GB2074309A

GB2074309A - Apparatus for Establishing Combustion in a Barbecue Enclosure

Info

Publication number: GB2074309A
Application number: GB8011483A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: SELWALL SHEET METAL CO Ltd
Current assignee: SELWALL SHEET METAL CO Ltd
Priority date: 1980-04-08
Filing date: 1980-04-08
Publication date: 1981-10-28
Also published as: GB2074309B

Abstract

Apparatus for establishing combustion in a barbecue enclosure comprises an open ended wall structure (10) to be placed within the barbecue enclosure. The walls (11) have apertures (17) adjacent the lower end (16) to provide an entry for air to combustible material within the wall structure (10), the open top (14) providing the air exit. The walls (11) may be hinged (12) to each other so as to lie flat for storage. When combustion is established within the wall structure (10) the combustible material may be brought into contact with the combustible material in the barbecue enclosure. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Method of and Apparatus for Establishing Combustion in a Barbecue Enclosure This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for establishing combustion in a barbecue enclosure and in particular for facilitating the initial stages of lighting the combustible material and getting such material to a conditidn whereby the burning thereof is readily maintained.

When food is cooked on a barbecue the combustible material is situated in an opentopped enclosure above which a grid or set of bars is supported. The food rests on the grid or bars to receive heat from the burning combustible material and be cooked thereby. The open-topped enclosure may comprise a trough or pit in the ground, be formed by upstanding walls, usually of brick, on the ground or on a flat surface raised above the ground, or by a bowl or trough fabricated from metal sheet. The grid or bars are supported by the periphery of the trough or pit or by the tops of the walls. The combustible material lies on the bottom of the enclosure and ideally is a material which smoulders and burns substantially without flame, for example tree logs or charcoal.

Difficulty is often experienced in lighting such material and getting it to a condition whereby the burning thereof is readily maintained since the maintenance of such burning requires that the combustib!e material is at a relatively high temperature and this condition is not easily fulfilled in the initial stages. The fact that the combustible material is contained in a walled enclosure provides that there is often not a readily available supply of air to the lower regions of the combustible material, thereby hindering the establishment of the combustion process. In order to overcome this problem artificial means of supplying air to the combustible material are often used, for example bellows or the vigorous wafting of a sheet of material.Alternatively the use of fuelled burners is often resorted to, for example gas probers, in order to facilitate the initial stages of establishing the burning of the combustible material. The use of such measures often detracts from the enjoyment of cooking the food by means of a barbecue, and it is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus for use in establishing the maintainable burning condition of the combustible material whereby the use of the abovementioned measures may be dispensed with or at least minimised.

The invention provides apparatus for use in establishing combustion in a barbecue enclosure, comprising a wall structure to define an inner enclosure for a quantity of combustible material within said barbecue enclosure, said wall structure having vent means at opposed ends thereof to provide an entry and exit for air respectively to and from said inner enclosure, said inner enclosure having transverse dimensions less than the corresponding dimensions of the barbecue enclosure in which said wall structure is upstanding in use.

The invention also provides a method of establishing combustion in a barbecue enclosure, comprising providing a wall structure to be upstanding in said barbecue enclosure and to define an inner enclosure for a quantity of combustible material therein, said wall structure having vent means at upper and lower ends thereof to provide respectively an entry and an exit for air to and from said quantity of combustible material within said inner enclosure, said inner enclosure having transverse dimensions less than the corresponding dimensions of said barbecue enclosure, establishing the combustion of said quantity of combustible material and removing said wall structure whereby combustion of further combustion material in said barbecue enclosure may be established By means of the invention, a quantity of combustible material, which may include for example paper, fire lighters, twigs and small pieces of wood as well as the primary fuel for the barbeque such as charcoal, is maintained in an upstanding disposition in that material. The provision of vents at the upper and lower ends of the wall structure ensures that a supply of air is readily available for the combustion process and that the upwards draught of air through the material is able to be maintained. When the primary fuel is burning sufficiently well the wall structure may be removed so that the combustion process can extend to further combustible materials in the barbecue enclosure, the burning primary fuel being at a temperature such that the combustion process is readily maintained.

The wall structure may be removed from the barbecue enclosure completely. Alternatively the wall structure may be movable relative to the barbecue enclosure so that an inner enclosure is not defined by the wall structure after such relative movement.

Preferably the wall structure is open-ended, the open upper end in use providing the vent means through which air exits from the inner enclosure, and the open lower end enabling the wall structure to be removed from the barbecue enclosure when the combustion of the material within the inner enclosure is established.

Preferably the vent means at the lower end of the wall structure is provided by apertures in the walls of the wall structure. In this way air may travel laterally through the apertures to enter the inner enclosure, upwardly through the apertures to enter the inner enclosure, upwardly through the combustible material therein and then out through the open upper end of the wall structure, thus facilitating the burning process.

Preferably the plan area of the upper end of the wall structure is less than that of the lower end, the tapering cross-section of the wall structure aiding the upwards draught of air through the inner enclosure.

The wall structure may be frusto-conical.

However, a frusto-rectangular pyrimidal form is preferred. In the latter case the walls or the wall structure may be hingedly attached to each other so that the structure may lie flat when not in use for ease of storage.

Preferably the wall structure is of a material which is resistant to burning so as to be reusable throughout a long working life. Such a material may be stainless steel.

The ends of the wall structure may be lipped so as to provide rigidity and in the case of the upper end means whereby the structure may be easily lifted from the barbecue enclosure whilst hot. Alternatively for this latter purpose opposed apertures may be provided in the wall structure adjacent the upper end thereof through which a rod may be inserted before lifting.

One embodiment of apparatus in accordance with the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a wall structure; and Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the wall structure of Fig. 1 installed within a barbecue enclosure.

Referreing now to Fig. 1 there is shown a wall structure 10 which is of frusto-rectangular pyramidal form. the four sides 11 are of identical trapezoidal shape and are of sheet stainless steel hinged to each other by hinge pins 12 along their non-parallel edges. The parallel edges are lipped to provide rigidity of the sides 11, the shorter edges 13 defining an open upper end 14 and the longer edges 15 defining an open lower end 16.

In each side 11 are a plurality of apertures 17 adjacent the lower edges 15. These apertures 17 provide an entry for air to the inner enclosure within the wall structure 10. Also provided in each side 11 is an aperture 1 8 so that a bar may be inserted through opposed apertures 18 to enable the wall structure 10 to be lifted whilst hot.

In Fig. 2 the wall structure 10 is shown situated within a barbecue enclosure 19. A quantity of combustible material, comprising paper 20, twigs or small pieces of wood 21 and charcoal 22 is placed in the inner enclosure 24 formed by the wall structure 10 and further combustible material comprising charcoal 23 is placed in the barbecue enclosure 1 9 and outside the wall structure 10 either before or after esablishing burning of the materials 20, 21, 22 in the inner enclosure 24.

The paper 20 is ignited and eventually burning of the other combustible materials 21, 22 is established, this being aided by means of the draught of air which is readily established through apertures 17, upwardly through the materials 20, 21, 22 and out of the open end 14. When burning of the charcoal 22 is established the wall structure 10 is removed from the barbecue enclosure 1 9 in the manner described above and burning of the charcoal 23 may then be established. A grid or set of bars (not shown) may then be placed over the barbecue enclosure 1 9 and cooking of the food commenced.

Other embodiments of wall structure 10 may be envisaged by a person skilled in the art. For example, the wall structure may be frusto-conical or other shape if desired. However the embodiment shown is preferred since it will fold so as to lie flat when not in use for ease of storage. As an alternative to the apertures 1 7 slots extending to the edges 15 may be provided or the walls 11 may have legs secured thereto so that spaces between such legs provide the air entry vent means. As an alternative to apertures 18 other means, for example hooks, may be provided to facilitate lifting of the wall structure 10 from the barbecue enclosure 19 whilst hot.

As a further alternative the walls 11 may be secured to the base of the barbecue enclosure 19 and be hinged thereto so as to lie flat when not in use. The charcoal 23 would then be placed over the horizontally disposed walls 11 when burning of the materials 20, 21, 22 is established. With such an embodiment the upper edges 13 of walls 11 may be clipped together when the wall structure 10 is erected for use.

The wall structure 10 may be parallel sided but the tapered form is preferred so as to assist in the creation of a draught of air through the materials 20,21,22.

Claims

1. Apparatus for use in establishing combustion in a barbecue enclosure, comprising a wall structure to define an inner enclosure for a quantity of combustible material within said barbecue enclosure, said wall structure having a vent means at opposed ends thereof to provide an entry and an exit for air respectively to and from said inner enclosure, said inner enclosure having transverse dimensions less than the corresponding dimensions of a barbecue enclosure in which said wall structure is upstanding in use.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said wall structure is open ended at said opposed ends thereof.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said vent means at one end comprises at least one aperture in said wall structure.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the plan area of said one end is greater than that of the end opposed thereto.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said wall structure is frusto-conical.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said wall structure is frusto-rectangular pyramidal.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the walls of said wall structure are hingedly attached to each other.

8. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein said wall structure is of stainless steel.

9. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the ends of said wall structure are lipped.

1 0. Apparatus according to claim 3 or any claim dependent thereon comprising handle means attached to said wall structure adjacent the end opposed to said one end.

11. Apparatus according to claim 3 or any claim dependent thereon comprising opposed apertures in said wall structure adjacent the end opposed to said one end.

12. Apparatus for use in establishing combustion in a barbecue enclosure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

13. A method of establishing combustion in a barbecue enclosure comprising providing a wall structure to be upstanding in said barbecue enclosure to define an inner enclosure therein, said wall structure having vent means at upper and lower ends thereof to provide respectively an entry to an an exit from a quantity of combustible material provided within said inner enclosure, said inner enclosure having transverse dimensions less than the corresponding dimensions of said barbecue enclosure, establishing combustion of said quantity of combustible material and removing said wall structure thereby to establish combustion of further combustible material provided in said barbecue enclosure.