Barbecue pit

Claim 2

A barbecue pit for rendering and cooking meat comprising enclosed pit means including a floor for receiving a first bed of charcoal fuel, a chimney having a lower opening thereto communicated with said pit means at a predetermined distance above said floor, damper means positioned adjacent said lower opening of said chimney and being operable between open and closed positions for selectively opening and closing said lower opening in said chimeny, a draft door positioned adjacent said floor and being operable between open and closed positions for coacting with said damper means to selectively allow various amounts of air to pass over the charcoal to support combustion thereof, at least one pan for receiving the meat during the rendering process thereof, rotatable grill means for alternately restingly supporting said pan during the rendering process and the meat during the cooking process, grill support means for rotatably supporting said grill means a predetermined distance above said floor, a spout attached to said pan for conveying hot grease outwardly therefrom which accumulates during the rendering process, a grease receptacle positioned adjacent the exterior of said pit means for collecting and storing the hot grease, an elongated funnel, said receptacle being communicated with said spout by said funnel, at least one access door opening into said pit means for passing the meat therethrough, and means for selectively driving said grill means about a vertical axis.

Claim 3

The barbecue pit of claim 1 in which is included heater element means for selectively rendering a percentage of the fat from said meat prior to cooking, said heater means being positioned above said grill means, and said meat being received by said pan whereby the hot grease may be collected therein and subsequently conveyed to said receptacle through said funnel.

Claim 4

The barbecue pit of claim 1 in which said enclosed pit includes transparent means for viewing said meat during the cooking process thereof.

Claim 5

The barbecue pit of claim 3 in which is included operable luminaire means positioned within said enclosed pit for illuminating the interior thereof whereby the meat may better be viewed through said transparent means during the cooking process thereof.

Claim 6

The barbecue pit of claim 1 in which is included elevated structure means for selectively supporting a second bed of charcoal, said elevated structure means being positioned on said floor and occupying a portion of the area thereof, the area of said grill means exceeding the area of said elevated structure means whereby rotating said grill means is effective to substantially pass the entire area thereof over the second bed of charcoal with one revolution thereof.

Claim 7

The barbecue pit of claim 1 in which said grill means includes at least two sections with one of said sections being removable from the other.

Claim 8

The barbecue pit of claim 1 in which is included built-in flame extinguisher means for selectively extinguishing flames which might flare up as a result of hot grease falling onto the burning charcoal.

Claim 9

A barbecue pit for rendering and cooking meat comprising a brick and mortar enclosure having a circular inner pit terminating upwardly thereof with a domelike ceiling and terminating downwardly thereof with a circular flat floor for receiving a first bed of charcoal fuel, a chimney having a lower opening thereto communicated with said pit at a predetermined distance below said ceiling, damper means positioned adjacent said lower opening of said chimney and being operable between open and closed positions for selectively opening and closing said lower opening in said chimney, a draft door positioned adjacent said floor and being operable between open and closed positions for coacting with said damper means to selectively allow various amounts of air to pass over the charcoal to support combustion thereof, a plurality of pans for receiving the meat during the rendering process, said pans being at different elevations and being communicated one with the other whereby hot grease which accumulates during the rendering process may gravitate from the uPpermost one of said pans to the lowermost one thereof, circular grill means for alternately restingly supporting said pans during the rendering process and the meat during the cooking process, a plurality of pulley-like groove wheels respectively rotatably mounted to said enclosure for rotation about horizontal axes whereby a line passing through the respective grooves of said wheels defines a circle; said grill means including a circular downwardly extending flangelike main body member which restingly engages said grooves of said wheels whereby said grill is free to be rotated about a vertical axis, and a plurality of uniformly spaced cog teeth establishing a cog wheel defining the perimeter of said grill means; manual drive means for selectively driving said grill means about a vertical axis, said manual drive means including a crank having the inner end thereof extending into said pit and terminating adjacent said cog teeth, a first pinion gear fixedly attached to said inner end of said crank and meshingly engaging said cog wheel whereby turning said crank being effective to rotatably drive said grill means about a vertical axis, a spout attached to the lowermost one of said plurality of pans for conveying hot grease which accumulates during the cooking process outwardly therefrom, a grease receptacle, an elongated funnel for collecting the hot grease from said spout, said receptacle being positioned at a lower elevation than the lowermost one of said pans and adjacent the exterior of said enclosure, said elongated funnel extending through said enclosure and having an enlarged end thereof positioned subjacent said spout for receiving the hot grease therefrom and the opposite end of said funnel being positioned superjacent said receptacle for discharging the hot grease therein, and at least one access door opening into said pit for passing the meat therethrough.

Claim 10

A barbecue pit for rendering and cooking meat comprising a brick and mortar enclosure having a circular inner pit terminating upwardly thereof with a domelike ceiling and terminating downwardly thereof with a circular flat floor for receiving a first bed of charcoal fuel, a chimney having a lower opening thereto communicated with said pit at a predetermined distance below said ceiling, damper means positioned adjacent said lower opening of said chimney and being operable between open and closed positions for selectively opening and closing said lower opening in said chimney, a draft door positioned adjacent said floor and being operable between open and closed positions for coacting with said damper means to selectively allow various amounts of air to pass over the charcoal to support combustion thereof, a plurality of pans for receiving the meat during the rendering process, said pans being at different elevations and being communicated one with the other whereby hot grease which accumulates during the rendering process may gravitate from the uPpermost one of said pans to the lowermost one thereof, circular grill means for alternately restingly supporting said pans during the rendering process and the meat during the cooking process, a plurality of pulley-like groove wheels respectively rotatably mounted to said enclosure for rotation about horizontal axes whereby a line passing through the respective grooves of said wheels defines a circle; said grill means including a circular downwardly extending flangelike main body member which restingly engages said grooves of said wheels whereby said grill is free to be rotated about a vertical axis, and a plurality of uniformly spaced cog teeth establishing a cog wheel defining the perimeter of said grill means; manual drive means for selectively driving said grill means about a vertical axis, said manual drive means including a crank having the inner end thereof extending into said pit and terminating adjacent said cog teeth, a first pinion gear fixedly attached to said inner end of said crank and meshingly engaging said cog wheel whereby turning said crank being effective to rotatably drive said grill means about a vertical axis, a spout attached to the lowermost one of said plurality of pans for conveying hot grease which accumulates during the cooking process outwardly therefrom, a grease receptacle, an elongated funnel for collecting the hot grease from said spout, said receptacle being positioned at a lower elevation than the lowermost one of said pans and adjacent the exterior of said enclosure, said elongated funnel extending through said enclosure and having an enlarged end thereof positioned subjacent said spout for receiving the hot grease therefrom and the opposite end of said funnel being positioned superjacent said receptacle for discharging the hot grease therein, and at least one access door opening into said pit for passing the meat therethrough.

Claim 11

The barbecue pit of claim 8 in which is included power actuated drive means for selectively driving said grill means about a vertical axis, said power actuated drive means including a prime mover having a rotatably driven output shaft extending into said pit with the inner end thereof terminating adjacent said cog wheel of said grill means, and a second pinion gear fixedly attached to said inner end of said output shaft and meshingly engaging said cog wheel whereby operating said prime mover being effective to rotatably drive said grill means about a vertical axis.

Claim 12

The barbecue pit of claim 8 in which is included backup support means for rotatably supporting said grill means in the event said flangelike main body member thereof were to inadvertently become disengaged from said grooves of said plurality of wheels, said backup support means includes vertically disposed pintle means, a hub fixedly attached to said grill means concentrically thereof and having an aperture for receiving said pintle means whereby said grill means is free to rotate thereabout, pintle support means for supporting said pintle means a predetermined distance above said floor of said pit, and sleeve means circumferentially engaging said pintle means and having an upper shoulder portion thereto positioned a predetermined distance below said hub whereby disengaging said flangelike main body member of said grill means from said grooves of said plurality of wheels being effective to allow said hub to slide downwardly along said pintle means until engaging said upper shoulder portion of said sleeve with said grill means subsequently being rotatably supported by said backup support means.