Continuous cooking grill

Abstract

A continuous cooking grill is provided which includes a heating element for supplying radiant heat to food items passing tberebetween along a conveyor which is preferably provided with a series of intercalated rods oriented transversely to the direction of travel. The conveyor includes both a straight portion and an arcuate portion for advancing the items in a generally U-shaped path. The cooker includes a bottom presenting a series of openings along and below the path of the food items which enables the drippings to pass unobstructed out of the cooker. The food items are inverted during their passage through the cooker at a location generally at the end of the bight of the U-shaped path by movement of the rods which causes the items to tumble downwardly from the arcuate portion onto the straight portion. The heating element is configured to generate radiant heat at a substantially constant distance from the food items during movement from the upper, arcuate portion to the lower, straight portion.

I claim: 
     
       1. A continuous cooking grill for cooking and conveying a food item therethrough comprising: a heating element;   means for advancing said food item along a path substantially beneath said heating element, said path including an arcuate portion and a substantially straight portion, there being means associated with said advancing means for inverting said food item during travel along said path;   a bottom located beneath said advancing means including means defining at least one opening directly below said advancing means for allowing drippings generated during cooking of said food items to pass therethrough and out of said grill; and   means for positioning said heating element above said path without any heating element being located below said path for preventing said grill from generating excessive smoke caused by said drippings falling onto a heated surface.   
     
     
       2. A continuous cooking grill as set forth in claim 1 wherein said advancing means includes a plurality of intercalated rods including means for initiating relative movement of adjacent rods in a direction generally transverse to their longitudinal axis for advancing a food item in said generally transverse direction therealong. 
     
     
       3. A continuous cooking grill as set forth in claim 2 including means for elevating said bottom above a surface supporting said cooker. 
     
     
       4. A continuous cooking grill as set forth in claim 2 wherein said arcuate portion presents an upstream end and a downstream end and is substantially continuous in a common horizontal plane therealong and said substantially straight portion is located immediately downstream from said downstream end, the downstream end of said arcuate portion being elevated relative to said substantially straight portion. 
     
     
       5. A continuous cooking grill as set forth in claim 4 wherein said heating element is located above at least a part of both said straight portion and said arcuate portion and is configured to be in substantially constant spaced relationship from said part of both said straight portion and said arcuate portion for cooking said food items during movement along said advancing means. 
     
     
       6. A continuous cooking grill for cooking and conveying a food item therethrough comprising: an enclosure including a cover, said enclosure defining an entrance and an exit; a conveying mechanism for advancing the food item from said entrance to said exit;   a heating element located above said conveying mechanism and intermediate said cover and said conveying mechanism for cooking the food item during movement along said conveying mechanism without any heating element being located below said conveying mechanism for preventing the generation of excessive smoke caused by said drippings falling onto a heated surface; and   means associated with the conveying mechanism for inverting the food item during movement along the conveying mechanism,   said enclosure including a bottom presenting a substantially open area located beneath said conveying mechanism for enabling drippings generated during cooking of the food item to drop downwardly, out of the grill.   
     
     
       7. A continuous cooking grill as set forth in claim 6 wherein said conveying mechanism defines an arcuate path for movement of the food item therealong during at least a portion of its movement from the entrance to the exit. 
     
     
       8. A continuous cooking grill as set forth in claim 6 including a plurality of support legs for elevating the bottom above a supporting surface. .Iadd. 
     
     
       9.  A cooking grill for reduced smoke cooking of food items comprising: a food supporting grid   a heating element positioned above the grid for cooking food items supported thereby without any heating element being located below said grid; and   an enclosure having substantially upright sidewalls positioned in surrounding relationship to said grid and extending above and below said grid, a cover substantially spanning said sidewalls over said grid, means elevating said enclosure relative to a supporting surface, said sidewalls defining therebetween substantially open area located below said grid whereby drippings generated during cooking of said food items may drop directly therethrough without substantial contact with heated surface and pass out of said enclosure. .Iaddend. .Iadd.   
     
     
       10.  A cooking grill as set forth in claim 9, wherein said cover is swingably mounted for movement between a first position over said food items and a second position displaced laterally relative to said food items. .Iaddend. .Iadd.11. A cooking grill as set forth in claim 10, wherein said heating element is supported by said cover. .Iaddend. .Iadd.12. A cooking grill as set forth in claim 11, wherein at least a portion of said sidwalls are connected to said cover. .Iaddend.