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Design the World: Fuego Element BBQ
This post is sponsored by Autodesk. Another in a series of posts on the things we actually own and use here at MoCo Loco.
I'm the kind of person that keeps things for a long time, sometimes way past due, as was the case with my big-box-store Char Broil gas BBQ. Kept it past the initial complete rust and disintegration of the burners, about seven years in, which I replaced four years ago with a kit. Early this year while BBQing in the snow (we grill outside all year round) a replacement Venturi tube failed and the control knob and faceplate caught fire. No one was hurt but it was another sign that maybe, just maybe, it was time for a change.
For guys, and some girls no doubt, BBQs are like cars, all about the size, power and style. A friends' new stainless steel 50,000 BTU 4 burner is an opportunity to drink beer and discuss the merits of 680 square inches of grilling area. A few years ago, around the time I replaced the rusted burners, I spotted my dream machine, The Fuego. The former head of industrial design at Apple, Robert Brunner, had launched a new company called Fuego to make and market a collection of modernist outdoor grills with simple lines - the Fuego 01 and Fuego 02. Fuegos however were unfortunately beyond my budget. That is until last year when the company introduced a new compact and more affordable line, the Element Outdoor Grill.
The Element has similar qualities to the original Fuego grills, extensive use of stainless steel offset by a touch of wood and powder coated black steel and iron. What sets it apart is an iconic form inspired in part by the saucer shaped charcoal grills popular in the 1960's. The Element's saucer, aka the burner bowl, is gas powered though, not charcoal, and sits on a cylindrical pedestal that houses the propane tank. The Element wasn't as big as my neighbor's, but it was surprisingly functional in addition to being eye-catching - so I got one.
As compact as it is, the Element does have a 346 square inch grilling area and a respectable 24,000 BTUs. It also has a dual zone stainless steel burner and a grill cover that can generate convection heat. It has a wonderfully hefty cast iron grate and a solid wood, swing out prep tray. My only wish - that the prep tray were just a bit larger.
The proof is in the cooking though and after just a few months of use I can say the combination of two burner rings and the thick cast iron grate makes a difference, the heat distribution is fairly even, it gets hot quick and it holds the heat. I haven't tried to bake or smoke anything with the Element, but for straight up grilling it's hard to beat.
A lot of thought has gone into this design, details that most people would enjoy but not necessarily notice; the perforated steel enclosure that discreetly hides the gas tank, the solid wood tray that resembles a butchers block, the combination gas control and ignition that requires a single push to light the gas. Details that make the experience pleasurable time after time. The Element is now one of my favorite things.
Do you have a favorite object or product? Share it with us by uploading a picture and description at mocoloco.com/upload. We may feature your submission in an upcoming Favorite Designs post.
The illustrative sketches you see here were all created by Chris Sweet using Autodesk's Sketchbook Pro because favorite designs, yours and mine, begin with an idea and quite often with the kind of sketches you see here.
I'm the kind of person that keeps things for a long time, sometimes way past due, as was the case with my big-box-store Char Broil gas BBQ. Kept it past the initial complete rust and disintegration of the burners, about seven years in, which I replaced four years ago with a kit. Early this year while BBQing in the snow (we grill outside all year round) a replacement Venturi tube failed and the control knob and faceplate caught fire. No one was hurt but it was another sign that maybe, just maybe, it was time for a change.
For guys, and some girls no doubt, BBQs are like cars, all about the size, power and style. A friends' new stainless steel 50,000 BTU 4 burner is an opportunity to drink beer and discuss the merits of 680 square inches of grilling area. A few years ago, around the time I replaced the rusted burners, I spotted my dream machine, The Fuego. The former head of industrial design at Apple, Robert Brunner, had launched a new company called Fuego to make and market a collection of modernist outdoor grills with simple lines - the Fuego 01 and Fuego 02. Fuegos however were unfortunately beyond my budget. That is until last year when the company introduced a new compact and more affordable line, the Element Outdoor Grill.
The Element has similar qualities to the original Fuego grills, extensive use of stainless steel offset by a touch of wood and powder coated black steel and iron. What sets it apart is an iconic form inspired in part by the saucer shaped charcoal grills popular in the 1960's. The Element's saucer, aka the burner bowl, is gas powered though, not charcoal, and sits on a cylindrical pedestal that houses the propane tank. The Element wasn't as big as my neighbor's, but it was surprisingly functional in addition to being eye-catching - so I got one.
As compact as it is, the Element does have a 346 square inch grilling area and a respectable 24,000 BTUs. It also has a dual zone stainless steel burner and a grill cover that can generate convection heat. It has a wonderfully hefty cast iron grate and a solid wood, swing out prep tray. My only wish - that the prep tray were just a bit larger.
The proof is in the cooking though and after just a few months of use I can say the combination of two burner rings and the thick cast iron grate makes a difference, the heat distribution is fairly even, it gets hot quick and it holds the heat. I haven't tried to bake or smoke anything with the Element, but for straight up grilling it's hard to beat.
A lot of thought has gone into this design, details that most people would enjoy but not necessarily notice; the perforated steel enclosure that discreetly hides the gas tank, the solid wood tray that resembles a butchers block, the combination gas control and ignition that requires a single push to light the gas. Details that make the experience pleasurable time after time. The Element is now one of my favorite things.
Do you have a favorite object or product? Share it with us by uploading a picture and description at mocoloco.com/upload. We may feature your submission in an upcoming Favorite Designs post.
The illustrative sketches you see here were all created by Chris Sweet using Autodesk's Sketchbook Pro because favorite designs, yours and mine, begin with an idea and quite often with the kind of sketches you see here.
