A cooking system for managing food byproduct, the cooking system including a main body, a griddle, and a drawer. The main body includes structure to support the griddle positioned above a heat element. The griddle includes a cooking surface with an opening defined in the griddle, the opening positioned adjacent a rear end of the cooking surface. The drawer includes a grease container, the drawer being moveable between an inserted position and a removed position. In the inserted position, the grease container is positioned below the opening of the griddle and adjacent a rear side of the main body with a front portion of the drawer accessible along a front side of the main body. With this arrangement, the drawer is removable from the front side of the main body and captures food byproduct in the grease container adjacent the rear side of the main body.

An outdoor cooking station configured to keep cooked food warm within a warming chamber of the cooking station. The cooking station includes a main body with frame components and panels, the panels coupled to the frame components so as to extend and define the warming chamber, the warming chamber positioned below heating elements supported by the main body. The warming chamber is fixedly positioned relative to the heating elements. The main body includes a door pivotably coupled to the main body and positioned along a front side of the main body, the door pivotably moveable between an open position and a closed position. With this arrangement, the door facilitates access to the warming chamber to place cooked food therein.

A steam chamber has enhanced planarity of its cooking surface, and a method for making the same via friction welding is provided. An array of stays within the steam chamber are friction welded to the undersurface of the upper plate, opposite the cooking surface, thus minimizing the heat affected zone and distortion of the cooking surface as compared, for example, to arc welding. A lower plate includes an array of holes sized and configured to be engaged by the array of stays, and is then welded to the array of stays via plug welds or rosette welds at the hole/stay junction. The resulting steam chamber preserves a high level of planarity in the cooking surface, while allowing the use of a relatively thin top plate for thermal and cooking efficiency.

Embodiments of a griddle of the type for an outdoor cooking station is provided herein. The griddle includes a flat cooking surface with a splash guard extending along a periphery of the flat cooking surface. The flat cooking surface defines a trough positioned adjacent a rear end of the cooking surface such that the trough includes a sloping surface extending downward toward a rear opening defined in the splash guard along and adjacent the rear end of the flat cooking surface. With this arrangement, as a user cooks food on the griddle, unwanted grease may be pushed to the rear of the griddle and into the trough so that the grease funnels down the sloped surface and through the rear opening and into a grease container centered below the rear opening.

An outdoor cooking station configured to simultaneously and independently cook food with different fuel or energy sources. The cooking station including a main body extending with a framework and panels to define a griddle portion and an oven portion. The griddle portion includes a griddle supported by an upper side of the main body, the griddle positioned above one or more gas flame burners supported by the main body. The oven portion is positioned below the griddle portion such that the oven portion includes chamber panels defining a chamber of the oven portion, the oven portion heated with electrical heating elements positioned below and above a cooking surface within the chamber and a fan positioned above the cooking surface for mixing the air within the chamber.

A food cooking appliance includes a panel having a thermal inertia, and a heater to heat the panel from the bottom face thereof. The panel has at least two plates that lie on top of each other. Plates are made of different materials and are in close contact with one another across part of the facing surfaces thereof. The upper plate being suitable to receive the food to be cooked, and is made of stainless steel or titanium. The lower plate is made of cast iron. A method for manufacturing a panel consisting of two metal plates that are made of different materials and are bonded together in a metal casting process.

An outdoor cooking station configured to simultaneously and independently cook food with separate cooking modes. The cooking station includes a main body defining separate first and second cooking portions fueled by separate fuel sources for cooking food in the separate modes. The first cooking portion includes gas-fueled first heating elements configured to heat a first cooking surface associated with the first cooking portion of the main body. The second cooking portion of the main body extends to define a chamber, the chamber being accessible with a door or hood pivotably coupled to the main body. The chamber includes an upper region and a lower region separated by an inner panel, the upper region including a second cooking surface suspended within the upper region. The lower region includes a second heating element sized and configured to electrically heat pellet elements to supply heat and smoke to the upper region.

A barbecue grill and components thereof that allow a user to obtain a controlled burst of high intensity heat for a limited period of time, comprising at least one quick sear burner, a quick sear valve assembly adapted for fluid communication with the quick sear burner, and a cooking surface adapted to be positioned above the quick sear burner in or on a firebox of a barbecue grill. The quick sear valve assembly, in turn, comprises a main valve for normal operation of the quick sear burner, and a bypass valve for high intensity heat output of limited duration. The quick sear valve assembly includes a mechanism that is configured to allow the user to selectively actuate the bypass valve.

A grilling appliance includes first and second fuel delivery ports extending from a grill housing, a first burner element selectively connected to one of the first and second fuel delivery ports to define a single-burner condition, a second burner element selectively connected to the other of the first and second fuel delivery ports to define, with the first burner element, a twin-burner condition, an elongated burner element having two fuel inlets selectively connected to the first and second fuel delivery ports to define, when the first and second burner elements are removed from the first and second fuel delivery ports and a large-burner condition. At least one ignitor is in communication with the first burner element in the single-burner condition, the first and second burner elements in the twin-burner condition and the elongated burner element in the large-burner condition.

A barbecue grill and components thereof that allow a user to obtain a controlled burst of high intensity heat for a limited period of time, comprising at least one quick sear burner, a quick sear valve assembly adapted for fluid communication with the quick sear burner, and a cooking surface adapted to be positioned above the quick sear burner in or on a firebox of a barbecue grill. The quick sear valve assembly, in turn, comprises a main valve for normal operation of the quick sear burner, and a bypass valve for high intensity heat output of limited duration. The quick sear valve assembly includes a mechanism that is configured to allow the user to selectively actuate the bypass valve.