Apparatus for grilling meat or the like

Claim 1

An apparatus for grilling food, suitable for continuous operation in commercial use, and of the type in which the food is mounted on a rotating pit inside a grilling chamber, but differing from prior grilling apparatus in that charring of liquid dripping and splattering from the food is very substantially reduced, said apparatus comprising: walls, including an upper wall located above the food, and including lateral walls extending downward from the upper wall to a bottom, said walls and bottom collectively defining the grilling chamber; a casing enclosing said walls but spaced from them; an upper plate located within the grilling chamber adjacent and facing said upper wall but spaced from it; a heating element located in the space between said upper wall and said upper plate, said upper plate shielding the food from radiation produced by said heating element, whereby excessive localized surface heating of the food is avoided; a first fan located in the space between said upper plate and said upper wall for circulating the air within the grilling chamber first downwardly over the food, and then upwardly, and for causing a flow of air across said heating element for heating the air as it is recirculated, whereby cooking of the food is accomplished primarily by condution from the heated air rather than by radiation from said heating element; a second fan located in the space between said casing and said walls and causing ambient air to flow through the space between said casing and said walls and carrying away heat from said walls, whereby said walls are cooled so that charring of liquids that splatter from the food onto said walls is substantially reduced; a radiator element located in the grilling chamber above the food and producing radiation for browning the surface of the food, said radiator element being operated at relatively low power compared to said heating element since said radiator element is used merely for browning the surface of the food but is not relied on for cooking the interior of the food; a fat collecting tray located on the bottom of the grilling chamber; and, guide baffles extending from said lateral walls into the grilling chamber and sloping downward toward said fat collecting tray, and funneling into said fat collecting tray any liquids that drip from the food while it is cooking, said guide baffles shielding substantially all of said fat collecting tray from the radiation and hot air within the grilling chamber and further serving to guide the flow of recirculating air around the food, said guide baffles being partially shielded by the food from the radiation, thereby reducing charring of liquids that drip onto said guide baffles.

Claim 2

An apparatus for grilling food, suitable for continuous operation in commercial use, and of the type in which the food is mounted on a rotating pit inside a grilling chamber, but differing from prior grilling apparatus in that charring of liquid dripping and splattering from the food is very substantially reduced, said apparatus comprising: walls, including an upper wall located above the food, and including lateral walls extending downward from the upper wall to a bottom, said walls and bottom collectively defining the grilling chamber; a casing enclosing said walls but spaced from them; an upper plate located within the grilling chamber adjacent and facing said upper wall but spaced from it; a heating element located in the space between said upper wall and said upper plate, said upper plate shielding the food from radiation produced by said heating element, whereby excessive localized surface heating of the food is avoided; a first fan located in the space between said upper plate and said upper wall for circulating the air within the grilling chamber first downwardly over the food, and then upwardly, and for causing a flow of air across said heating element for heating the air as it is recirculated, whereby cooking of the food is accomplished primarily by condution from the heated air rather than by radiation from said heating element; a second fan located in the space between said casing and said walls and causing ambient air to flow through the space between said casing and said walls and carrying away heat from said walls, whereby said walls are cooled so that charring of liquids that splatter from the food onto said walls is substantially reduced; a radiator element located in the grilling chamber above the food and producing radiation for browning the surface of the food, said radiator element being operated at relatively low power compared to said heating element since said radiator element is used merely for browning the surface of the food but is not relied on for cooking the interior of the food; a fat collecting tray located on the bottom of the grilling chamber; and, guide baffles extending from said lateral walls into the grilling chamber and sloping downward toward said fat collecting tray, and funneling into said fat collecting tray any liquids that drip from the food while it is cooking, said guide baffles shielding substantially all of said fat collecting tray from the radiation and hot air within the grilling chamber and further serving to guide the flow of recirculating air around the food, said guide baffles being partially shielded by the food from the radiation, thereby reducing charring of liquids that drip onto said guide baffles.