Abstract:
A water circulated grill including a housing containing spaced apart food supporting tubes and with a water catching system including spaced apart collection troughs to receive condensed water dropping from the sides of the water cooled supporting tubes, a steamer positioned beneath the water cooled food supporting tubes and above a heat supply source, whereby the heat supply source will heat the steamer to generate steam that moves between collection troughs to cook food placed on the tubes and wherein a water source supplying water to the steamer also supplies water to a water chamber of a steamer pot that has a burner receiving fuel from the same source that supplies fuel to the heat source.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to barbecue grills and is particularly concerned with such grills having a water circulating system for maintaining food support systems cool and clean as food therein is cooked. Grills of the type described are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,632,089 and 6,158,426. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It has been found that with food cooking grills having water circulating systems for maintaining the food support systems thereof cool and clean as the food is cooked water collects on the cooled food support systems and falls along with grease and drippings from the food being cooked onto the heat source for the grill. The dropped water, along with the drippings from the food can significantly adversely affect the efficiency of the heat source. Both water and food drippings accumulating on the heat source have proven to be damaging, with time, to the burners or other heat sources used. The water droplets may be heated to form steam, but the steam formed may include smoke and grease that has also been formed as the material dropped onto the heat source is heated. Consequently, the materials dropped onto the heat source may burn and smoke and the water component may steam and evaporate only to condense and provide a grease coating on the interior of the somewhat cooler grill housing. Periodically, thereafter, the accumulated coating must be removed for cleanliness and sanitation reasons 
     Principal objects of the present invention are to provide a barbecue grill having cooking grid with a water circulating food support system that will remain cool and clean, even as food is cooked on the support system; that will collect water condensing on and falling from the food support system without collecting significant amounts of food drippings from food cooked on the food support system; that will protect the heat source of the grid from the water and food drippings; that will provide for steam assisted cooking and flavoring of food on the support system sand steaming of separately processed foods in a steam pot. 
     Principal features of the invention include a barbecue grill having a housing within which food is cooked while resting on a cooking grid. The cooking grid is formed as interconnected tubes through which water is circulated. Food to be cooked is placed on a top surface of the grid. A heat source, which may be a burner or a plurality of burners supplied with fuel, such as propane, is positioned in a lower portion of the housing. A drip water collector, comprising a plurality of interconnected, spaced apart collection troughs, is positioned in the housing, between the cooking grid and the heat source. Each collection trough is positioned beneath at least one water circulating tube of the cooking grill and will receive water collecting on the water circulating tube(s) thereabove and dropping from the tube(s). Each collection trough extends from a bottom upwardly on opposite sides to terminate in side edges positioned just outside the outermost sides of the water circulating tube(s) positioned above the trough. The collection troughs making up the drip water collector are spaced apart and are held together by support members to which the collection troughs are connected. 
     With the drip water collector spaced beneath the cooking grid and the collection troughs beneath water circulating tubes, water condensing on and falling from the water circulating tubes is caught in the collection troughs, which are heated by the heat source. The water caught in the collection troughs forms steam that rises from the collection troughs to be used in the cooking of food on the cooking grid. At the same time additional steam is passed upwardly between the spaced apart collection troughs and the spaced apart water circulating tubes to assist in cooking the food placed on the cooking grid. The additional steam is generated by heat from the heat source acting on the walls of a steamer that is centrally positioned beneath each of the collection troughs. 
     The steamer is elongate and includes a body that is filled with flavor chips and water. As the steamer is heated by the heat source the water turns to steam and the steam and absorbed flavors in the steam resulting from heating of the water soaked flavor chips is passed upwardly through holes in a top cover of the steamer. Heat from the heat source passes around the steamer while heating the walls thereof and generating flavored steam and between the collection troughs to heat the troughs to generate steam from water collecting in the troughs and to cook food placed on the cooking grid. At the same time a steamer pot, using the common water supply source supplying water to the cooking grid and the steamer is used to process foods placed in the steamer pot. 
     The common water supply is selected from a connected outside pressurized water source or from a closed water system including a reservoir, a circulating pump and a radiator cooler. 
     Droppings from food being cooked on the cooking grid falls from the food between the water circulating tubes and between the water collection troughs to the top cover of the steamer, with only a small amount of such droppings passing the steamer and onto the burners or other components of the heat source. The top cover of the steamer is easily removed and scraped or washed clean of any grease accumulation, as may be necessary to maintain effective cooking and to extend the life of the heat source. 
     Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from the following detailed description and drawings, disclosing what is presently contemplated as being the best mode of the invention. 
    
    
     DRAWINGS 
     In the drawings: 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a typical barbecue grill of the invention; 
     FIG. 2, a vertical section view, taken on the line  2 — 2  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3, a vertical section view, taken on the line  3 — 3  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4, a schematic diagram of the components of the invention with the burners shown connected to the fuel tank and again positioned beneath the steamer; 
     FIG. 5, an enlarged side elevation view of the steamer pot of the invention; 
     FIG. 6, an exploded view of the cooking grid, collection troughs, steamer and heat source of the invention; 
     FIG. 7, a transverse section view taken on the line  7 — 7  of FIG. 5, through a collection trough of the barbecue grill; and 
     FIG. 8, a transverse section view, taken on the line  8 — 8  of FIG. 5, through the steamer of the barbecue grill. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawings: 
     In the illustrated preferred embodiment of the invention, the barbecue grill is shown generally at  10 . As shown, the grill  10  includes a housing  12  with a base  14  and a hood  16  hinged to base  14  at hinge  18 . A handle  20  on the hood  16  allows a user to pivot the hood about hinge  18  for access to the interior of housing  12 . Legs  22  project downwardly from base  14  and some or all of the legs may be provided with a wheel  24  to facilitate movement of the grill  10 . 
     A cooking grid,  26  is shown resting on ribs  28  provided on the inside wall  30  of base  14 . Cooking grid  26  includes a plurality of spaced apart tubes  32  with their opposite ends spaced apart and side tubes  33  that have ends connected into end tubes  34  and  36 . End tube  34  has a coupling  38  that connects the tube to a water inlet tube  40 . End tube  36  has a coupling  42  that connects the tube to a discharge line  44 . Water supplied to tube  34  through inlet tube  40  is circulated through the tubes  32 ,  33 ,  34  and  36  and tube  44  to discharge. 
     A heat source  50 , including a pair of burners  52  and  54  is provided in the bottom of base  14 . The burners  52  and  54  and a burner  60  of a steamer pot  62  are connected by a hose  64  to a fuel source such as a propane tank  66 . 
     A drip water collector  70  is positioned in the base  14 , between the cooking grid  26  and the heat source  50 . The drip water collector is supported on ribs  72  formed on the inside wall  30  of base  14 . The drip water collector is formed with spaced apart collection troughs  74 , interconnected by spaced apart rods  76 . Collection troughs  74  are each positioned to have a low, central length  78  directly beneath at least one tube  32 . As shown upwardly extending wings  80  and  82 , extend from the central length outwardly to side edges  84  and  86  that are positioned just below the outermost sides of a pair of adjacent tubes  32  that are above the collection trough  74 . So arranged and positioned the collection troughs  74  will collect water condensing on and falling from the tubes  32 . 
     A steamer  90  is positioned between the heat source and the drip water collector  70 . Steamer  90  includes a bin  92  that extends transversely beneath the spaced apart collection troughs  74 . Flavor chips  94 , which may be hickory, pine or other wood chips are placed in bin  92 . Water is introduced into bin  92  through an inlet conduit  96  to soak the flavor chips and upon heating of the steamer by the heat source  50  the water in the bin is turned to steam that absorbs the flavor of the flavor chips. The generated steam passes through holes  98  in a top cover  100  of the bin  92 . Top cover  100  lips over side and end walls  102  and  104 , respectively, of the bin  92 , and is lifted off the bin to allow placement of the flavor chips  94  and for easy cleaning of the top surface of the top cover. An outlet conduit  106  is connected into the bin  92  and a pressure responsive valve  108  in the conduit  106  will open to allow water flow from the bin  92  should the pressure in the bin  92  approach an unsafe level. 
     The side walls  102  of the bin  92  of steamer  90  extend downwardly and outwardly from the center bottom of bin  92  to serve as supports  104  for the bin and as heat collectors to be heated by the heat source  50 . The supports  104  transmit the heat to the bin  92  and the water and flavor chips in the bin. Supports  104  rest on ribs  106  formed in the inside wall  30  of base  14  of the housing  12 . 
     Water to end tube  34  of the cooking grid  26  is supplied through a conventional water pressure line  110 , a main valve  112  and a connector line  114  connected to the line  40 . Connector line  114  is also connected to inlet conduit  94  of the steamer  90 . Discharge line  36  of the cooking grid and outlet conduit  106  of the steamer  90  are each connected to an inlet pipe  116  of a cooling radiator  118 . An outlet pipe  120  of the cooling radiator discharges into a storage reservoir tank  122  that is suspended from bottom shelf  124  of the grill  10 . A valved drain line  123  is provided in the bottom of reservoir tank  122 . In the event a pressurized water source  110  is not available or if the grill is to be used without connection to a pressurized water source a pump  122 , having an electrical cord  124  to be plugged into a conventional electrical outlet, is turned on to pump water through a selector valve  128  and the line  114  into the cooking grid  26  and the steamer  90  before being returned to the reservoir tank  122 . 
     Main valve  112  is arranged to be cam operated and to open upon opening of the control valve  130  of the propane tank  66 . Selector valve  128  is turned to allow flow from the pressurized water source to connector line  114  or to shut off such flow and to allow flow from pump  122  to connector line  114 . 
     Line  114  is also connected to a conduit  132  to supply water through an on-off valve  134  to the inlet  136  of steamer pot  62 . 
     Steamer pot  62  includes a water chamber  138 , receiving water from inlet  136  and being supported by angled walls  140  above the burner  60 . Angled walls  140  extend downwardly and inwardly towards one another, from a shelf  142  that is cantilevered from base  14  of the grill  10 . Water chamber  138  has a perforated top cover  144  that is removable to permit placement of flavor chips into the water chamber. Water in the water chamber  138  is heated by burner  60  to form steam that passes through the perforations in the top cover and perforations  146  in a cook pot  148 . Cook pot  148  is removably inserted through a hole  150  in the shelf  142  to be suspended above the water chamber  138 . Vegetables and/or other foods to be steamed are placed in the cook pot  148  and are steamed by steam generated in the water chamber  138  and passing through the perforations in top cover  144  and cook pot  148 . A domed cover  152  removably fits over the cook pot to cover the food placed in the cook pot and to circulate the steam around and through the food. 
     A return conduit  156  connects water chamber  138  and the cooling radiator  118  and a pressure responsive valve  158  in the conduit  156  opens to allow flow from the water chamber to the radiator while preventing dangerous pressure build-up in the water chamber. 
     Valves  160  and  162  control flow from propane tank  66  to the burners  52  and  54  and valve  164  controlling flow from tank  66  to burner  60 , respectively, have control knobs  166 ,  168  and  170  mounted to a front face of base  14  of the grill  10 . 
     Although a preferred form of my invention has been herein disclosed, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is by way of example and that variations are possible without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the following claims, which subject matter I regard as my invention.