Smoker and cooker with improved adjustable spaced grill support

A combination smoker and cooker comprising adjustably spaced grills so as to make easier access to the grills and to replenish cooking fuel. The cooker comprises a grill support bar for supporting multiple grills including a water pan steamer assembly, at adjustable vertically spaced intervals in a housing. The grill support bar comprises pairs of vertically spaced slots cut into oppositely facing sides thereof and is held in the housing by a socket which is sized and shaped to firmly receive a bottom end of the support bar and secure the support bar in place in the cooker.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a combination smoker and cooker having an 
improved and adjustable grill support structure. 
Large smoker and cooker devices are useful in cooking and steaming food in 
a single unit. Charcoal briquettes with flavoring wood chips or sticks are 
burned at the bottom of the cooker to cook food on grills and steam water 
supported above the burning fuel. For example, see my prior U.S. Pat. No. 
4,094,295. In that device, multiple grills are supported within a 
cylindrical cooking housing. 
An important feature of a combination smoker and cooker is the ability to 
remove food from the grills of the cooker without the need to remove other 
grills. This feature is afforded in my prior design, which is the subject 
of the aforementioned patent. However, there is room for improvement, 
particularly in regard to the need to remove the grills to add or remove 
food, or to add more fuel to the cooker. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a combination smoker 
and cooker comprising adjustably spaced grills so as to make for easier 
access to the grills and to replenish cooking fuel. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a combination 
smoker and cooker in which the cooking grills and water pan may be 
inserted and/or removed from the cooking housing without tilting the 
cooking cylinder or grill. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a grill 
support structure which permits easy insertion and removal of a grill from 
the cooker, and for adjustably spacing the grills in the cooker. 
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a smoker and 
cooker which can be broken down into a compact package for shipment, yet 
easy to assemble for use or sales display. 
The combination smoker and cooker of the present invention comprises a 
support bar for supporting multiple grills including a grill/water pan 
steamer assembly, at adjustable vertically displaced intervals. The grill 
support bar comprises pairs of vertically spaced slots cut into oppositely 
facing sides of the support bar and is held in the housing by a grill 
support bar socket which is sized and shaped to firmly receive a bottom 
end of the support bar and secure the support bar in place in the cooker. 
The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will 
become more readily apparent when reference is made to the following 
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the combination smoker and cooker is 
generally shown at 10, and includes a housing comprising a cylindrical lid 
12 and a cylindrical base 14. A cooking chamber 18 is defined within the 
space between the lid 12 and base 14. The lid includes a dome shaped top 
13 and a cylindrical wall 15. The base 14 comprises a cylindrical wall 17 
which terminates at the top in an outwardly folded bead 30 and at the 
bottom in an inwardly folded bead 31. 
The lid 12 includes handles 20 which are essentially striked-out portions 
22 of the lid 12 onto which cylindrical wood dowels 24 are attached. As a 
result of the striked-out portions 22, vents 26 are created below the 
handles 20, which lead into a top area of the cooking chamber 18. 
The lid 12 fits onto the base 14 by way of a circular flange 28 which 
terminates at the lower end of the lid. The flange 28 includes a 
horizontal surface portion and a vertical surface portion. The flange 28 
fits tightly over the bead 30, with the horizontal portion resting on the 
top of the bead 30 and the vertical surface portion firmly fitting against 
the lateral portion of the bead 30. This seals in the heat in the cooking 
chamber 18. 
The base 14 includes a fuel support pan 32 and an ash plate 34, which are 
shown in greater detail in FIG. 5. The fuel support pan 32 is disposed 
concentrically in said base and has upwardly-striked louver air vents 36 
cut therein in the center. The ash plate 34 is a square (approximately 
seven inches by seven inches) rectangular member having four turned-down 
triangular corner tabs 38 which fit into slits 40 cut in the fuel pan and 
is designed to prevent ashes from spilling out of the vents 36, while 
still allowing air in to facilitate burning of the fuel. The tabs 38 fit 
through the slits 40 and are bent upwards flush with the lower surface of 
the fuel pan 32 to lock to the fuel pan 32. An air intake chamber 41 is 
defined in the region between the fuel pan 32 and the ground. The fuel pan 
32 has a slightly concave curvature with respect to a center point of the 
pan for directing air from the intake chamber 41 to the fuel, such as 
charcoal, supported on the upper surface of the fuel pan. 
There are two sets of vents in the base 14. A first array of vents 42 is 
provided around the base 14 above the fuel pan 32, and a second array of 
vents 44 is provided around the base 14 below the fuel pan 32. The vents 
42 and 44 comprise louvers inwardly-striked by a suitable tool of the wall 
17 of the base 14. The vents 44 provide access for air to enter the base 
14 and assist in the burning of fuel supported on the fuel pan 32. The 
vents 42 serve as exhaust for the burning fuel on the fuel pan 32 and 
otherwise regulate the temperature in the cooker. 
Inside the cooking chamber 18, and above the fuel pan 32, a grill 50 
comprising a grating cooking surface, and a grill/water pan steamer 
assembly 52 are supported on a support bar 54, shown in detail in FIG. 4. 
Both the grill 50 and grill/water pan assembly 52 have oppositely facing 
V-shaped wire extensions 58. The wire extensions 58 are biased towards 
each other so as to form a clamping member. The support bar 54 is an 
elongated member having pairs of vertically spaced slots 56 on opposite 
facing surfaces. The slots are designed to receive the wire extensions 58 
of the grill 50 or grill/water steamer pan assembly 52, as best shown in 
FIGS. 3 and 4. The wire extensions 58 clamp onto the support bar 54 in the 
slot 56. The vertical spacing between the slots is approximately three 
inches. 
The grill/water pan steamer assembly 52 comprises a grating cooking surface 
60 and two pan wire support arms 62 which curve outward from the cooking 
surface 60 and inward at their distal ends. A pan 64 includes a peripheral 
flange or lip 66 which rests on the pan wire support arms 62, below the 
cooking surface 60. Therefore, water may be boiled in the pan 64 to steam 
food supported on the cooking surface 60. 
The support bar 54 is vertically supported inside the cooking chamber 18 by 
a support bar socket 70. The support bar socket 70 is essentially a socket 
comprised of four side walls and a bottom wall, and an open top, which 
receives the support bar 54. In addition, two tabs 72 and 74 are provided 
which are designed to fit through slits 76 and 78, respectively, from the 
interior of the base 14, as shown in FIG. 2. When shipped, the tabs are in 
the phantom position as shown in FIG. 4 to enable them to be inserted and 
bent. The tab 72 is bent upwards and the tab 74 is bent downwards on the 
outside of the base 14 to firmly attach to the base 14. The socket 70 is 
sized to firmly receive and secure the support bar 54 inside the cooking 
chamber 18. It is to be understood that the thickness of the tabs is such 
to allow for easy bending, yet strong support, and that the thickness 
shown in FIG. 2 are not necessarily to scale, as would be understood by 
one with ordinary skill in the art. 
The grill 50 and grill/water pan steamer assembly 52 may easily be removed 
from the cooker by pulling the V-shaped wire extensions from the slots 56 
and reinserting them into slots at different levels on the support bar 56. 
In the same manner, the vertical spacing between them is easily 
adjustable. It is not necessary to tilt the cooker to remove or adjust the 
vertical spacing of the grills. In addition, more than two grills may be 
disposed in the cooker, because the support bar 54 can accommodate several 
layers of cooking surfaces. 
More importantly, access inside the cooking chamber to either of the 
cooking surfaces on the grill or grill/water pan assembly 52 is achieved 
without the need to remove either from the cooker. The lid 12 may be 
lifted off the base 14. This makes it possible to access food items on any 
cooking surface. Further, it is not necessary to remove the water pan 64 
to replenish the fuel on the fuel pan 32. This eliminates the risk of 
spilling water. However, for major refueling, the grills may be removed, 
but it is still not necessary to reach down into the hot base cylinder to 
add fuel. Further, the grills may be spaced at intervals as small as three 
inches, which eliminates the need for rib racks, corn sticks, and other 
types of spacer accessories. 
The materials used to construct the cooker may vary. Sheet metal of 
appropriate thickness has been proven to be adequate for the lid 12 and 
base 14. Also, the fuel pan 32, ash plate 34, and support bar socket 70 
are preferably formed of sheet metal of appropriate thickness. 
The dimensions of the cooker may vary. The overall height of the cooker is 
approximately 44 inches and has a diameter of approximately 17 inches. 
This enables a maximum of approximately 15 pounds of charcoal briquettes 
to be placed in the fuel pan. 
In use, charcoal or other types of fuel is disposed on the fuel pan 32. 
Lighter fluid is usually helpful to ignite the charcoal. The lid 12 is 
removed to coat the charcoal but the grill 50 and grill/water pan assembly 
52 need not be removed. Once the charcoal is burning well, food can be put 
on the grill 50, and depending on the amount of food to be cooked, several 
grills can be used to support several layers of food. The water pan is 
capable of holding up to 8 quarts of water to steam food placed on the 
cooking surface 60. If desired, sticks or chips of wood such as hickory, 
pecan and the like, may be placed in with the charcoal to provide a 
desired flavor characteristic to the meat. 
Many types of meat items may be cooked, such as pork roasts, ribs, hams, 
poultry, seafood, pork chops, sausage, lamb roasts, steaks, ground beef 
patties and the like. The water pan can collect meat drippings to be used 
as a base for gravy or barbecue sauce. Once the cooking operation begins, 
the lid 12 is not removed from the base 14 and the cooker remains 
assembled, except to check food on the grill or to add charcoal. 
The smoker and cooker is shipped substantially disassembled. The support 
bar 54 and socket 70 are disassembled from the housing. The grills 50 and 
grill/water pan steamer assembly 52 are detached from the support. The 
water pan 64 is detached from the assembly 52. For use or display, the 
socket 70 is inserted on the wall of the base and the support bar 54 is 
inserted into the socket 70. The grills may then be attached to the 
support bar 54. 
Moreover, when not in use or for transport, the grill support bar 54 can be 
removed from the socket 70. Also, the grills can be removed from the grill 
support bar. 
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the 
invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily 
occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the 
invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and 
accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, 
falling within the scope of the invention.