Patent ID: 8399810

Claim:
An apparatus for grilling a food product comprising: a base housing; a cooking grate removably positionable on, or removably positionable in, an upper portion of said base housing wherein said cooking grate has openings therethrough which are open to air flow and said openings are sized such that a total area of said openings is not more than 28% of a total horizontal planar area covered by said cooking grate; a radiant heat cavity within said base housing wherein said cooking grate covers at least most of an upper end of said radiant heat cavity when said cooking grate is positioned on or in said upper portion of said base housing; and at least one electric heating element positioned in said radiant heat cavity such that said electric heating element will be located elevationally below said cooking grate, said radiant heat cavity having an upwardly extending reflective interior surface which substantially surrounds at least a lower upwardly extending portion of said radiant heat cavity, wherein said upwardly extending reflective interior surface diverges outwardly in an upward direction at a divergence angle in a range of from 20° to less than 60° from horizontal which is effective for reflecting heat toward said cooking grate and for drainage; and said upwardly extending reflective interior surface has a conical or frusto-conical shape.