Cooking grill grease catcher

In a cooking grill of the type having a grill body, a heat producing element, and a grill element spaced above the heat producing element and defining a cooking surface on which food is placed to cook, the improvement comprising:

• a grease pan removably mounted within the grill body intermediate the grill element and the heat producing element and having a size substantially the same as the cooking surface defined by the grill element, said grease pan having a grease outlet through a bottom surface thereof, said grease pan having a bottom surface which slopes downwardly toward said outlet;
• a container serving as a grease reservoir suspended from a bottom of said grill body;
• grease collection funnel, having a widened and narrowed end, said widened end supported below said grease outlet in said grease pan;
• a tubular conduit coupled to the narrowed end of said funnel and extending through an opening in the bottom of the grill body and into said grease reservoir;
• an upwardly extending flange formed along one peripheral edge of said grease pan for stiffening said grease pan and as a supporting surface for mounting said grease pan along one edge of the grill body;
• a plurality of vent holes, disposed along the peripheral edges of said grease pan to allow combustion products of the heat-producing element to vent through said grease pan to the atmosphere;
• and
• support surfaces fixedly attached to the interior walls of the grill body substantially adjacent an upper end thereof so as to support the peripheral edges of said grease pan.