 ) for generating a hot air stream, characterized in that a glow bed ( 10 ) is ignited by a hot air stream directed thereon and that the ember bed ( 10 ) is produced by smoldering a wooden block ( 12 ). 2. Smoke generator according to claim 1, characterized in that the device ( 5 , 6 , 7 ) for generating the hot air flow has an electric heating coil ( 6 ). 3. Smoke generator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the device ( 5 , 6 , 7 ) for generating the hot air flow has a tube ( 7 ), at the first end of which a heating coil ( 6 ) is arranged, and the second end thereof is directed to the ember bed ( 10 ). 4. Smoke generator according to claim 3, characterized in that the first end of the tube ( 7 ) is in the free ambient air. 5. Smoke generator according to claim 3 or 4, characterized by a blower ( 5 ) for generating a tube ( 7 ) in the direction of the second end of the air flow. 6. Smoke generator according to one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the tube ( 7 ) is thermally insulated.