Cooking Grill Using Pellet Fuel

Abstract

A cooking grill has a container with a heating bowl inside one end wall with a fuel pellet feed for combustion within the bowl and an automatic igniter for starting the combustion. A grate is arranged over the heating bowl at the first end of the container and over the part of the container beyond the heating bowl. An arch-shaped cover underneath the grate acts to spread heat along the container and onto parts of the grate beyond the heating bowl and to carry liquid toward the second end of the container for collection. The cover has a first portion at the heating bowl with slots for direct release of searing heat to food products on the grate with the remainder of the cover being substantially imperforate. A slide portion is provided to close the slots.

1 . A cooking grill comprising:
 a container having an openable lid for enclosing a cooking area;   a source of heat within the cooking area for applying heat to a food products to be cooked;   a grate within the cooking area for placement over the source of heat onto which the food products are placed for cooking;   the source of heat comprising:
 a heating bowl; 
 a pellet feed system for discharging pellets of fuel into the bowl at a predetermined rate for combustion within the bowl to generate heat; 
 the heating bowl being located at a first end of the container leaving a part of the container located beyond the heating bowl; 
   the grate being arranged over the heating bowl at said first end of the container and over the part of the container beyond the heating bowl;   a cover extending along the container underneath the grate located over the heating bowl and extending into the part of the container beyond the heating bowl so as to spread heat from the heating bowl along the container and onto parts of the grate beyond the heating bowl and so as to carry liquid including fat falling from the food products on the grate toward a second end of the container;   the cover having a first portion arranged over the heating bowl including a plurality of openings for allowing direct release of heat from the heating bowl upwardly to food products on the grate above the heating bowl when required;   the cover being substantially imperforate beyond the heating bowl;   the cover having a component by which the plurality of openings are closed by the component to prevent direct release of heat from the heating bowl upwardly to food products on the grate above the heating bowl when required.   
     
     
         2 . The cooking grill according to  claim 1  wherein the component forms a separate imperforate cover sheet which is placed over the openings. 
     
     
         3 . The cooking grill according to  claim 1  wherein the component includes a plurality of openings matching the openings in the cover and is movable relative to the cover from an open position to align the openings to a closed position to misalign the openings. 
     
     
         4 . The cooking grill according to  claim 1  wherein the openings form a series of parallel slots. 
     
     
         5 . The cooking grill according to  claim 1  wherein the slots are transverse to the container. 
     
     
         6 . The cooking grill according to  claim 1  wherein the slots extend across the heating bowl from one side to the other side. 
     
     
         7 . The cooking grill according to  claim 1  wherein the openings form an array arranged to extend over substantially the whole of the heating bowl and terminate at a position at or just beyond the heating bowl. 
     
     
         8 . The cooking grill according to  claim 1  wherein the cover is arched so as to define center apex along the container and descending on each side so as to shed liquid to the sides. 
     
     
         9 . The cooking grill according to  claim 8  wherein the cover has channels formed along the sides to direct the liquid along the cover. 
     
     
         10 . The cooking grill according to  claim 1  wherein the cover extends to a position adjacent but spaced from a second end of the container so as to discharge the liquid into a catchment container. 
     
     
         11 . The cooking grill according to  claim 1  wherein there is provided an automatic igniter for the pellets in the heating bowl. 
     
     
         12 . The cooking grill according to  claim 1  wherein the automatic igniter includes a heated element and an air blower. 
     
     
         13 . The cooking grill according to  claim 1  wherein the pellets are fed into the bowl by an auger. 
     
     
         14 . The cooking grill according to  claim 1  wherein the container is cylindrical. 
     
     
         15 . The cooking grill according to  claim 1  wherein the cover is inclined downwardly in a direction away from the heating bowl to shed the liquid away from the heating bowl. 
     
     
         16 . The cooking grill according to  claim 1  wherein the cover is immediately underneath the grate at the heating bowl.