Convection meat cooker

Abstract

A convection meat cooker characterized by an elongated, cylindrical cooker tank which, in a preferred embodiment, is provided on a portable cooker frame and includes concentric outer, middle and inner shells. The inner shell defines an interior cooking chamber which is hermetically sealed by a door hinged to the outer shell at one end of the cooker tank and a cylindrical, annular heat chamber is defined between the middle and inner shells throughout the length of the cooker tank. Insulation is typically provided between the middle and outer shells of the cooker tank. A heat entrance port extends from the middle shell and receives a propane-fueled burner for heating the cylindrical heat chamber and a heat exit port vents excess heat from the annular heat chamber. An open water container may be removably attached to the cooker frame and pressure vent piping provided in fluid communication with the cooking chamber is immersed in water provided in the water container. In operation, as the annular heat chamber is heated by the burner, heat is uniformly produced throughout the sealed cooking chamber by convection from in the annular heat chamber and causes meat in the cooking chamber to cook quickly, in a partial vacuum, minimizing loss of natural moisture from the meat. After the cooked meat is removed from the cooking chamber, the burner extinguished and the cooking chamber re-sealed, the cooling, contracting air in the cooking chamber creates a partial vacuum which draws moisture from the water container into the cooking chamber, moisturizing and cooling the cooking chamber interior.