WO2016171775A1 - Systèmes et procédés pour un fumoir de barbecue automatique - Google Patents

Systèmes et procédés pour un fumoir de barbecue automatique Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2016171775A1
WO2016171775A1 PCT/US2016/014897 US2016014897W WO2016171775A1 WO 2016171775 A1 WO2016171775 A1 WO 2016171775A1 US 2016014897 W US2016014897 W US 2016014897W WO 2016171775 A1 WO2016171775 A1 WO 2016171775A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
smoker
food
temperature
barbecue smoker
container
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2016/014897
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Kevin Kit Parker
Alexander Peyton NESMITH
Jerry Chang
Jordan K. DEGRAAF
Joseph A. FESTA
William N. JAMESON
Michel MAALOULY
Austen NOVIS
Salathiel NTAKIRUTIMANA
Elizabeth Olayinka OGUNBIYI
Jack Jing ZHOU
Paul C. KACZOR
Original Assignee
President And Fellows Of Harvard College
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by President And Fellows Of Harvard College filed Critical President And Fellows Of Harvard College
Publication of WO2016171775A1 publication Critical patent/WO2016171775A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47J—KITCHEN EQUIPMENT; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES
    • A47J37/00—Baking; Roasting; Grilling; Frying
    • A47J37/06—Roasters; Grills; Sandwich grills
    • A47J37/07—Roasting devices for outdoor use; Barbecues
    • A47J37/0704—Roasting devices for outdoor use; Barbecues with horizontal fire box

Definitions

  • Smoking and grilling are common methods for cooking food.
  • food is flavored and slow-cooked at relatively low heat by exposing it to smoke in a closed container called a smoker.
  • the smoke is usually produced by wood exposed to a heat source such as coal or propane.
  • a heat source such as coal or propane.
  • food is quickly cooked at relatively high heat by directly applying heat from a heat source such as coal or gas. It is particularly difficult to achieve optimal results during smoking of food due in part to the long duration of smoking (e.g., a 12 hour smoking time is common for some cuts of meat) over which conditions inside the smoke and ambient conditions may change dramatically and the inability to see the food during smoking as opening the smoker substantially interferes with the smoking process.
  • the invention relates to an automated barbecue smoker device for cooking food.
  • the barbecue smoker device includes a container that comprises at least three body portions including a top cover, a hyperboloid chamber, and a smoker base.
  • the barbecue smoker device also includes a food platform, an upper vent disposed in the top cover, at least two lower vents disposed in the smoker base, a fan coupled to one of the lower vents, at least one sensor coupled to the container, and a control device configured to collect data from the at least one sensor and to adjust airflow through at least one of the lower vents using the fan.
  • the barbecue smoker device also includes a refueling chute extending through a surface of the container and configured to enable refueling without opening a lid of the device.
  • the control device is programmed to adjust airflow through at least one of the two lower vents using the fan based on data collected from the at least one sensor.
  • the senor comprises a thermocouple and the control device is configured to automatically control a temperature in the container by controlling the fan coupled to one of the lower vents based on data collected from the sensor.
  • control device is programmed to determine optimal smoking conditions based on user input relating to the food to be cooked.
  • the hyperboloid chamber and the smoker base form a single unitary piece or are permanently affixed to each other.
  • each of the at least two lower vents is coupled to an associated fan.
  • the control device is configured to automatically control a temperature in the container by controlling the associated fans coupled to the at least two lower vents based on data collected from the at least one sensor.
  • the barbecue smoker device also includes a water container proximate to the food platform in the container for holding water, where the water container is made of a ceramic material.
  • the barbecue smoker also includes a fuel basket disposed in a lower portion of the container and configured to be supplied with fuel via the refueling chute.
  • the invention in another aspect, relates to a system for remotely controlling a barbecue smoker device.
  • the system includes the barbecue smoker device according to the above embodiments and coupled to a processor and a display unit.
  • the system also includes a mobile device in wireless communication with the barbecue smoker device, and the mobile device is configured to display a graphical user interface.
  • the graphical user interface is configured to receive input from a user, where the input causes a configuration change in the barbecue smoker device.
  • the barbecue smoker device is configured to communicate data from the at least one sensor to the mobile device.
  • the input causes a change in the airflow through at least one of the lower vents.
  • the invention in another aspect, relates to a non-transitory machine readable storage medium storing at least one program that, when executed by at least one processor of a mobile device, causes the at least one processor to perform a method for remotely controlling a barbecue smoker device.
  • the method includes receiving information related to a food item via a graphical user interface displayed on the mobile device, determining an optimal cooking condition for the food item based on the information, displaying the optimal cooking condition on the graphical user interface, and receiving an input from a user causing a change in airflow through at least one lower vent in the barbecue smoker device according to any of the embodiments described above.
  • the information related to the food item includes a type of the food item, a weight of the food item, and a shape of the food item.
  • the optimal cooking condition for the food item is determined using an algorithm.
  • FIG. 1A schematically depicts a smoker, according to an example embodiment
  • FIG. IB schematically depicts a smoker, according to another example embodiment
  • FIG. 1C schematically depicts configurations of the smoker of FIG. IB for various uses
  • FIG. ID schematically depicts dimensions for a smoker, according to an example embodiment
  • FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a system for remotely controlling a smoker, according to an example embodiment
  • FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting a method for determining optimal cooking conditions for food in a smoker, according to an example embodiment
  • FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting a method for controlling a smoker based on a particular food, according to an example embodiment
  • FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system that may be used to implement exemplary embodiments of the automated smoker described herein;
  • FIG. 6A is a graph of normalized measured temperatures along the y-axis measured at the grill plate in a conventional BIG GREEN EGG smoker illustrating temperature gradients along the y-axis during an experiment;
  • FIG. 6B illustrates measured thermal imaging data for various portions of a conventional BIG GREEN EGG smoker during the experiment whose results are shown in FIG. 6A;
  • FIG. 6C schematically illustrates the x-axis and the y-axis and various locations on the grill plate for the data shown in FIGs. 6A, 6B, 7A and 7B;
  • FIG. 7A is a graph of normalized measured temperatures along the x-axis measured at the grill plate in a conventional BIG GREEN EGG smoker illustrating temperature gradients along the x-axis during an experiment;
  • FIG. 7B illustrates measured thermal imaging data for the conventional BIG GREEN EGG smoker during the experiment whose results are shown in FIG. 7A;
  • FIG. 8A schematically depicts a conventional BIG GREEN EGG smoker showing the location of the lower vent and of the grill plate;
  • FIG. 8B illustrates theoretical calculated heat distribution data for a plane above the grill plate and a plane below the grill plate based on container geometry and vent location for the conventional BIG GREEN EGG smoker of FIG. 8A;
  • FIG. 8C illustrates theoretical calculated heat distribution data at the grill plate based on container geometry and vent location for the conventional BIG GREEN EGG smoker of FIG. 8A;
  • FIG. 9A schematically depicts a smoker showing locations of lower vents and the grill plate, in accordance with an embodiment
  • FIG 9B illustrates theoretical heat distribution data for a plane above the grill plate and a plane below the grill plate based on container geometry and vent locations for the smoker depicted in FIG. 9A;
  • FIG. 9C illustrates theoretical heat distribution data at the grill plate based on container geometry and vent locations for the smoker depicted in FIG. 9A.
  • FIG. 10A illustrates theoretical heat distribution data at the grill plate and at a plane above the lower vent and below the grill plate of the smoker depicted in FIG. IB, but with one lower vent, in accordance with an embodiment
  • FIG. 10B illustrates theoretical heat distribution data at the grill plate and at a plane above the lower vent and below the grill plate of the smoker depicted in FIG. IB with two lower vents, in accordance with an embodiment
  • FIG. 11 A is a graph of internal smoker temperature over time during the smoking process for various experimental runs using a conventional BIG GREEN EGG smoker with manual temperature control;
  • FIG. 1 IB is a graph of internal smoker temperature over time during the smoking process for various experimental runs using a BIG GREEN EGG smoker with automated temperature control, in accordance with some aspects of some embodiments;
  • FIG. 12 is a graph of the internal smoker temperature at the back of the grill plate and at the front of the grill plate over time during smoking using a conventional BIG GREEN EGG smoker;
  • FIG. 13 is a graph of measured temperature versus time for a smoker whose lower vents had fans that were randomly turned on and off during smoking and a graph of a transfer function calculated based on a fit to the measured temperature versus time data;
  • FIG. 14 is a graph of measured temperature versus time for a smoker whose lower vents had fans whose on and off pattern was automatically controlled using a ⁇ ) controller based on the calculated transfer function to obtain a desired temperature, and a graph of the modeled temperature as a function of time; in accordance with an embodiment
  • FIG. 15A is a graph of temperature at various locations on a brisket over time during smoking of the brisket using a BIG GREEN EGG smoker;
  • FIG. 15B schematically depicts a top view of the brisket smoked during the experiment whose data is shown in FIG. 15A and the various temperature measurement locations on the brisket;
  • FIG. 16A illustrates calculated theoretical heat distribution data for a side cross- section of the smoker and a top view of the grill plate for a smoker having a shape as depicted in FIG. IB with a ceramic lid, according to an embodiment
  • FIG. 16B illustrates calculated theoretical heat distribution data for a side-cross section of the smoker and a top view of the grill plate for a smoker having a shape as depicted in FIG. IB with a stainless steel lid, according to an embodiment
  • FIG. 17 schematically depicts parameters employed in an equation for determining an initial weight of fuel required to provide the total energy required during a smoking process, according to an embodiment
  • FIG. 18 depicts and describes features of an example prototype smoker being built, in accordance with an embodiment.
  • Embodiments described herein include systems and methods for an automated barbecue smoker. Some embodiments include an improved smoker design, a programmable smoker that can be remotely controlled, and a method for determining optimal cooking conditions for various food types.
  • Smoking and grilling food properly is important to ensure that the food is cooked and appropriate for consumption. Additionally, it is important to achieve desirable flavor and even cooking of the food. Different types of food require different conditions for best results. Factors regarding the internal environment of the smoker like heat, temperature, smoke, air flow, humidity, type and amount of wood, type of heat source, and other factors are considered when determining an optimal environment and optimal conditions for smoking. The optimal conditions also vary based on the characteristics of the food itself, like the type of food (e.g., beef, pork, chicken, lamb, vegetables, etc.) the weight of the food, the size and shape of the food, the cut of the meat (when the food being cooked is meat) and the like.
  • type of food e.g., beef, pork, chicken, lamb, vegetables, etc.
  • the optimal cooking conditions for a beef brisket weighing 8 pounds are different than the optimal cooking conditions for a pork shoulder weighing 5 pounds.
  • external factors such as, weather, atmospheric pressure, time of year and day, and the like, may also be considered in determining optimal cooking conditions.
  • the automated smoker provides features that may include, but are not limited to adjustable panels and walls to configure the size and shape of the smoker container, adjustable air vents to manage air flow in the smoker container, temperature sensors, smoke sensors, air flow sensors, humidity sensors, an adjustable height adjustable food platform, automatically fillable water container, and other features.
  • Some embodiments provide the ability to remotely control the smoker and the adjustable features of the smoker via an application installed on a user's mobile device. Some embodiments provide an automated smoker with a user interface on the smoker itself. Come embodiments provide methods for determining optimal conditions for cooking (e.g., smoking or grilling) a particular food type based on the weight, type, size and shape of the food. These example embodiments are described in detail below.
  • FIG. 1A schematically depicts an example smoker 100.
  • the smoker 100 includes an exterior wall 105 and an interior wall 110, which define an air layer 115, an upper air vent 120, sensors 125, a food platform 130, a wood platform 135, a heat source 140, and a lower air vent 145.
  • the smoker 100 can also be used as a grill or an oven to grill or bake food.
  • a shape of a middle or lower portion of the smoker 100 e.g., a portion below the level of the food platform 130
  • the smoker 100 has a narrowed portion 102 with a waist w below the food platform 130 and widens near the food platform 130.
  • the hyperboloid shape of the narrowed portion 102 below the food platform 130 may promote more even smoke exposure at the level of the food platform 130 as compared with some other conventional smoker shapes (e.g., vertical smokers with a cylindrical or truncated conical shape below the food platform).
  • some other conventional smoker shapes e.g., vertical smokers with a cylindrical or truncated conical shape below the food platform.
  • the part of the food that is closest to the burning wood has the longest contact time with the smoke.
  • the hyperboloid structure of the smoker 100 aids in achieving more even exposure of the food to smoke providing optimal cooking conditions for food.
  • the smoke moves rapidly through the narrowed portion 102 of the smoker, then slows down in the upper region of the smoker due to the increased diameter of the container in the upper region. This allows for denser and heavier smoke particles to remain close to the food on the food platform 130, while the lighter more buoyant smoke particles leave the smoker through the upper air vent 120. See the discussion of FIG. IB below for an example of another smoker having a container with a narrowed portion below the food platform having a hyperboloid shape.
  • the exterior wall 105 and the interior wall 110 form a multilayer container for the smoker 100, as shown in FIG. 1A.
  • the exterior wall 105 and the interior wall 110 are spaced apart from each other so that the air layer 115 is formed between the exterior wall 105 and the interior wall 110.
  • the air layer 115 between the exterior wall 105 and the interior wall 110 provides additional insulation to hold heat within the smoker.
  • the smoker container may be formed using more than two walls, that define one or more additional air layers.
  • the air layer 115 between the exterior wall 105 and interior wall 110 may be divided into multiple different compartments or pockets of air.
  • the container for the smoker may be single layered or single walled.
  • the exterior wall 105 and the interior wall 110 can be made of any suitable materials for a smoker, such that the smoker is optimized for heat capacitance and conductance with consideration of radiative effects.
  • the exterior wall 105 is made of a material that is different than the material of the interior wall 110.
  • the exterior wall 105 and the interior wall 110 both include the same material.
  • one or both of the exterior wall 105 and the interior wall 110 include a highly porous ceramic material that provides sufficient thermal insulation and prevents smoke from escaping from the smoker.
  • the exterior wall 105 may include an outer coating or additional outer layer.
  • the size and shape of the smoker can be configured or adjusted.
  • the exterior wall 105 may include overlapping panels or collapsible wall portions that can be adjusted to change a height to diameter ratio of the smoker (e.g., to change a height of the smoker, to change a diameter of the smoker, or both).
  • the interior wall 110 may include overlapping panels or collapsible wall portions that can also be adjusted.
  • each overlapping panel or collapsible wall portion includes both part of the exterior wall 105 and part of the interior wall 110
  • the size and shape of the smoker may be adjusted based on the shape, size and type of food that is being cooked, so that the smoker has the desired structure for that food.
  • the size and shape of the smoker can be automatically adjusted via a user interface on the smoker or via an application on a mobile device in communication with the smoker, as discussed in detail below.
  • the smoker may keep the same general shape (for example a hyperboloid shape as shown in FIG. 1 A), and merely the diameter to height ratio may be modified to create an optimal cooking environment for a particular food. For example, a beef brisket weighing 8 lbs. may need a wider smoker, while a beef brisket weighing 4 lbs. may need a narrower smoker so that the food is evenly exposed to the smoke.
  • the upper air vent 120 is located at or near the top of the smoker 100 and operates as an air outlet.
  • the upper air vent 120 allows air and smoke out from the interior of the smoker 100.
  • the surface area of the upper air vent 120 can be configured by a user to manage air and smoke flow in the smoker container during the cooking process. In some embodiments, more than one upper air vent may be employed. In an example embodiment, the surface area of the upper air vent 120 can be configured via an application on a mobile device or via a user interface on the smoker 100. In another example
  • the surface area of the air vent 120 may be automatically configured based on the internal conditions of the smoker container during the cooking process to continually ensure optimal cooking conditions in the smoker 100.
  • the term optimal conditions refers to conditions sufficient to achieve a desired outcome, which may be subject to user-provided criteria.
  • the term optimal environment refers to an environment sufficient to achieve a desired outcome.
  • the outcome could be a piece of meat cooked to a user-provided preference (e.g., user provided preference for intensity of smoke flavor).
  • the user-provided criteria may limit the total smoking time to less than 8 hours.
  • the optimal conditions refers to a range of conditions sufficient to achieve the desired outcome and the optimal environment refers to an environment sufficient to achieve a desired outcome.
  • the interior of the smoker 100 includes a plurality of sensors 125 to measure the internal conditions of the smoker 100.
  • the sensors 125 may include, but are not limited to, any of temperature sensors, smoke sensors, air sensors, and humidity sensors.
  • the sensors 125 may measure conditions, such as, interior temperature of the smoker at various areas in the smoker, ambient conditions, air flow and velocity through the air vents, amount of smoke particles, chemical components of the smoke, humidity levels in the smoker, and the like.
  • the data collected by the sensors is communicated to a control device 150, such as a control panel and user interface on the smoker itself.
  • the data collected by the sensors is communicated to a computing device, such as a mobile device, via a wireless communications link. Data can be collected by the sensors
  • the smoke automatically adjusts based on sensor data to maintain desired cooking conditions.
  • the smoker 100 may include a sensor on the exterior wall 105 to measure the exterior conditions of the smoker.
  • the smoker may include a thermal imaging mechanism on the interior wall 110 to detect heat patterns within in the smoker.
  • the smoker 100 may include one or more associated food temperature sensors that measure the internal temperature of the food and/or the surface temperature of the food.
  • the smoker 100 includes the food platform 130 for holding the food during the cooking process.
  • the food platform 130 may be of any suitable structure for smoking and grilling food, such as, a grill grate. In one embodiment, the food platform 130 can be moved closer to or farther from the heat source.
  • the food platform 130 has an automated height adjustment mechanism 132 for moving the food platform 130 toward or away from the heat source.
  • the food platform 130 can be moved using the height adjustment mechanism 132 based on instructions from a control device 150 associated with the smoker and/or by the user using an application on a mobile device that is in communication with the smoker.
  • the food platform 130 moves automatically during the cooking process based on the cooking conditions in the smoker and the condition of the food.
  • the smoker may include a spit instead of, or in addition to a food platform.
  • a spit instead of, or in addition to a food platform.
  • the smoker may include a mechanism for automatically rotating the spit.
  • the control device 150 may control a rotation speed of the spit.
  • the wood platform 135 is located below the food platform 130 as shown in FIG. 1A.
  • the wood platform 135 supports a plate, basket, or other suitable container for holding wood, and one or more water containers 137 for holding water to provide moisture in the smoker container.
  • the smoker may include an additional platform for holding water at a different height than that of the wood platform (see FIG. IB discussed below).
  • a water spraying mechanism is included in the smoker container.
  • the water spraying mechanism may be a dispenser that can spray, squirt, and/or mist water or any other fluid.
  • the water spraying mechanism may be coupled to the interior wall 1 10.
  • the water spraying mechanism sprays water on to the food. Providing moisture to the food allows it to absorb more smoke. Typically, the smoke flows past the food and does not actually touch the food. The smoke makes a small boundary layer around the meat, and adding moisture to the food promotes the smoke sticking to the food, allowing the food to more effectively absorb the smoke.
  • the smoker includes the heat source 140 for heating the wood.
  • the heat source 140 may be used for cooking the food directly when grilling.
  • the heat source 140 may be any type of appropriate heat source, such as coal, wood, one or more propane burners, or one or more natural gas burners.
  • the lower air vent 145 located at or near the bottom of the smoker 100, operates as an air inlet and allows air into the smoker 100.
  • the surface area of the lower air vent 145 can be configured by a user or by an automated program to manage air flow in the smoker container during the cooking process.
  • the surface area of the lower air vent 145 can be configured based on instructions from a control device 150 associated with the smoker, via an application on a mobile device, and/or via a user interface on the smoker 100.
  • the surface area of the lower air vent 145 may be automatically configured based on the internal conditions of the smoker container during the cooking process to continually ensure optimal cooking conditions in the smoker 100.
  • the smoker may include more than one lower air vent.
  • the lower air vent or lower air vents may be on a lower lateral surface of the smoker.
  • one or more fans may be used to control airflow through the lower air vent or lower air vents.
  • control of the fan or fans may be automated and airflow through the smoker may be adjusted using the fan or fans based on measured internal conditions of the smoker to achieve desired cooking conditions.
  • FIG. IB schematically depicts an exploded view of a smoker 160, according to another exemplary embodiment.
  • FIG. 1C schematically depicts three different configurations of the smoker 160 when used for smoking (configuration 190), grilling (configuration 194) or using as a rotisserie (configuration 196) in accordance with some embodiments.
  • the smoker 160 includes, a cover 162 that forms a top portion of the body of the smoker, a hyperboloid chamber 165 that forms a middle portion of the body of the smoker, and a smoker base 170 that forms the bottom portion of the body of the smoker.
  • the smoker may include a wheel base 180 coupled to the smoker base 170.
  • the wheel base may include two or more wheels to enable a user to more easily move and maneuver the smoker.
  • the cover 162, the hyperboloid chamber 165, and the smoker base 170 are provided as separate components that are couplable to each other.
  • the hyperboloid chamber 165 and the smoker base 170 are affixed to each other.
  • the hyperboloid chamber 165 and the smoker base 170 are formed in one unitary piece or permanently affixed to each other.
  • the cover 162 is separable from the hyperboloid chamber 165.
  • the cover 162 is rotatably or pivotably coupled to the hyperboloid chamber 165 (e.g., through one or more hinges).
  • one or more of the cover 162, the hyperboloid chamber 165, and the smoker base 170 have a single walled structure. In some embodiments, one or more of the cover 162, the hyperboloid chamber 165, and the smoker base 170 have a multi-walled structure (e.g., a double walled structure, a triple walled structure, etc.).
  • the cover 162, the hyperboloid chamber 165, and the smoker base 170 may include one or more materials that provide sufficient thermal insulation for retaining heat and also prevent smoke from escaping through body of the smoker.
  • materials include, but are not limited to, ceramics, highly porous ceramics, and some metals.
  • different walls may include the same materials or different materials.
  • one or more portions of the smoker, including the top cover 162, the hyperboloid chamber 165, and the smoker base 170 may be encased by metal or another material to provide additional thermal stability to the smoker container.
  • the cover 162 houses an upper vent 120' of the smoker 160.
  • the upper vent 120' may have a configuration similar to that of upper vent 120 shown in FIG. 1A.
  • a control device 150' is positioned on the cover 162.
  • the control device 150' may be positioned on the hyperboloid chamber 165 or another portion of the smoker.
  • the hyperboloid chamber 165 supports a grill plate 130' that functions as a food platform. In some embodiments, a height of the grill plate 130' may be adjustable.
  • the hyperboloid chamber 165 also supports a platform 182 for a water pan 137' . In some embodiments, a height or a configuration of the platform 182 is adjustable. In some embodiments, the platform 182 may also be configured or used to support a heat source for direct grilling (see configuration 194 in FIG. 1C).
  • the smoker base 170 includes a fuel basket or fuel scaffold 175, and the hyperboloid chamber 165 includes a refueling chute 168, which allows access to the fuel basket 175 during smoking so that a user can refuel the fuel basket 175 during the smoking process without opening the lid 162 of the smoker.
  • a smoking process often lasts for more than 10 hours, and the smoker may run out of fuel during this period.
  • Conventional smokers are not easy to refuel, and require a user to open the smoker, which introduces oxygen into the smoker and causes significant temperature fluctuations.
  • the refueling chute 168 allows a user to refuel easily during a smoking process without opening the smoker, thus, reducing introduction of oxygen into the smoker and reducing temperature fluctuations.
  • the refueling chute 168 is configured so that the fuel easily reaches the fuel basket 175.
  • the refueling chute 168 includes a cover or lid that prevents air from leaking into the smoker, and prevents heat from leaking out of the smoker.
  • the fuel basket 175 may be made of metal or any other suitable material to hold fuel, such as coal, to provide heat in the smoker.
  • the fuel basket 175 is configured as a circular mesh basket with handles extending from the top of the fuel basket 175, so that it is easy for a user to remove or insert the fuel basket 175 in the smoker base 170.
  • the fuel basket or scaffold 175 may be made of the same type of wood that may be used for smoking.
  • a prepacked, one-time-use fuel scaffold 175 may be provided to a user, where the scaffold contains an amount of coal and wood for a smoker.
  • the prepacked scaffold may be provided in different sizes with different amounts of coal and wood based on a desired cook or smoke time.
  • the wood used to make the fuel scaffold and provided with the fuel scaffold may include a number of types of wood based on smoking preferences for different types of food. As a non-limiting example, mesquite wood may be preferred for smoking beef brisket, while fruit woods, like apple or cherry, may be preferred for cooking chicken.
  • the smoker base 170 also includes two symmetric lower vents 178 located on opposite sides of a lower portion of the smoker base 170 as shown in FIG. IB.
  • the lower vents 178 may be 1 inch tall by 1 inch wide in measurement.
  • each vent 178 has an associated fan that is manually controllable by a user or automatically controllable by the control device 150' .
  • Each of the lower vents may include a tightly fitted adaptor to receive the fan.
  • the smoker 160 includes various sensors, such as thermocouples, to measure the temperature in the smoker (e.g., at the cooking surface), the temperature at the inner surface of the smoker, and/or the temperature of the food.
  • control device 150' is configured to implement a feedback loop that measures the air temperature at the cooking surface (via one or more sensors), and controls the fans at the vents 178.
  • the fans are configured to operate at a constant power, for example, 5 volts, and the control device 150' turns the fans on or off to adjust the temperature in the smoker.
  • the control device 150' and the fans at vents 178 are configured to manage and control the temperature in the smoker to reduce temperature fluctuations typically experienced in conventional smokers.
  • the fans improve circulation of the smoke and heat within the smoker, which helps prevent hot spots and cold spots in the smoker, and helps achieve a steady and even temperature throughout the smoker over the course of the smoking process.
  • the control device 150' is configured to implement a proportional feedback control by controlling the amount of time the fan is turned on. For example, at the beginning of the smoking process, when the smoker is much cooler than a desired set-point temperature at the grill plate, the control device 150' turns on the fan for a longer period of time to aid the heat source in generating heat and increasing the temperature in the smoker. Once the temperature is close to the desired set-point temperature, the control device 150' may turn on the fan for a brief period of time. Additionally, the control device 150' is configured so that the temperature in the smoker is not more than the desired set-point temperature.
  • This particular feature is important for a smoker made of ceramic because if the smoker were to overheat it would take a long time to cool the ceramic smoker back down to the desired set- point temperature due to ceramic' s high heat capacitance. Cooking meat at a temperature higher than the target temperature can significantly impact the taste and texture of the meat.
  • a speed of the fan may be variable and automatically controlled to adjust the temperature. For example, when the temperature of the smoker is far from the desired set-point temperature, the control device 150' runs the fan at a higher power for a higher flow rate. Similarly, when the smoker temperature is closer to the desired set-point temperature, the control device 150' runs the fan on a low power for a lower flow rate.
  • the control device 150' may be located between the top cover 162 and grill plate 130', and may be enclosed in a case, for example, made of acrylic.
  • the grill plate 130' may be a grill grate made of metal or any other suitable material.
  • the water pan 137' may be made of ceramic or any other suitable material, and may be configured in a pan-shape or a bowl-shape.
  • the water pan 137' is capable of holding water and catching drippings from the food as the food cooks on the grill plate.
  • An advantage of placing the water pan 137' below the grill plate 130' is that the water in the water pan 137' provides moisture to the bottom portion of the food on the grill plate 130', and also helps maintain humidity in the smoker. Further, the water pan 137' provides separation between the food and the heat source in the smoker. That is, the bottom portion of the food is not directly exposed to the heat source, as is the case in conventional smokers.
  • the food on grill plate 130' is surrounded by ceramic on all sides, via the water pan 137' at the bottom side of the food, and the ceramic surfaces of the body of the smoker on the other sides of the food. This feature also helps eliminate the need for flipping the food during the smoking process. To achieve an optimal cooking
  • one of the goals is to provide a smoker where a user does not have to open the smoker during the smoking process, so that the internal cooking environment of the smoker can be automatically controlled and managed, and there is no introduction of external elements (like air) to the smoker. Reducing or eliminating the need to flip the food during the smoking process avoids disturbances to the system associated with opening the smoker.
  • one or more portions of the smoker may be encased by metal or another material to provide stability to the smoker container.
  • the top vent 120' may be configured similar to top vent 120 shown in FIG. 1A.
  • FIG. 1C schematically depicts smoker 160 in various configurations for various different uses in accordance with some embodiments.
  • the configuration 1 0 is used for smoking food.
  • the configuration 190 can also be used for grilling food, by removing the water pan.
  • the water pan is replaced with a heat source on the adjustable platform 182 close to the food for grilling the food.
  • the adjustable platform 182 is replaced with a rotatable spit to hold the food for rotisserie cooking.
  • the smoker may include a spit instead of, or in addition to. the food platform.
  • the smoker body includes at least one hole through which an end of the spit extends.
  • the smoker container body includes two holes on opposite sides of the smoker just below the level of the grill plate that can be opened and closed to switch between rotisserie and smoking modes.
  • a spit can be inserted through the holes projecting several inches from one hole on the outside of the smoker, where it can be attached to a motor.
  • the smoker container body includes one hole through which one end of the spit projects and a mounting fixture on an interior wall of the smoker body opposite the one hole. The mounting fixture holds the opposite end of the spit.
  • the motor may be electrically powered an allow for variable speeds for rotating the spit.
  • the smoker may include a mechanism for automatically rotating the spit.
  • the control device may control a rotation speed of the spit.
  • FIG. ID schematically depicts dimensions for a smoker, according to an example embodiment.
  • the waist w of the narrowed portion 102, 102' is approximately 8 inches in radius.
  • the food platform 130, 130' (grill plate) is approximately 12 inches in radius.
  • the base/bottom of the smoker is approximately 14 to 15 inches in radius.
  • the container to hold water that is coupled to or placed on the platform 137' is approximately 5 to 6 inches in radius.
  • the air vent 120, 120' is approximately 1 inch in diameter.
  • each of the one or more lower air vents 145, 145' is approximately 1 inch in diameter.
  • the heat source platform 140, 140' or container is approximately 3 to 5 inches in radius.
  • the height of the smoker 100, 160 is approximately 40 to 45 inches.
  • the waist w of the narrowed part 102, 102' of the smoker body is 6-10 inches in radius.
  • the food platform is 9-15 inches in radius.
  • an opening of each of the one or more lower air vents is between 0.5 to 1.5 inches in diameter.
  • a ratio of the radius of the smoker body at the food platform to a radius of the smoker body at the waist falls in a range of 1.2 to 1.8. In some embodiments, a ratio of the radius of the smoker body at the food platform to a radius of the smoker body at the waist falls in a range of 1.4 to 1.6. In some embodiments, a ratio of the radius of the smoker body at the food platform to a radius of the smoker body at the waist is approximately 1.5.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates an example system 200 for remotely controlling a smoker 205 using mobile device 210.
  • the smoker 205 may be smoker 100, smoker 160 in any of its configurations or any other suitable smoker.
  • the mobile device 210 includes a display 220, one or more processors 230, I/O devices 240, and a memory 250.
  • the processors 230 may be any of a variety of different types of commercially available processors suitable for mobile devices (for example, NVIDIA System on a Chip (SoC) multicore processors along with graphics processing units (GPU) devices, such as the Tegra K-l, XScale architecture microprocessors, Intel® CoreTM processors, Intel® AtomTM processors, Intel® Celeron® processors, Intel® Pentium® processors, AMD processors, Qualcomm® Snapdragon processors, ARM® architecture processors, Microprocessor without Interlocked Pipeline Stages (MIPS) architecture processors, Apple® A series System-on-chip (SoCs) processors, or another type of processor).
  • the processors 230 may also include one or more graphics processing units (GPUs).
  • the memory 250 such as a Random Access Memory (RAM), an internal storage memory, an external storage memory, or other type of memory, is accessible to the processors 230.
  • the memory 250 can be adapted to store an operating system (OS) 255, as well application programs 260, such as an application for remotely controlling the smoker described herein.
  • the processors 230 are coupled, either directly or via appropriate intermediary hardware, to a display 220 and to one or more input/output (I/O) devices 240, such as a keypad, a touch panel sensor, a
  • the mobile device 210 is also capable of establishing Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and/or Near Field Communication (NFC) connectivity.
  • NFC Near Field Communication
  • control device 150 or control device 150' of the smoker 205 may include an embedded computer system programmed to function with the smoker and control various features of the smoker.
  • the embedded computer system may include one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, memory, display interface, input interface, and any other components necessary to perform the functionalities described herein.
  • the display interface may be a touch-screen interface that may also function as the input interface. Alternatively, one or more buttons or a keypad may be included as the input interface in addition to the touch-screen input interface.
  • the smoker 205 may also be capable of establishing Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and/or NFC connectivity to wirelessly communicate to the mobile device 210.
  • control device 150 or the control device 150' may be any suitable control device that is configured to perform one or more functionalities described herein, including, but not limited to, receiving input data from sensors, controlling various features of the smoker, such as the fans and vents 178, and enabling wireless communications between the smoker and a user device.
  • suitable control devices include, but are not limited to, a RASPBERRY PI board from the Raspberry Pi Foundation and an ARDUINO board fromhen LLC.
  • the smoker 205 communicates data collected by sensors coupled to the smoker to the mobile device 210.
  • the mobile device 210 may perform calculations using the sensor data to determine cooking conditions of the smoker.
  • the mobile device 210 is configured to communicate commands to the smoker 205 that adjust various features of the smoker. For example, the mobile device 210 may cause the smoker 205 to adjust the surface area of the air vents or move the food platform. As another example, the mobile device 210 may cause the fans at the lower vents to turn on or off for a period of time, or it may control the amount of power received by the fans at the lower vents.
  • the mobile device 210 automatically communicates to the smoker 205 to adjust the features of the smoker for optimal cooking conditions.
  • the processor coupled to the smoker 205 automatically adjusts the features of the smoker for optimal cooking conditions based on the collected sensor data.
  • a user can manually adjust various features of the smoker using the input interface on the smoker 205 or using the application on the mobile device 210.
  • FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting method 300 for determining optimal cooking conditions for food in a smoker.
  • various conditions of the smoker are measured during the cooking process of different types of food. For example, data is collected from the sensors coupled to the smoker while cooking a beef brisket of a certain weight. Then data is collected from the sensors while cooking a pork shoulder of a certain weight. Additionally, data is collected from the sensors while cooking a beef brisket or a pork shoulder of a different weight. As such, data is collected while cooking various types of food of varying sizes, weights, and shapes. Additionally, data is collected while cooking with different types and amounts of wood, cooking for different lengths of time, and the like.
  • a relationship between the type of food, weight and other relevant food parameters and the corresponding cooking conditions is derived from the collected data.
  • the derived relationship may consider some or all of the following as inputs: type of food, weight of food, size of food, shape of food, cut of meat, ambient, time of year, geographic location, atmospheric pressure, atmospheric humidity, and the like.
  • the optimal cooking conditions are determined for a particular type of food based on weight and possibly other relevant food parameters using the derived relationship.
  • the determined optimal cooking conditions for a particular type of food based on width and size may include, but are not limited to, type of wood, amount of wood, type of heat source, humidity conditions, smoker temperature, food temperature, height of food platform, and length of time for cooking.
  • a computer system 500 described below may be used to derive the relationship.
  • the data collected from the sensors and the optimal conditions determined for different types of food may be stored in a database in communication with the computing system 500.
  • FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting method 400 for controlling a smoker based on a particular food.
  • information related to the food to be cooked i.e., relevant input food parameters
  • the information related to the food may include the type of food, weight and possibly other relevant input food parameters, which may include size and shape of the food, and the like.
  • information related to conditions external to the smoker may also be received, such as, weather conditions, geographic location, and the like.
  • the user can install an application on his or her mobile device for remotely controlling the smoker.
  • the user may input the information using a graphical user interface displayed of the application on the mobile device.
  • the optimal cooking conditions are determined based on the information received from the user.
  • the optimal cooking conditions may be determined by inputting the information into an application programmed to include information about the relationship determined in method 300.
  • a control device of the smoker is programmed to calculate the optimal cooking conditions using the determined relationship based on the information received from the user.
  • the application installed on the mobile device is programmed to calculate the optimal cooking conditions using the determined relationship, which may be based on an algorithm or mathematical equation, based on the information received from the user.
  • the application causes the mobile device to communicate the information received from the user to a server, and the server is programmed to calculate the optimal cooking conditions using the algorithm or mathematical equation based on the information received from the user. In this case, the server communicates the optimal cooking conditions to the mobile device.
  • the optimal cooking conditions are displayed on the graphical user interface on the mobile device.
  • the optimal cooking conditions may include information such as type of wood, amount of wood, type of heat source, humidity conditions, optimal smoker temperature, optimal food temperature, height of food platform, length of time for cooking, and the like.
  • only some of the optimal cooking conditions are displayed (e.g., only those that require user involvement and are not controlled by the smoker itself like type of wood, amount of wood, and/or amount of coal).
  • the smoker is automatically adjusted based on the optimal cooking conditions.
  • the mobile device is in wireless communication with the smoker, and the smoker can be adjusted via the graphical user interface of the application installed on the mobile device.
  • the user inputs the desired adjustments via the graphical user interface, most likely based on the optimal cooking conditions, and causes the smoker to adjust.
  • the user has an option to automatically adjust the smoker based on the optimal cooking conditions determined using the application.
  • the graphical user interface displays a button, which when selected by the user, communicates to the smoker and adjusts the smoker to the optimal cooking conditions.
  • the user can adjust the smoker via a single action like selecting a button on the graphical user interface.
  • the mobile device is not in communication with the smoker, and the user manually adjusts the smoker based on the optimal cooking conditions displayed in the user interface of the mobile device.
  • the smoker may include an input interface to adjust various features of the smoker.
  • the internal conditions of the smoker may be measured continuously during the cooking process.
  • the application may be programmed to continuously display the current and possibly past internal conditions of the smoker on the mobile device.
  • the optimal cooking conditions may also be continuously calculated and updated during the cooking process based on the amount of time already passed during the cooking process and the present conditions of the smoker. These optimal conditions may also be displayed on the user interface of the smoker control device and/or on the mobile device. Based on these conditions, the user may decide to adjust the smoker to ensure that optimal cooking conditions are maintained throughout the cooking process. Alternatively, the smoker may automatically adjust based on a comparison of the present cooking conditions and the optimal cooking conditions at any given time.
  • the method 400 is described above as being performed using a mobile device.
  • method 400 may be performed using control device 150 or control device 150' of the smoker, which may include a display and input interface on the smoker.
  • the user may input information related to the food using the input interface on the smoker.
  • the processor coupled to the smoker may determine the optimal cooking conditions based on the information received from the user.
  • the optimal cooking conditions may be displayed on the display coupled to the smoker. In some embodiments, only some of the optimal cooking conditions are displayed (e.g., only those that require user involvement and are not controlled by the smoker itself like type of wood, amount of wood, and/or amount of coal).
  • the processor coupled to the smoker may automatically adjust the smoker based on the optimal cooking conditions. Alternatively, the user may manually adjust the smoker using the input interface on the smoker.
  • FIG. 5 is a block diagram of machine in the example form of a computer system 500 (e.g., the mobile device or embedded computer system) within which instructions for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein may be executed.
  • the machine may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or a client machine in server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.
  • the machine may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet, a PDA, a cellular telephone, a smartphone, a web appliance, or any other machine capable of executing instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine.
  • PC personal computer
  • PDA personal digital assistant
  • cellular telephone a wireless local area network
  • smartphone a wireless personal area network
  • web appliance any other machine capable of executing instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine.
  • machine shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.
  • the example computer system 500 includes a processor 502 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a multi-core processor, and/or a graphics processing unit (GPU)), a main memory 504 and a static memory 506, which communicate with each other via a bus 508.
  • the computer system 500 may further include a display unit 510 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display, a LED-backlit LCD display, a touchscreen display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)).
  • LCD liquid crystal display
  • LED light-emitting diode
  • CRT cathode ray tube
  • the computer system 500 also includes an alphanumeric input device 512 (e.g., a physical or virtual keyboard), a pointing device 514 (e.g., a mouse, a touchpad, or a trackpad), a disk drive unit 516, a signal generation device 518 (e.g., a speaker) and a network interface device 520.
  • an alphanumeric input device 512 e.g., a physical or virtual keyboard
  • a pointing device 514 e.g., a mouse, a touchpad, or a trackpad
  • a disk drive unit 516 e.g., a disk drive unit 516
  • a signal generation device 518 e.g., a speaker
  • the disk drive unit 516 includes a machine-readable medium 522 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions and data structures (e.g., software) 524 embodying or used by any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein.
  • the instructions 524 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 504, static memory 506, and/or within the processor 502 during execution thereof by the computer system 500, the main memory 504 and the processor 502 also constituting machine-readable media.
  • machine-readable medium 522 is shown in an example embodiment to be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more instructions or data structures.
  • the term “machine- readable medium” shall also be taken to include any tangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the present invention, or that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying data structures used by or associated with such instructions.
  • the term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, and optical and magnetic media. Specific examples of machine-readable media include non-volatile memory, including by way of example, semiconductor memory devices (e.g., Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory
  • EPROM Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory
  • flash memory devices such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto- optical disks; solid-state disks; dual-drive hybrid disks; solid-state hybrid disks; and CD- ROM and DVD-ROM disks).
  • the instructions 524 may further be transmitted or received over a communications network 526 using a transmission medium.
  • the instructions 524 may be transmitted using the network interface device 520 and any one of a number of well-known transfer protocols (e.g., HTTP). Examples of communication networks include a LAN, a WAN, the Internet, mobile telephone networks, Plain Old Telephone (POTS) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., WiFi, WiMax or Bluetooth networks).
  • POTS Plain Old Telephone
  • the term "transmission medium” shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machine, and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible media to facilitate communication of such software.
  • FIGs. 6A through 7B include experimental data showing temperature non- uniformities across various portions of the grill plate of a conventional BIG GREEN EGG smoker.
  • FIG. 6C shows the axes employed and the description of locations on the grill plate as used in the descriptions of FIGs. 6 A, 6B, 7 A, and 7B.
  • FIG. 6A shows normalized values of measured temperatures for various positions along the y-axis measured at the grill plate during an experiment and FIG. 6B shows corresponding thermal imaging data of different portions of an exterior of the BIG GREEN EGG smoker during the same experiment.
  • the BIG GREEN EGG smoker has an irregular temperature distribution along the y-axis, which extends from the back of the smoker to the front of the smoker with the front of the smoker being hotter than the back of the smoker.
  • FIG. 7A shows normalized values of measured temperatures for various positions along the x-axis measured at the grill plate during an experiment and FIG.
  • FIGS. 7A and 7B shows corresponding thermal imaging data of different portions of an exterior of the BIG GREEN EGG smoker during the same experiment.
  • the BIG GREEN EGG smoker has an irregular temperature distribution along the x-axis, which extends from the far left of the smoker to the far right of the smoker with the far left being the coolest region and the far right being the hottest region.
  • Simulations were also performed to model the temperature distribution throughout the conventional BIG GREEN EGG smoker. Simulations described herein were performed using COSMOL, a simulation software package for various physics and engineering applications.
  • FIGs. 8B and 8C show calculated temperature distributions at various heights within the BIG GREEN EGG smoker with a single vent shown in FIG. 8A.
  • a symmetric heat distribution is ideal to achieve an even-cook of the food.
  • the temperature distribution at the grill plate for the BIG GREEN EGG smoker with a single vent is asymmetric with nonuniformities in temperature are the same radius for different portions of the grill plate.
  • FIGs. 9B and 9C show calculated temperature distributions at various heights for an example smoker having a hyperboloid central region and two vents located on opposite sides of the smoker, as shown in FIG. 9A.
  • the temperature has some asymmetry; however, at the grill plate, the temperatures are axially- symmetric as shown in FIG. 9C.
  • a symmetric heat distribution is achieved at the grill plate in the example smoker because of the hyperboloid geometry of the smoker and the inclusion of two vents at the bottom of the smoker.
  • FIG. 10A illustrates calculated temperature distribution data at a plane above the lower vent and at the grill plate for the first example smoker having one lower vent.
  • FIG. 10B illustrates calculated temperature distribution data at a plane above the lower vents and at the grill plate for the second example smoker having two lower vents.
  • some embodiments may include only one lower vent, and other embodiments including more than one lower vent may exhibit improved central temperature uniformity at the grill plate.
  • FIG. 11 A is a graph of temperature over time in a conventional BIG GREEN EGG smoker during the course of a smoking process for four separate experimental runs with manual control of the smoking process, illustrated by lines 1110, 1120, 1130 and 1140. The target smoking temperature is also indicated by line 1100.
  • These experiments were conducted with manual control of the BIG GREEN EGG smoker, that is, a user manually controlled the vents to manage the temperature of the smoker.
  • a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller was used for automated control of the fans in the smoker.
  • the control device 150 or control device 150' may include a PID controller.
  • An example PID controller is a control loop feedback mechanism that may calculate an error value as the difference between a measured variable and a desired data point.
  • 1 IB is a graph of measured temperature over time for the warm up phase (e.g., 0 to 2.5 hours) of the BIG GREEN EGG smoker with the installed automated control system including one or more vent fans and one or more temperature sensors.
  • the BIG GREEN EGG smoker was coupled to a PID controller that was configured to automatically control the fans coupled with the vents on the smoker using feedback based on measured data from the temperature sensors to manage the temperature in the smoker.
  • Temperature of the smoker was collected during three separate experimental runs, illustrated by lines 1160, 1170, and 1180. The ideal temperature is indicated by line 1150.
  • the warm up phase of the smoking process e.g., the first 2.5 hours
  • there were much smaller temperature fluctuations with automated control see graph in FIG. 11B
  • the example system of automated control of smoker temperature exhibits better performance than manual control of smoker temperature.
  • FIG. 12 is a graph of measured temperature at the front of the grill plate (line 1230) and at the back of the grill plate (line 1220) over time for a conventional BIG GREEN EGG smoker with manual temperature control. As shown in the graph, there is a difference in the temperature at the back (line 1220) and the front (line 1230) of the grill plate in the BIG GREEN EGG smoker and the variations in temperature over time are different at the back and front of the grill plate. Ideally, the temperature should be consistent for the back and the front to achieve even cooking of food and to provide an optimal smoking environment for food. The ideal temperature is indicated by line 1210 in the graph.
  • FIG. 13 is a graph of the temperature of the smoker over time from an experiment where the PID controller collected data while the fans coupled to the smoker were turned on and off for random periods of time. This data is illustrated by line 1320 in the graph. Based on the actual temperatures collected (line 1320), a transfer function was determined from a best fit function to the data. The fitted transfer function is also displayed in the graph as line 1310. The determined transfer function was used to program the PID controller to automatically control the fans to maintain a certain temperature.
  • FIG. 14 is a graph of the measured temperature of the smoker over time from an experiment with the use of a PID controller to automatically control fans coupled to the smoker to maintain a certain temperature.
  • the PID controller was programmed using the transfer function (line 1310) shown in FIG. 13.
  • the PID controller was configured to turn the fans on or off to maintain a temperature of 200° F in the smoker over the duration of the smoking process.
  • the temperature measured during this experiment is shown by line 1410 in the graph.
  • the graph also includes line 1420 corresponding to the predicted output temperature from the transfer function fit. As shown in the graph, the temperature smoothly raised to 200° F without overshooting the temperature goal and with no major temperature fluctuations.
  • the PK controller was successfully configured to rise to and maintain a desired temperature in the smoker without large temperature fluctuations, which provides for an improved cooking environment as compared to manually controlled smokers.
  • the experimental data for FIGs. 13 and 14 was obtained using a conventional BIG GREEN EGG smoker that was modified with an example automated control system. The same process for determination of the transfer function can be employed using the example smoker of FIGs. 1A or IB to achieve automated control for those smoker configurations.
  • FIG. 15A is a graph of temperature at different locations on a brisket in particular, at the 'flat' portion of the brisket (towards the front of the smoker) illustrated by line 1510, the 'center' portion of the brisket illustrated by line 1520, and the 'point' portion of the brisket (towards the back of the smoker) illustrated by line 1530, throughout smoking.
  • FIG. 15B depicts the brisket and various locations at which temperature measurements were taken.
  • the flat portion is a thinner piece of meat with less fat and connective tissue, while the point portion is thicker with more fat. It is expected that the flat portion cooks faster that the point portion.
  • the brisket cubes shown in FIG. 15B at the front and back of the grill plate were of the same size and composition.
  • the piece of the brisket at the front of smoker had a final temperature of 210° F while the piece of brisket at the back of the smoker had a final temperature of 200° F.
  • This data confirms that indeed temperature heterogeneities in the smoker translate to temperature heterogeneities within the brisket.
  • the final temperature of the brisket significantly affects the texture of the brisket, and a difference of 10° F is significant.
  • FIG. 16A illustrates measured heat distribution data for a smoker with a ceramic lid.
  • FIG. 16B illustrates measured heat distribution data for a smoker with a stainless steel lid. As shown in FIGs. 16 and 16B, there was no significant difference in the temperature of the smoker between the use of the ceramic lid and the stainless steel lid. The stainless steel lid allowed for a slight increase in air temperature near the grill plate.
  • FIG. 17 schematically depicts parameters used for determining an initial weight of coal required to provide the total energy lost during a smoking process, according to an example embodiment.
  • FIG. 17 shows the various factors taken into consideration when determining the total energy lost during a smoking process. The energy lost was determined using the below equation:
  • VpcA T indicates the change in temperature of the smoker body itself, internal air, food and wood with different coefficients of p, c and V for each of these components.
  • the term saA(T smo k e r - To ) t tot represents the radiation in the smoker
  • mL v represents the water evaporation from the food where m is mass
  • Hf pro d U cts - Hf° reactants is the cooking enthalphy change in the food
  • h c A(T smo ker - To)t tot represents convection flux from the smoker to the external ambient air.
  • the variables are as follows: p is density, T is temperature, To is ambient temperature, t is time, V is volume, c is specific heat capacity, h c is heat transfer coefficient, A is surface area, l v is latent heat vaporization, ⁇ is surface emissivity, ⁇ is the Stefann-Boltzmann constant 5.67* 10 "8 W/m 2 K 4 , S coa i is specific energy of coal, which is 30 MJ kg.
  • An example fuel prediction was calculated for the following conditions: 12-hour smoking process, internal smoker temperature of 225° F, 11 lbs. brisket, 2.5 kg of wood, 10° F ambient temperature, and 70% efficiency. The fuel prediction for this particular scenario, using the above equation, was calculated to be 113 MJ (equivalent to 3.76 kg of coal).
  • FIG. 18 depicts and describes features of a prototype example automated smoker produced by the applicants.
  • inventive subject matter may be referred to herein, individually and/or collectively, by the term "invention" merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single invention or inventive concept if more than one is in fact disclosed.
  • inventive subject matter may be referred to herein, individually and/or collectively, by the term "invention" merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single invention or inventive concept if more than one is in fact disclosed.
  • inventive subject matter merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single invention or inventive concept if more than one is in fact disclosed.

Abstract

L'invention concerne des dispositifs, des systèmes et un support lisible par ordinateur pour un fumoir de barbecue. Le fumoir de barbecue comprend un récipient, une plate-forme pour les aliments, une source de chaleur, des évents sur le haut et le bas du récipient et au moins un capteur. Le fumoir de barbecue peut comprendre un dispositif de commande permettant la commande automatique des évents. L'invention concerne également un système de commande à distance d'un fumoir de barbecue, le système comprenant un fumoir de barbecue comportant un processeur et une unité d'affichage, et un dispositif mobile en communication sans fil avec le fumoir de barbecue, le dispositif mobile affichant une interface utilisateur graphique qui est conçue pour recevoir une entrée d'un utilisateur provoquant un changement de configuration du fumoir de barbecue.
PCT/US2016/014897 2015-04-24 2016-01-26 Systèmes et procédés pour un fumoir de barbecue automatique WO2016171775A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US201562152483P 2015-04-24 2015-04-24
US62/152,483 2015-04-24
US201562194522P 2015-07-20 2015-07-20
US62/194,522 2015-07-20

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2016171775A1 true WO2016171775A1 (fr) 2016-10-27

Family

ID=57143348

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2016/014897 WO2016171775A1 (fr) 2015-04-24 2016-01-26 Systèmes et procédés pour un fumoir de barbecue automatique

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2016171775A1 (fr)

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2019140002A1 (fr) * 2018-01-11 2019-07-18 Desora, Inc. Insert pour appareil de cuisson
CN111025931A (zh) * 2019-12-31 2020-04-17 广东美的厨房电器制造有限公司 烹饪控制方法、装置、烹饪设备和可读存储介质
WO2019212617A3 (fr) * 2018-05-03 2020-04-30 Matrix Product Development, Inc. Système de mesure de température sans fil
USD925263S1 (en) 2020-01-29 2021-07-20 Newage Products Inc. Grill
US11291334B2 (en) 2020-01-29 2022-04-05 Newage Products, Inc. Grill apparatus and firebox assembly for use in a grill
KR102390179B1 (ko) * 2020-12-31 2022-04-25 주식회사 삼일하이테크 캠핑용 다기능 구이기
US20220232078A1 (en) * 2015-10-23 2022-07-21 Traeger Pellet Grills, Llc Cloud system for controlling outdoor grill with mobile application
US11765261B2 (en) 2015-10-23 2023-09-19 Traeger Pellet Grills, LLC. Mobile application for controlling outdoor grill
US11785130B2 (en) 2015-10-23 2023-10-10 Traeger Pellet Grills, Llc Mobile application for controlling outdoor grill
US11819157B2 (en) 2015-10-23 2023-11-21 Traeger Pellet Grills, Llc Smoke generation cooking system and methods

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4587947A (en) * 1984-07-10 1986-05-13 Rioe Tomita Compact portable grill apparatus
US20040226454A1 (en) * 2003-02-18 2004-11-18 Pirkle Fred L. Method and apparatus for slow cooking
US20100258106A1 (en) * 2009-04-06 2010-10-14 Simms Ii John Lee Non-ceramic outdoor cooker
US20110023990A1 (en) * 2008-03-31 2011-02-03 Jfe Steel Corporation Welded steel pipe joined with high-energy-density beam and method for producing the same
WO2013116946A1 (fr) * 2012-02-08 2013-08-15 Sherwood Industries Ltd. Cuiseur kamado à granulés

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4587947A (en) * 1984-07-10 1986-05-13 Rioe Tomita Compact portable grill apparatus
US20040226454A1 (en) * 2003-02-18 2004-11-18 Pirkle Fred L. Method and apparatus for slow cooking
US20110023990A1 (en) * 2008-03-31 2011-02-03 Jfe Steel Corporation Welded steel pipe joined with high-energy-density beam and method for producing the same
US20100258106A1 (en) * 2009-04-06 2010-10-14 Simms Ii John Lee Non-ceramic outdoor cooker
WO2013116946A1 (fr) * 2012-02-08 2013-08-15 Sherwood Industries Ltd. Cuiseur kamado à granulés

Non-Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
"CALLAHAN4LIFE Installing a BBQ Guru to a Lanng Smoker", 6 May 2013 (2013-05-06), Retrieved from the Internet <URL:http//wwwsmokngmeatfourms.com> *
EAGLEWING I: "Call it the 20/20 Charcoal Basket", Retrieved from the Internet <URL:http://www.smokingmeatfourms.com> [retrieved on 20160324] *
MAHONEY, J: "CyberCook CyberQ WiFi Software", Retrieved from the Internet <URL:http//www.grinsmokin.net> *
MAHONEY, J: "Everything is Under Control-Part 1", 19 January 2015 (2015-01-19), Retrieved from the Internet <URL:http://www.grillinsmokin.net> *
MOYNIHAN: "How 16 Harvard Students Built the Ultimate BBQ Bot", 7 May 2015 (2015-05-07), Retrieved from the Internet <URL:http://www.wired.com> [retrieved on 20160304] *
SETZER, J: "Wiviotts's Low and Slow Book - Water Pan Diffuser", 20 April 2012 (2012-04-20), Retrieved from the Internet <URL:http://kamadoguru.com> [retrieved on 20160304] *

Cited By (14)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11765261B2 (en) 2015-10-23 2023-09-19 Traeger Pellet Grills, LLC. Mobile application for controlling outdoor grill
US11622008B2 (en) * 2015-10-23 2023-04-04 Traeger Pellet Grills, Llc Cloud system for controlling outdoor grill with mobile application
US11825010B2 (en) 2015-10-23 2023-11-21 Traeger Pellet Grills, Llc Mobile application for controlling outdoor grill
US11819157B2 (en) 2015-10-23 2023-11-21 Traeger Pellet Grills, Llc Smoke generation cooking system and methods
US11785130B2 (en) 2015-10-23 2023-10-10 Traeger Pellet Grills, Llc Mobile application for controlling outdoor grill
US20220232078A1 (en) * 2015-10-23 2022-07-21 Traeger Pellet Grills, Llc Cloud system for controlling outdoor grill with mobile application
WO2019140002A1 (fr) * 2018-01-11 2019-07-18 Desora, Inc. Insert pour appareil de cuisson
US11819162B2 (en) 2018-01-11 2023-11-21 Desora, Inc. Insert for cooking apparatus
US11596266B2 (en) 2018-05-03 2023-03-07 Matrix Product Development, Inc. Wireless temperature-measurement system
WO2019212617A3 (fr) * 2018-05-03 2020-04-30 Matrix Product Development, Inc. Système de mesure de température sans fil
CN111025931A (zh) * 2019-12-31 2020-04-17 广东美的厨房电器制造有限公司 烹饪控制方法、装置、烹饪设备和可读存储介质
US11291334B2 (en) 2020-01-29 2022-04-05 Newage Products, Inc. Grill apparatus and firebox assembly for use in a grill
USD925263S1 (en) 2020-01-29 2021-07-20 Newage Products Inc. Grill
KR102390179B1 (ko) * 2020-12-31 2022-04-25 주식회사 삼일하이테크 캠핑용 다기능 구이기

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
WO2016171775A1 (fr) Systèmes et procédés pour un fumoir de barbecue automatique
US20220248903A1 (en) Systems and methods for an automated barbecue smoker
CN112804916B (zh) 烹饪装置
JP6902019B2 (ja) 食品調製制御システム
CN106455863B (zh) 基于预测食物核心温度的烹饪食品的烹饪装置和方法
CN107249403B (zh) 食物制备指导系统
Rabeler et al. Modelling the transport phenomena and texture changes of chicken breast meat during the roasting in a convective oven
JP6753031B2 (ja) 調理システムの適応熱制御
Cernela et al. Evaluation of heating performances and associated variability of domestic cooking appliances (oven-baking and pan-frying)
CN107466219A (zh) 食物制备控制系统
US20150025687A1 (en) Remote-controlled food-related appliance
CN105873478A (zh) 受调节且受控的烹饪方法和执行该方法的系统
US20210186039A1 (en) Smoking Article and Method
US20200345173A1 (en) Device and method for the automated heating and/or cooking of food
FR3091814A1 (fr) Procédé de contrôle de la cuisson d’un produit alimentaire dans une enceinte à convection avec circulation de fluide
KR101300863B1 (ko) 숯불 구이기
CN117073008A (zh) 用于烟雾发生器燃料源的开环点火的方法和系统
US20220257043A1 (en) Cooking device
RU2796469C2 (ru) Устройство для приготовления пищи
Cheevasathianchaiporn et al. Mathematical modeling of frying oil temperature during the deep-fat frying process
Adhiwirawan et al. Heat transfer analysis of traditional Balinese satay grilling process
RU125445U1 (ru) Устройство для приготовления пищи и тепловой обработки пищевых продуктов
CN114258734A (zh) 烹饪装置
KR20110003666U (ko) 바베큐 조리기

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application

Ref document number: 16783524

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1

NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: DE

122 Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase

Ref document number: 16783524

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1