Is an ellipsoid the best shape for a BBQ?

[synch]

Another fun question :)
Most bbq's are flat or vaguely round shaped. Would it be better to have an ellipsoid oven, so the coals or heater is at one focus and the food at the other ? That is assuming the deep infra red radiation is good at cooking, as opposed to a frying on a hot surface.
If it is vertical the food juices should drip onto the coals thereby increasing the smoke flavor Horizontal is probably more practical for keeping fire/coals going though.

 

[A.T.]

That is assuming the deep infra red radiation is good at cooking,

And that radiation is supposed to be reflected and focused by the perfectly clean and mirroring interior surface of a BBQ?

 

[Baluncore]

An elliptical reflector would image the heat source onto the food. That would result in uneven cooking. To cook more evenly, a blurry image would be better.

The ellipse assumes reflection from a mirror, but the smoked inside surface will be more like a black body heat exchanger.

A hemispherical cover with a good external insulator would have improved economy.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Is the point of a barbecue to see how fast you can cook? Who knew?

 

[russ_watters]

Is the point of a barbecue to see how fast you can cook? Who knew?

How fast you can cook one hotdog at a time, yes...

 

[Vanadium 50]

I am sure in college you cooked a hot dog with electricity in under a minute. We all did. (Kids...don't try this at home!)

 

[russ_watters]

In all seriousness there are grills that advertise infrared/radiant cooking. They are still flat largely because most people want to be able to cook several items at the same time. Also, heat rises and convects throughout so it's never going to just be radiant.

 

[synch]

.. cooked a hot dog with electricity in under a minute. We all did. (Kids...don't try this at home!)

[ I read about that in "The Amateur Scientist" I think... didn't try it, just as well, we have 240 v (rms) not 120 so maybe a bit more ,er, active than required :) But alfoil does make a nice blue spark :) briefly ]

The bbq wouldn't have specular reflection (not if I have to clean it !!!) but the scattered radiation will still be directed to some extent. Maybe worth a trial but...
I now resolve to not overthink the bbq !!! Though I did ask the local bbq shop if there are hydrogen fueled bbq's... for the hydrogen economy and so on.. :) Apparently not,

 

[sophiecentaur]

Is the point of a barbecue to see how fast you can cook? Who knew?

That seems to be the case for many home barbie cooks.

Ideally, barbecuing is done long and slow and in a large cavity. For large items (pork or beef joint, say) you should use indirect heating, with the coals over to one side and the meat to the other side with the lid on, of course. An oven thermometer is essential for anything other than small, cheap burgers. Best to use plenty of charcoal so you don't need to replenish half way through. A decent barbie can be 'turned off' by closing all vents so you don't waste fuel.
You can't do this stuff last minute. Carribean barbecuing is a several hour exercise and they are the experts imo. If you just want black on the outside and raw on the inside then use a blow torch.

 

[Baluncore]

An elliptical reflector is probably the worst shaped oven for cooking.

A barbeque is fuelled by fat from the meat falling onto the hot coles below. That removes excess fat from your diet. An elliptical barbeque would need to have the long axis vertical, with the fire below at the lower focus, and the food at the upper focus.

An underground oven is probably best for lean meat and root vegetables.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_oven

 

[sophiecentaur]

An underground oven is probably best for lean meat and root vegetables.

Ideal where you have no reliable temperature measurement and it's very reliable.

But it's not cooking by radiant heat - more by steam from all the veg that the meal is wrapped in. In UK we don't have many suitable leaves and a twelve hour cook cycle is not always convenient. I've cooked bacon with pork belly and that was in a very basic (good quality Webe, running very cool) with a small amount of charcoal with the indirect method. That's a very long job and curing takes overnight too. That's really by convection I would say. But even with radiative cooking there's no actual 'optics' involved from the internal face - it's black.