Tabletop cooking assembly

A tabletop cooking assembly, said assembly comprising:

• a burner element;
• a pan surrounding said burner element;
• a grill adjacent to said burner element for cooking food directly thereon;
• an exhaust plenum adjacent to said grill having a plurality of apertures formed therein for drawing smoke away from said grill and an outlet extending therefrom for exhausting smoke therefrom;
• an exhaust duct in fluid communication with said outlet of said exhaust plenum for removing smoke through said exhaust plenum;
• at least one filter assembly in fluid communication with said exhaust duct having at least one filter disposed within said at least one filter assembly for filtering grease from the smoke as the smoke passes through said at least one filter;
• a blower in fluid communication with said exhaust duct and said at least one filter assembly for exhausting the smoke from said exhaust duct to an area outside of and immediately adjacent to said tabletop cooking assembly;
• wherein said exhaust plenum is further defined as having an interior wall, an exterior wall, a top and a bottom forming a defined volume around said grill to draw the smoke into said exhaust plenum and away from said grill such that the smoke does not pass through said grill or about said burner element;
• and
• wherein said outlet has a length that is less than 20 percent of a periphery of said exhaust plenum.

A tabletop cooking assembly, said assembly comprising:

• a burner element comprising a gas burner and a ceramic tile;
• a pan surrounding said burner element;
• a grill adjacent to said burner element for cooking food thereon;
• an exhaust plenum adjacent to said grill having a plurality of apertures formed therein for drawing smoke away from said grill and an outlet extending therefrom for exhausting smoke therefrom;
• an exhaust duct in fluid communication with said outlet of said exhaust plenum for removing smoke through said exhaust plenum;
• a first filter assembly in fluid communication with said exhaust duct having a first filter comprising a metal screen disposed within said first filter assembly for filtering grease from the smoke as the smoke passes through said first filter;
• a second filter assembly in fluid communication with and downstream from said first filter assembly and having a second filter comprising a wool fiber disposed within said second filter assembly for filtering grease from the smoke as the smoke passes through said second filter;
• a blower in fluid communication with said exhaust duct having a blower capacity for drawing smoke through said exhaust plenum at a velocity of less than 500 feet per minute for removal of grease particulates with said first and second filter assemblies and for exhausting the smoke from said exhaust duct to an area outside of and immediately adjacent to said tabletop cooking assembly;
• and
• wherein said exhaust plenum is further defined as having a top, a bottom, an exterior wall, and an interior wall that extends perpendicularly between said top and said bottom;
• said top, said bottom, and said exterior and interior walls forming a defined volume around said grill that is sealed other than said plurality of apertures and said outlet to achieve a desired smoke capture from said grill and to reduce smoke from escaping therefrom such that the smoke does not pass through said grill or about said burner element, and wherein said outlet has a length that is less than 20 percent of a periphery of said exhaust plenum.