Heating system for barbecue grills and other gas appliances

A heating system for a barbecue grill, said grill having a firebox and means for supporting food to be cooked, said heating system comprising a burner means mounted in said firebox below said means for supporting food, said burner including a plurality of ports for directing combustible gas outwardly therefrom, said burner also having an inwardly facing portion and an outwardly facing portion with said ports being disposed along said inwardly and outwardly facing portions, and a radiant material disposed in said firebox below said burner means and at or below the level of said ports for being heated by the combustible gas emitted from said burner means.

A burner assembly for placement beneath an object to be heated comprising a U-shaped burner element extending in a substantially horizontal plane and including a pair of parallel tubular leg segments and a tubular arcuate segment connected at its ends to said leg segments, a solid wall within said tubular arcuate segment separating said pair of parallel leg segments, gas supply means connected to both of said leg segments for supplying combustible gas to both leg segments of said burner element, said leg segments each defining an aligned series of gas exhaust openings extending along the length of the leg segment.