The present invention is directed to a smoker device for smoking and cooking food that has improved smoke circulation in the smoking chamber, less smoke loss from the areas outside of the exhaust pipe and is easier to clean than existing technologies.
1 . A smoker device for smoking or cooking food comprising:
a smoking chamber divided into a first sub-chamber adjacent to a second sub-chamber, wherein the second sub-chamber has an internal temperature;
an exhaust pipe located within the first sub-chamber and above a firepot in the first sub-chamber, the exhaust pipe having at least one inlet and an outer end; and
an exhaust stack connected to the outer end of the exhaust pipe and extending upward to vent hot air and smoke from the smoking chamber; and
whereby the firepot reheats the air and smoke in the exhaust pipe to a higher temperature than the internal temperature and thereby creates a circulation path for the air and smoke in which the air and smoke is heated in the first sub-chamber, circulates into and through the second sub-chamber, reenters the first sub-chamber, and is drawn into the at least one inlet and up the exhaust stack.
2 . The smoker device of claim 1 , wherein the smoking chamber comprises:
a top;
a bottom;
at least one side connected to the top and the bottom to enclose the smoking chamber; and
at least one door on one of the at least one sides.
3 . The smoker device of claim 1 , also comprising:
a support structure upon which rests a hopper assembly and the smoking chamber.
4 . The smoker device of claim 1 , wherein the exhaust pipe extends substantially horizontally through the first sub-chamber.
5 . The smoker device of claim 2 , further comprising:
at least one grate mounted horizontally within the smoking chamber;
at least one drip pan mounted within the smoking chamber and below the at least one grate in an angled orientation whereby the drip pan slopes downward toward the at least one side of the smoking chamber; and
a grease catcher.
6 . The smoker device of claim 1 , wherein the smoking chamber is angled to achieve a diagonal longitudinal axis to the smoking chamber.
7 . The smoker device of claim 1 , wherein the smoking chamber is substantially horizontal to achieve a rectangular shape to the smoking chamber.
8 . The smoker device of claim 1 , also comprising a chase connecting the first and second sub-chambers.
9 . The smoker device of claim 1 , also comprising a hopper assembly adjacent to the smoking chamber that is operable to feed pellets from a hopper in the hopper assembly into the firepot to create smoke, wherein the firepot is located within the first sub-chamber during the smoking or cooking.
10 . A smoker device comprising:
a smoking chamber comprising a first sub-chamber configured to house a firepot and an exhaust pipe and a second sub-chamber housing a cooking surface; wherein the temperature inside the first sub-chamber is the highest temperature in the smoking device and wherein the density of smoke inside the exhaust pipe is lower than the density of smoke inside the second sub-chamber to draw smoke through the second sub-chamber, thereby creating a smoke circulation path whereby smoke is heated in the first sub-chamber, travels through the second sub-chamber, and is drawn back into the first sub-chamber to be re-heated and then into the exhaust pipe as a result of density differences within the smoker device.
11 . The smoker device of claim 10 , further comprising a chase that is connected to and joining the first and second sub-chambers to each other.
12 . The smoker device of claim 10 , wherein the smoke and other combustion gasses generated by the firepot located in the first sub-chamber are directed, through configuration of the smoking chamber, to follow a circulation path across the cooking surface and then enter the exhaust pipe under the cooking surface.
13 . The smoker device of claim 1 , wherein heat is generated by the burning of pellets or other combustible fuel also comprising:
a hopper assembly that houses the pellets or other combustible fuel, wherein the hopper assembly is slidably detachable from the smoking chamber.
14 . The smoker device of claim 1 , wherein the circulation path is created in part by a lower ambient temperature outside of the smoking chamber and a higher temperature inside the exhaust pipe above the firepot.
15 . The smoker device of claim 1 , wherein all heated air and smoke within the smoking chamber is routed through the exhaust pipe and then outside the smoking chamber.
16 . A smoker device comprising:
a smoking chamber comprising a first sub-chamber configured to house a firepot and having an exhaust pipe located within it and a second sub-chamber having a cooking surface located within it;
wherein the density of smoke inside the second sub-chamber is lower than the density of smoke inside the first sub-chamber and the density of smoke inside the exhaust pipe is lower than the density of smoke inside the second sub-chamber to draw smoke through the smoker device and following a circulation path across the cooking surface and then into the exhaust pipe located under the cooking surface.
17 . The smoker device of claim 16 , wherein the circulation path inside the smoking chamber is created at least in part by a mechanism selected from the group consisting of a fan, by creating a venturi effect, and by creating a draft in the exhaust pipe by heating the exhaust pipe and gases within it.
18 . The smoker device of claim 16 , also comprising an exhaust stack connected to the exhaust pipe to vent smoke out of the smoker device, wherein the draw of smoke through the smoking chamber and into the exhaust stack increases as the pressure differential between the smoke in the smoking chamber and the smoke in the exhaust stack increases.
19 . A smoker device comprising:
a smoking chamber having a first sub-chamber and a second sub-chamber;
a heat source located within the first sub-chamber;
an exhaust pipe for venting exhaust gases from inside the smoking chamber and that is located within the first sub-chamber and above the heat source,
whereby the heat source heats the exhaust gases in the exhaust pipe are reheated to a higher temperature than a temperature in the second sub-chamber, thereby decreasing the exhaust gases' density within the exhaust pipe and increasing the draw of smoke through the smoking chamber to create or increase the draft in the exhaust pipe.