Ordinary vertical barbecues  supplied by competitors are not easy to light.

Lighting a vertical barbecue is not easy because embers need to be generated in a particularly narrow firebox so as to reduce fuel consumption. The narrowness of the firebox makes the loading of the charcoal rather difficult. In addition, when it is lit from the bottom, the time required to propagate the fire uniformly in the fire box to generate a “wall of glowing embers” is usually long and rather unpredictable. The rate of propagation of the fire varies a lot with the size distribution of the charcoal pieces.

The barbecue Verticook® provides a solution to the difficulty of lighting.

It has two separate chambers:

• a large one for the lighting phase (1)
• and a narrow one for the grilling phase (2).

The two chambers are separated by two shutters (3) which can be opened or closed. The cross-section view shows the principle of operation.

• (a) The fire is lit in the lighting chamber (1) with the shutters (3) being closed. Air for combustion can enter the lighting chamber through the holes perforated in the shutters.

  

  

  
  
• (b) Glowing embers are formed in the lighting chamber (1).

  

  

  

  

  
  
• (c) Whenever sufficient embers have been formed, the shutters (3) are opened. This causes the embers to fall in the firebox and creates a “wall of embers”. The cooking/grilling can then start.

The shutters in the opened or closed position:

Reloading and continuous operation

Once the “wall of embers” has been generated, it can remain active by adding more fuel from the top in the lighting chamber, while maintaining the shutters (3) open.

The lighting chamber can thus be used as a “hopper” for loading the firebox.