Disclosed is an outdoor cooking appliance with ductwork that directs heat and smoke more evenly in the cook chamber of the appliance. For example, the ductwork can extend from the heat source of the appliance and direct the smoke to openings in rack holders that then dispel the smoke into the cook chamber more evenly. The burn pot assembly can also be segregated from the grease pan to avoid the potential for grease fires.

A vertical grilling assembly for uniform grilling of food with reduced flareups includes a housing, which defines an interior space. A retaining unit, which is engaged to a food item is insertable through an opening, which is positioned in a front of the housing, so that the food item is positioned in the interior space substantially equally distant from opposed sides of the housing. A first door is hingedly engaged to the housing and is positioned to selectively close the opening. A pair of heaters is engaged singly to the opposed sides of the housing and positioned in the interior space. The heaters selectively heat the interior space to grill the food item. A controller is engaged to the housing and is operationally engaged to the pair of heaters. The controller is positioned to control heat output from the pair of heaters.

A vertical grill for cooking food items is disclosed wherein the vertical grill is comprised of a body containing at least one vertical grilling area disposed between at least two sources of radiant heat energy, and wherein the body is adapted to direct fats and breakaway solids generated during the cooking of the food into an external receptacle via the external opening . It achieves this by including evacuation slides which are contained within the body of the grill and arranged in various shaped assemblies such that food and fats falling on the evacuation slide travels down until it is collected by evacuation slide guide which delivers the food and fats to the external receptacle where they are not in any danger of catching fire.

Disclosed is an ash clean out mechanism including a burn pot removable from the remainder of the appliance to allow easier cleaning of the auger or other functional components within the appliance. The burn pot can include a handle that a user can pull to remove the burn pot from an adapter collar located within the interior of the appliance. The user can then clean the interior of the appliance and thereafter insert the burn pot into the appliance. For example, the user can push the burn pot by guiding a lower plate of the burn pot along a lip of the appliance and into a landing area where a body of the burn pot can rest on the adapter collar. The burn pot can also form a flow channel around the burn pot body to provide improved airflow during the cooking process.

A grilling apparatus for bacon or other thinly sliced meat. The apparatus includes a base with sidewalls extending from opposite ends of the base. A pair of doors are coupled to opposite sides of the base and movable from an open position to a closed position. A pair of grill plates are removably connected to a corresponding one of the doors. A heating element extends from the base between the side walls. A removable grill is placed over the heating element between the said side walls. When the doors are in the closed position, the grill and the grill plates form an enclosed space, so that when power is supplied to the heating element, heat generated by the heating element is provided by convection to the grill and the grill plates.

Disclosed is an induction burner ignition system that implements an induction burner located external to the fire pot. The induction burner can be controlled by a controller to start and stop according to a predetermined heating algorithm, and can further provide heat via heat sinks in contact with the induction burner. Because the induction burner is located external to the fire pot, it is easily repairable or replaceable and avoids the harmful atmosphere of the fire pot. The induction burner also provides more uniform heating than conventional hot rod technology to improve the pellet heating process.

An electric grill configured for cooking food and a method of cooking food using the electric grill includes a housing that defines an open interior and an aperture. Element frames are positioned at the sides of the open interior. Electric heating elements are positioned within the element frames and are positioned within the open interior exterior of the aperture in a direction towards the housing. The electric heating elements generate IR energy that is directed towards a middle of the open interior below the aperture. Heat energy exits the housing through the aperture by radiative heat transfer and convective heat transfer. Such convective heat transfer includes air currents circulating within the open interior past the electric heating elements and out of the aperture.

A cooking apparatus includes a heat source, a supporting device for food, a supporting frame to support the supporting device, a central edge, and two lateral edges connected to the central edge. The lateral edges have a front lower border, a front upper border and a front intermediate border that connects the front lower border with the front upper border. The supporting device for food is placed onto the front upper borders of the two lateral edges and has its lateral border in contact with the front intermediate borders of the lateral edges.

Disclosed is an ash clean out mechanism including a burn pot removable from the remainder of the appliance to allow easier cleaning of the auger or other functional components within the appliance. The burn pot can include a handle that a user can pull to remove the burn pot from an adapter collar located within the interior of the appliance. The user can then clean the interior of the appliance and thereafter insert the burn pot into the appliance. For example, the user can push the burn pot by guiding a lower plate of the burn pot along a lip of the appliance and into a landing area where a body of the burn pot can rest on the adapter collar. The burn pot can also form a flow channel around the burn pot body to provide improved airflow during the cooking process.

Disclosed is an outdoor cooking appliance with ductwork that directs heat and smoke more evenly in the cook chamber of the appliance. For example, the ductwork can extend from the heat source of the appliance and direct the smoke to openings in rack holders that then dispel the smoke into the cook chamber more evenly. The burn pot assembly can also be segregated from the grease pan to avoid the potential for grease fires.