Barbecue oven

A barbecue oven for cooking and smoking food comprising:

• a main body portion defining a cooking area and having a front opening;
• a door assembly hingably mounted to said main body portion for closing said front opening;
• said door assembly comprising a main door section, a door inset extending inwardly into said cooking area, hinge means for hingably mounting said door assembly to said main body portion, latch means for securing said door assembly closing said front opening, seal means interposed between said main door section and the periphery of said main body portion about the front opening to form an airtight seal therebetween and door grease deflectors extending inwardly and downwardly from a lower portion of said main door section between said door inset and said seal means, said door inset and said door grease deflectors deflecting grease and moisture deposited on and flowing down the inner surface of said main door section and said door inset and causing said grease and moisture to drip onto the bottom interior surface of said main body portion;
• said bottom interior surface including a kick-up portion angled upwardly adjacent the door assembly of the oven and being disposed beneath said door assembly for containing grease and moisture on the bottom interior surface within the oven;
• racks supports mounted on two interior sidewalls of said oven;
• a plurality of substantially planar cooking racks for supporting the food during cooking, said racks being slidably mounted within said cooking area on said rack supports in a horizontal position, said racks being mounted in vertically spaced apart horizontal planes;
• a drip pan supported below said cooking racks for catching grease and moisture dropping from the food during cooking;
• side grease deflectors disposed below said cooking racks and above said drip pan and extending inwardly from said oven main body portion to deflect grease and moisture droppings from the food during cooking into said drip pan;
• the lowermost rack support comprising two parallel flanges disposed horizontally along the interior sidewalls of the oven and extending away from said interior sidewalls in an inward direction, each of said flanges including a back raised portion for directing grease and moisture droppings toward the front of the oven and including a front raised portion for directing grease and moisture drippings toward the rear of the oven;
• an aperture disposed in said drip pan for draining grease and moisture from said drip pan;
• a valve mounted on said drip pan to control the flow of grease and moisture through said aperture;
• a lever handle extending from said valve for opening and closing said valve to selectively allow grease and moisture to flow through said aperture, said handle being positioned to engage the door assembly of the oven to prevent the door assembly from being closed when said valve is in an open position;
• an electrical heating element disposed within said cooking area for providing heat;
• an electrical receptacle connected to said electrical heating element for providing electrical current to said electrical heating element;
• a grease shroud disposed above said electrical receptacle for preventing grease and moisture from dripping onto said electrical receptacle;
• a heater support for supporting said heating element a predetermined distance above the bottom of said oven, said heater support comprising a substantially horizontal top surface, substantially vertical sidewalls extending downwardly from two edges of said top surface, substantially horizontal ledge portions extending inwardly from the lower edge of said vertical sidewalls, substantially vertical spacer portions extending downwardly from the inner edge of said horizontal ledge portions and substantially horizontal flange portions extending outwardly from the lower edge of said vertical spacer portions, said top surface, vertical sidewalls and horizontal ledge portions cooperating to enclose and support said electrical heating element, said vertical spacer portions acting to separate said heating element a predetermined distance from the bottom of said oven and said horizontal flange portions forming means for attaching said heater support to said oven;
• the heat generated by said heating element being confined within said heater support so that air beneath said top surface is maintained at a relatively higher temperature than the surrounding air within the cooking area to enhance the convection of the heated air from beneath said top surface to provide even heating throughout the cooking area;
• said top surface and said vertical sidewalls having a plurality of apertures formed therein permitting circulation of air about the heating element, said apertures being positioned to prevent grease and moisture from dropping on said heating element;
• a wood tray positiioned on said top surface and guided thereon by pin means on said top surface, said wood tray containing wood for smoking said food and comprising a wood container and a cover, the temperature of the heated air beneath said top surface being sufficient to cause heat conduction through said top surface and said wood tray to smoulder the wood therein;
• said wood container comprising a horizontal bottom portion and vertical sidewalls for containing the wood and ash generated by the decomposition of the wood;
• said cover having a plurality of holes formed therein and hingably mounted on said wood container so that the wood is entirely contained within said cover and container, said holes permitting smoke and heated air to escape from within said wood container while preventing flareup of the wood during the cooking operation and when said door assembly of said oven is opened;
• and
• said cover being hingably mounted to said container by pin means secured to said container passing through elongated slot means within said cover, said elongated slot means permitting adjustment of said cover to permit enclosure of wood extending beyond the upper edge of the sidewalls of said wood container.