GB2116418A - Barbecues - Google Patents

Abstract

A barbecue 10, Fig. 1, defines a food position and comprises gas radiant heat source means 20 below said position such means comprising at least one surface combustion radiant 22 designed to have a surface 24, Fig. 3, opposite its radiant surface 26 with a semi-conductor control unit 28 adjacent said opposite surface, automatic control, a safety device, gas jets operable only to a wholly on or wholly off condition and temperature control by such operation of some only of such jets. The radiants are simulated solid fuel effect radiants. A support for the heat source means is in the form of an open topped box 46 having support elements 50 bent inwards from its sides to provide air inlets 52 and to support a removable guide 48 for locating the radiants and has support elements 58 bent outwards from its base to provide air inlets and to support the box as feet. The barbecue comprises a removable reflector 70 adapted to fit within a windshield 54 of the barbecue to throw heat forwards to adapt the barbecue for use as a heater. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in and relating to barbecues This invention relates to barbecues.

In a modern sense, a barbecue is an apparatus for supporting and broiling food with a heat source placed blow the food. It is usually for outdoor use with a windshield and portable, or at least transportable by hand, although sometimes it may be fixed on an outdoor patio. The heat source generally is charcoal or a similar fuel. It requires about a quarter of an hour to bring it up to cooking temperature and combustion is inefficient, producing noxious gases such as carbon monoxide, A barbecue has been tried using gas as the fuel and lumps of lava placed above the gas source and heated thereby to simulate solid fuel.

This suffers from the foregoing disadvantages. The present inventor realised that it also suffers from further inefficiency because the lumps of lava are much cooler on top (whence the useful heat is taken) than underneath.

The present invention consists of a barbecue defining a food position and comprising gas radiant heat source means below said position. A gas radiant is an item understood in the art.

Usually, it is moulded, designed for efficient heat conversion, made of relatively thin radiating portions and with a small heat capacity. The use of heat source means comprising one or more gas radiants substantially alleviates the abovementioned disadvantages. Use of a gas radiant can in fact be so efficient in combustion that the whole unit can be lightweight and very clean and so that noxious gases are substantially eliminated, for which reasons such a barbecue can be used indoors as well as outside. The temperature of the radiant surface can be so high that any juices, fat, etc. falling on the radiant surface are vaporized, which action can reduce the carcinogen content of the food being cooked. Due to the low thermal capacity of a gas radiant, use of it can enable the barbecue to be brought up to cooking temperature in less than one minute.Substantially more advantageous in these respects, is a barbecue comprising one or more gas radiants of a kind known in the art as a surface combustion radiant, this being one having a radiant surface specially formed to facilitate combustion of gas thereat.

Such a radiant can be designed to have a low temperature surface opposite its radiant surface.

This may in fact be so cool as to allow a semiconductor (e.g. micro-processor) cbntrol unit to be included in the barbecue and located adjacent to such opposite surface. Bearing in mind the effects of wind and the quick response of gas heating, a temperature sensing device (which may be incorporated in or near the heat source means) can be used to control the gas supply automatically (e.g. by means of such a control unit as just mentioned) and hence the temperature of the heat source means, e.g. to a prearranged or adjustable value. Such a control device may also comprise a safety device (e.g. to switch off the gas supply) if the pressure should drop substantially or fail. For simplicity, uniformity of cooking, efficiency.

and possibly other reasons, a barbecue may be provided with a gas switch (usually a gas tap) operable only to the fully-on and fully-off positions. It may be advantageous, e.g. for pressure considerations, for the heat source means to comprise at least one gas jet and the or each such jet to be operable only to a wholly on or wholly off condition.

In such a barbecue, the aforementioned control can be effected by providing a plurality of such gas jets arranged for the temperature sensing device to operate one or more of them to its wholly on or wholly off condition to control the temperature of the heat source means.

While many forms of radiant can be suppiied, it is preferred that the gas radiant heat source means shall comprise one or more simulated solid fuel (e.g. charcoal or coal) effect radiants as this would have a distinct psychological advantage in simulating a more conventional barbecue and reassuring those going to eat food cooked with the barbecue that they will have food cooked every bit as well as by a conventional barbecue, if not better.

To contribute to the barbecue being light in weight and easily transportable, it may comprise one or more of the following features: It may comprise a support for the heat source means, in .the form of an open topped box; it may comprise a removable guide for locating a plurality of said gas radiants and said box may have support elements bent inwards from its sides to provide air inlets and to support said guide; it may have a windshield with folding sides adapted to fit inside the top of the box and rest on such support elements; it may comprise a windshieled with front slots and rear protuberances to support a grill; it may comprise a windshield with support means for supporting a grill at different heights above the heat source means; it may comprise a removable reflector adapted to fit within a windshield of the barbecue to thrown heat forwards to adapt the barbecue for use as a heater; the box may have support elements bent outwards from its base to provide air inlets and to support the box as feet; the box may be provided with gas supply means; the gas supply means may provide a gas distribution point centrally located within the plan of the box.

Another aspect of the invention consists in a method of cooking food in which there is used any such barbecue embodying the invention. Another aspect of the invention consists in food cooked with the aid of any such barbecue or method.

Reference will now be made by way of example to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a barbecue embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the Fig. 1 embodiment; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line Ill-Ill oi Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, a barbecue 10 defines at least one food position by means of slots 12 and lugs or bosses 14 for positioning a grill 1 6 resting on such bosses and having arms 1 8 projecting through slots 12, and comprising gas radiant heat source means 20 below said position. The heat source means 20 comprise four surface combustion radiants 22. Each radiant 22 is designed to have a low temperature surface 24 opposite its radiant surface 26.

The barbecue 10 may comprise a semi conductor controlled unit 28 adjacent to said low temperature opposite surface 24. The device 28 may include a safety device, which may be in the form of a timing and temperature responsive circuit, to switch off the gas supply at tap 30 in response to pre-set timing and temperature conditions indicative of a serious drop in gas pressure or failure thereof. The arrangement comprises a temperature sensing device 32 arranged, by way of unit 28, to control the gas supply automatically and hence the temperature of the heat source means 20. Means 20 comprise four gas jets 34, 36, one for each of the radiants 22 and all four jets are operable only to a wholly on or wholly off condition by means of tap 30.

Furthermore, the front jets 36 are independently operable to a wholly off condition by control valves 38. These jets 38 are arranged for the temperature sensing device 32 to operate them to their wholly on or wholly off condition by means of valves 38.

Each of radiants 22 is a simulated solid fuel effect radiant. Such radiants can be obtained from J. Tennant and Sons (Warrington) Ltd. of Hawthorne Street, Warrington, Cheshire, England under the Trade Mark TENNAGLO. Each radiant comprises a box-like ceramic structure 40 faced with a simulated fuel effect radiant surface 26 and comprises an inlet 42 leading into a tubular baffle 44. When used in accordance with the makers' instructions, their normal operating surface temperature is of the order of 900 . The opposite face 24 then has a very low temperature.

The structure of the barbecue loins as follows.

It comprises a support for the heat source means 20 in the form of an open topped box 46, a removable guide 48 made of channel section in the form of a cross set in a rectangle for locating the four gas radiants 22, the box 46 having support elements 50 bent inwards from its sides to provide air inlets 52 and to support said guide 48. The barbecue 10 is provided with a windshield 54 with folding sides adapted to fit inside the top of the box 46 and rest on said support element 50.

Windshield 54 is provided with bosses 56 to space it from the sides of box 46 to allow air in through inlets 52. As mentioned, windshield 54 has front slots 12 and rear lugs or bosses 14 to support grill 1 6. The different levels of slots 12 and lugs or bosses 14 constitute support means of the windshield for supporting the grill 1 6 at different heights above the heat source means 20.

The box 46 has support elements 58 bent outwards from its base to provide air inlets 60 and to support the box 46 as feet. Gas is supplied through pipe 62, either from the mains or from a portable gas container. It passes through cap 30 to a central distribution point 64 whence it goes through pipes 66 and channel-works 68 to jets 34, 36.

The whole barbecue 10 can be quite light in weight, e.g. 3 to 41bs. if made with 1 8 gauge mild steel (having a stoved paint finish), and the grill of 1 6 gauge mesh with 1" squares, and can be quite small, for example 14" high by 16" wide by 12" deep. It is particularly suitable for camping or caravanning and in such an application, as it may produce 6 kilowatts of heat, it is convenient for it to be adaptable for use as a heater. For this purpose, there is provided a removable, curved, heat reflector 70 which, when the grill 1 6 is removed, fits to the rear lower edge of windshield 54 and rests against a pair of lugs 72, at each top front corner of windshield 54, and serves to throw heat forwards.

Claims (16)

1. A barbecue defining a food position and comprising gas radiant heat source means below said portion.

2. A barbecue as claimed in Claim 1, in which said heat source means comprise at least one surface combustion radiant.

3. A barbecue as claimed in Claim 1, in which said heat source means comprise at least one surface combustion radiant designed to have a low temperature surface opposite its radiant surface.

4. A barbecue as claimed in Claim 3, comprising a semi-conductor control unit adjacent said opposite surface.

5. A barbecue as claimed in Claim 4, comprising a safety device.

6. A barbecue as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising a temperature sensing device arranged to control the gas supply automatically and hence the temperature of the heat source means.

7. A barbecue as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the heat source means comprise al least one gas jet, the or each such jet being operable only to a wholly on or wholly off condition.

8. A barbecue as claimed in Claim 7 when appended to Claim 6, comprising a plurality of such gas jets arranged for the temperature sensing device to operate one or more of them to its wholly on or wholly off condition.

9. A barbecue as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the heat source means comprise at least one simulated solid fuel effect radiant.

10. A barbecue as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising a support for the heat source means, in the form of an open topped box.

11. A barbecue as claimed in Claim 10, comprising a removable guide for locating a plurality of said gas radiants, said box having support elements bent inwards from its sides to provide air inlets and to support said guide.

12. A barbecue as claimed in Claim 10 or 11, in which the box has support elements bent outwards from its base to provide air inlets and to support the box as feet.

1 3. A barbecue as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising a removable reflector adapted to fit within a windshield of the barbecue to throw heat forwards to adapt the barbecue for use as a heater.

14. A barbecue as claimed in Claim 1 and substantially according to any embodiment hereinbefore described.

1 5. A barbecue substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

16. A method of cooking food in which there is used a barbecue as claimed in any preceding claim.

1 7. Food cooked with the aid of a barbecue or method as claimed in any preceding claim.