Barbecue Frame Array for Direct-Indirect Heat Cooking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional barbecue setups lack the ability to simultaneously achieve direct and indirect cooking methods, leading to limitations in cooking variety and efficiency, particularly in maintaining food moisture and preventing overcooking.
Innovation Solution
A barbecue accessory featuring an array of spaced apart parallel frames with a central cavity, allowing for direct cooking at the outer edges and indirect cooking in the center, accompanied by a base and container for juice collection and vaporization, which enhances moisture retention and even heat distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If solid fuel is placed directly under the food grate for cooking, then direct heat cooking is achieved, but the fuel may enter the center of the grill and cause uneven heat distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The grill space is segmented into two distinct zones: a peripheral zone for direct heat cooking where fuel burns, and a central indirect heat zone for food placement. The array structure divides the grill interior into multiple sections, allowing simultaneous direct and indirect cooking methods without fuel contamination in the center.
Solution Approach 2:
The array of spaced-apart frames acts as an intermediary barrier between the fuel and the central cooking area. This dam-like structure prevents fuel from entering the center while still allowing heat and smoke to pass through to the food, enabling controlled indirect heat cooking.
2Productivity
If food is cooked directly over high heat, then cooking speed is improved, but food may burn or dry out
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the grill are assigned different thermal characteristics: the outer perimeter provides high-heat direct cooking zones for searing and quick cooking, while the central area provides lower-heat indirect cooking for slower, more controlled cooking that prevents burning and moisture loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooking process is segmented into direct heat application for exterior searing and indirect heat for interior cooking, allowing different parts of the food to be cooked at different rates and temperatures simultaneously.
3Ease of manufacture
If the grill structure is simplified for ease of manufacture, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but the ability to provide both direct and indirect heat is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The array structure is designed to be removable and reconfigurable, allowing users to adapt the grill configuration based on cooking needs. The frames can be assembled and disassembled easily, providing versatility in cooking methods while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The array structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it contains fuel, creates heat zones, allows heat and smoke passage, and can be easily assembled and disassembled. This multi-functionality achieves cooking versatility without proportionally increasing manufacturing complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables simultaneous direct and indirect cooking, maintaining food moisture, reducing the need for constant turning, and allowing for the cooking of diverse food types, including non-traditional items, while ensuring even temperature and preventing overcooking.
Implementation Method 1
the juices from the food drip into the container, heat up, vaporize, and bathe the food being cooked on the grill
Implementation Method 2
The container can also be used to steam vegetables and roasts potatoes... provides moisture to the heated air inside the barbecue
Implementation Method 3
The invention uses spaced apart frames so that air can flow freely around the solid fuel within the barbecue to provide and sustain an even cooking temperature
Data Source
AI summary
An accessory for a barbecue includes a plurality of frames which are arranged in vertically spaced apart relationship and form an array having an outer perimeter and a central cavity. The array is placed on the solid fuel support of the barbecue, and solid fuel such as charcoal is placed around the outer perimeter of the array. The accessory has a base upon which a container is placed to collect juices from the cooking food.