Barbecue grill slab

A molded refractory slab for positioning in a barbecue grill between the burner unit and the heat-supporting grate has a plurality of uniformly spaced bosses simulating coals projecting upwardly from its top surface and integral dam means connecting adjacent bosses near the periphery of the slab to form a parapet for containing grease and rendered meat juices on the slab and preventing their dripping off the sides of the slab into the fire. The mold in which the slab is formed is of light-weight disposable material and is used as a protective container for shipping unfired slabs, which can then be fired during initial use of the slabs in barbecue grills.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The invention relates to gas-fired barbecue grills and consists 
particularly in a ceramic slab mountable in such grills between the 
burners and the food-supporting grate. 
2. The Prior Art 
My U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,312 discloses a slab of refractory material for 
mounting in a gas-fired barbecue grill and formed with a plurality of 
spaced, upwardly projecting lumps simulating coals. No specific means were 
provided to prevent grease, drippings and the like from running off the 
edges of the slab into the fire. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention provides a coal-simulating slab of refractory material for 
positioning between the burners and the food-supporting grate of a 
gas-fired barbecue grill having means for preventing grease, meat 
drippings and the like from running off the edges of the slab into the 
fire. 
An object of the invention is to provide means in co-operation with 
upwardly projecting simulated coals on a barbecue grill refractory slab 
for preventing grease and the like from running off the slab into the 
fire. 
A further object is to provide a refractory slab for gas-fired barbecue 
grills in which the top surface of the slab has uniformly spaced bosses 
simulating coals and separated by narrow valleys and includes dam means in 
each of the valleys near their intersections with the edges of the slab 
for preventing grease and the like from flowing out of the valleys and 
over the edges of the slab into the fire. 
A further object is to provide a protective shipping container for 
refractory slabs made in accordance with the invention. 
An additional object is to utilize a mold of lightweight, disposable 
material for the slab as a protective part of the slab shipping container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
A conventional gas-fired barbecue grill best seen in FIG. 1 has an upwardly 
open fire box 1 of generally rectangular shape in plan with a horizontal 
bottom wall 3 and upright side and end walls 5 and 7. A gas burner unit 9 
positioned in the lower portion of fire box 1 has a plurality of upwardly 
facing burners 11. Side and end walls 5 and 7 are formed along their upper 
margins with an outwardly extending peripheral flange 13, on which a 
meat-supporting grate 15 is supported. A suitable downwardly open lid or 
cover 17, preferably hinged at one side to flange 13, is formed with a 
peripheral flange 19 along its lower rim for mating engagement with fire 
box flange 13. 
Intermediate the top of the burners 11 and the upper rim of fire box side 
and end walls 5 and 7, the side and end walls mount inwardly extending 
flanges 21, on which a sub-grate 23 is supported. The purpose of sub-grate 
23 is to support a refractory slab 25, best seen in detail in FIGS. 2-4, 
the purpose of slab 25 being to simulate a bed of coals or briquettes and 
catch meat juice drippings, both to prevent their dripping onto the 
burners and to produce smoke from their drippings as they vaporize on the 
hot surface of the slab with consequent improvement therefrom in the 
flavor of the meat being cooked. 
Slab 25 is molded from refractory, preferably ceramic, material and has a 
flat bottom surface 26. The top surface is formed with a series of 
frusto-conical upward projections 27 arranged in a plurality of parallel 
side-by-side rows extending lengthwise of the slab, the projections 27 of 
alternate rows being offset lengthwise of the slab from each other so that 
the projections 27 of every other row are disaligned from the projections 
27 of the other rows. The sides 29 of projections 27 are inclined about 
45.degree. from the horizontal and thus form valleys between the adjoining 
portion of the adjacent projections. The projections 27a along the 
longitudinal rows adjacent the sides of the slab are bisected by the sides 
of the slab and the projections of the alternate rows at the ends of the 
slab are bisected by the end edges of the slab. 
Slab 25 is reinforced by a wire mesh 30 molded within it, to provide 
adequate strength while minimizing thickness and weight of the slab. 
In order to retain grease and rendered meat juices which have dripped on 
the slab on the upper surface of the slab so that they vaporize into 
smoke, the spaces along the sides and ends of the slab between adjacent 
projections 27a along the sides and projections 27 and 27b along the ends 
are blocked, respectively, by small, generally trapezoidal dams 31 and 33 
which, in effect, form, with the intervening projections, an upstanding 
rim surrounding the slab. In addition to retaining the grease and rendered 
meat juices on the slab and preventing their dripping from the slab onto 
the fire, dams 31 and 33 substantially strengthen the slab at what would 
otherwise be the weakest points along its periphery, i.e., the valleys 
intervening between the adjacent projections 27, 27a and 27b. 
Preferably, the slab 25 is formed in a mold 35 (FIGS. 5 and 6) having a 
flat surface 37 with depressions 38 therein to form projections 27, 27a 
and 27b on the slab, bounded by an upstanding rim 39 and a flat plate 41 
forming the lower plane surface of the slab. Desirably, mold parts 37 and 
41 are formed of polystyrene or similar lightweight, disposable material 
and are used as part of a shipping container for the unfired ceramic slab 
which, upon receipt by the user, is placed in the barbecue grill as shown 
in FIG. 1 and fired there while in service. 
The details of the slab incorporating the invention, such as the specific 
shape of the coal-simulating bosses and of the peripheral dam members, may 
be varied substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention 
and the exclusive use of such modifications as come within the scope of 
the appended claims is contemplated.