If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
Well its a $350 Aldi 4 burner BBQ with hood, add a home made drum and gas bottle and it "could" become a roaster. Even has a little bean storage under it.
8-)
Ive been thinking about something like this for some time now, why isnt BBQ roasters more popular? Id like to be able to roast 1.5 - 2kgs at a time and that seems the logic route to take. Is it very hard to control the temp and stuff like that?
Originally posted by Iconiq link=1221814777/0#5 date=1223340618
Ive been thinking about something like this for some time now, why isnt BBQ roasters more popular? Id like to be able to roast 1.5 - 2kgs at a time and that seems the logic route to take. Is it very hard to control the temp and stuff like that?
Brett (aka fatboy) is one of our long term bbq roaster specialists. Im sure hell chime in soon with some handy tips.
My thoughts are good temp monitoring system (using cs software or similar) and a drum which is easy to manage. Then develop some roaster Zen and youre on the way...
If you can roast a chook in a bbq, there is no reason not to roast beans...just not together I reckon
Chris - If Nescafe can sell their green coffee thing, then we can probably corner a market for Chicken Coffee!
Yes indeedy, I am one of the drum roaster few.
I reckon it is not as popular because it is hard to source a good/robust and well designed drum to use for the process. A second Hand breadmaker and a heatgun are far easier to get hold of and seem to do a pretty good job from all reports.
My drum was one of about 5 or 6 custom made drums that were basically done as a small project to generate a little income for a metalworker friend of a CS. I doubt that there was a heap of profit in each drum and it was really a case of making just as many as could be sold.
Now.. my drum.. I like!
Its a pretty good design (not perfect, but what is?).
I find the temperature is pretty controlable. Having said that, I currently (still) just use the thermometer in the lid of the BBQ. But Im sure you could rig up a probe without too much hassle. Getting it into the bean mass might require a bit of fiddling though.
My drum would NOT take you to the 1.5-2kg mark.
Most of my roasts are currently around 1kg green.
There is a bit more room in the drum, but I am not too keen on going any higher for fear of trashing more than 1kg of my beans in under 30 minutes!
In the end, it comes down to the design of the drum. I reckon you could get one fabricated from good quality SS mesh (and other parts) for around $200-$400 depending on who you know and what materials you can source.
IMO, the key requirements are:
Length should fit over 2 burners.
Width, enough to cope with your maximum volume and give say 30% clear space. Also, needs to ensure that the lid of the BBQ can close to retain heat.
Agitation vanes - 3 or 4 of these need to run the length of the drum. Mine are bits of angle steel that do the job, but you could get creative and use a curved design I reckon!
Load/Release - Some sort of flap or slide that can be operated with heat proof gloves on!
Attachment for rotisserie. Mine has the sleeves on both sides to take the rod all the way through (plus the locking nuts). Some designs Ive seen use a claw type holder.
Brett.
PS. I was going to link a US drum specialist (Ron Kyle) but to my absolute shock, he passed away in August from a sudden illness.
http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/homeroast/381649
Very sad.
I cannot get the page to load at work. Not sure if it is my workplace, or the page is not really active at present. www.rkdrums.com
Im shocked by that too Brett. Ron was great for the home roaster revolution and a great craftsman, his passing will sadden many BBQ roasters who are still enjoying the results from one of his drums.
RIP RK.
The RKDrums home page appears to have an active X component running from a site in China (hacked?) so I think your work has done you a favour!
You can still get to the other pages on the site though...
http://www.rkdrums.com/products.htm
I too am one of the few diehard drum roasters, i love it, it works for me. mine can be viewed in the roaster section under drum or rotie roaster, the only cost was the s/s mesh, the drum was free via a large milo can, but you can use any can you like and its self emptying.
take a look, it works very well.
The commercial home air roasters in general live a hard life. They have to stuff a lot of electronics in a small space along with a powerful heater. Then they place a fan which has to push the heat as well as keep the beans moving. Then all that is done at an economical price point. Now think about the small market they serve, and what it takes to just break even on R+D.
Comment