Patent ID: 8635947

Claim:
A cooking apparatus comprising: an upper chamber; a vented charcoal tray disposed below the upper chamber; a vent located at a lower position in the upper chamber configured to admit fresh combustion air directly to the vented charcoal tray; a second vent located at an upper position of the upper chamber and configured to prevent a buildup of smoke in the upper chamber; a lower chamber below the vented charcoal tray configured to provide for the collection of ash; and a duct attached to a bottom sidewall of the lower chamber and forming an isolated passageway from the lower chamber to a cooking chamber for combustion gases, the duct being located away from the lower chamber area where the ash is collected and shielded from the collected ash; wherein the cooking apparatus is configured to draw combustion gases from the upper chamber downward through the vented charcoal tray, in opposition to a natural upward draft, and to mix the combustion gases with the fresh combustion air from the vent.