RK Drum

[shep]

I am thinking of adding an RK drum to my roasting hierarchy. I have not purchased anything yet, including the grill. For those of you who are already traveling down this road, any advice or other tips you have picked up that you care to share before I begin? Any specific grill seemed to be better suited to the task, etc. Thanks.

Shep

[nimbus]

I got a charbroil grill with 47KBTU I think. It does a nice job. All you really need is rotisserie capability, which they all seem to have. Don't go too underpowered. I think Ron (Kyle) recommends 30KBTU + ....more power lets you make changes quicker, which can be useful. Some people scrounge thrift stores, garage sales, etc and you can get a grill for next to nothing.

I wimped out and bought the motor straight from him, but you could definitely get one on ebay cheaper. But then you'll need to mount it. Sort of a money vs. convenience tradeoff.

It is pretty much a turnkey operation. I had to drill a couple holes to attach my motor to the side ledge, but that was about it. The drum is the heart of the operation.

Highly recommended.

[Chris]

Craigslist is a great place to find a grill that will work for cheap.

[Ron_L]

As Chris mentioned, I see gas grills on Craig's List all the time.  Just take some simple measurements to makes sure that the drum will fit.  I've seen some grills that have a low profile lid that wouldn't clear the drum.  I found a Sears grill at a local Sears parts center that was their floor model so it was fully assembled and only $75.

I also have the motor assembly from Ron.  Setup was very easy.  The learning curve was a little longer in that I had to learn how my grill/drum reacted to heat changes, how fast it would roast, etc.  Once I had some roasts under my belt, I took permanent marker and marked the dial positions for the burners so I could repeat my results pretty closely.

[ButtWhiskers]

I got a 38RPM 1/4HP 115VAC motor brand new for $60 off of eBay.  It has 375 in-lbs torque, which is way overkill - it should easily run my 7kg drum roaster when it's finished.  If you are patient you can get an acceptable motor for about $20 on eBay.  Then again, Ron's package setup is powerful and easy to put together, and it's on sale until December 15th...

[shep]

Thanks for the input. Now, how about sharing some of your cooling ideas.

Shep

[Chris]

I use a box fan and a restaurant flour sifter. Go to walmart or ace hardware and get a box type fan. Go to a restaurant supply place and pic up a minimum 14" diameter round flour sifter (+/- $20). I blow the air through the bottom of the sifter which blows any remaining chaff all over the place (snowing chaff). In cooler weather, you can cool 2 lbs in less than 1 minute.

C.

That is what I did (before I got rid of my drum) - I got a round floor fan and 18" SS sifter like these below.  The sifter fits perfectly when the fan is tilted straight up, and the slight ridge around the edge of the fan face keeps the sifter in place.

http://www.instawares.com/stainless-steel-sifter-18feet.jr3518.0.7.htm

http://www.sales-services.co.uk/html/chrome_16__floor_fan.html

[ButtWhiskers]

I was using the colander/bucket/shop vac setup until my buddy built me a blower with some surplus goodies he found around his apartment complex. 

He's taken a 6 gallon bucket and cut a bunch of 2" holes with a hole saw in the lower half of the bucket.  Then he took a kitchen exhaust fan (like the kind from over a stove) that was set in a square piece of wood, and cut the wood to the shape of the bucket, and dropped it in to the halfway point, so it is above all the big holes.  He attached a 5 gallon SS stockpot with the bottom cut out to the top of the bucket, and dropped a grease 'splatter screen' inside - a very rigid screen indeed.  The fan is VERY powerful, if you don't have enough beans in there, it will blow some right out.  You do get a major chaff-storm.

[shep]

Ordered my drum tonight! I can't wait. I love the Hottop and it has served well under my abuse but I just finished roasting 12 pounds in the last two evenings after work and I am looking forward to a more efficient way.

Shep

[alleno]

You're gonna love it Shep.  I too had a HotTop for years and loved it.  The one thing I didn't love was the small batch size and lack of roast temp control.  You get ALL that with the RK Drum.  I got the 4lb drum/heavy duty motor combo from Ron and it's fantastic.  I've been roasting over the weekends and selling quality coffee (from the GCBC) to colleges at work.  A large batch size and plenty of killer coffee from here is a dangerous combination!  As for a cooling solution take Chris's advice and do the box fan sifter thing.. that's what I did and it works great!  Oh and get a therocouple from SweetMarias for 30 bucks for temp monitoring that's key.

  Have fun!

    Dave

[shep]

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement. Ron wrote me back and told me if all goes well  I will be taking delivery before Christmas! The grill is anxiously waiting in the garage.

Shep

[coffeefanaddict]

I just now saw this thread. I have been on the RK drum for several months now and the only thing I regret is the 35K BTU Weber I have. I dont have much control. When the wind blows forget about it. I have to put up a wind block just to get the inside hot enough to roast.
Good Luck and have fun!

[ButtWhiskers]

Are you folks using any insulation?  I bought some 2300?F ceramic fiber insulation sheeting from McMaster-Carr to fully insulate the roasting chamber.  I'm looking forward to attempting sub-zero roasts in the wind...   

[shep]

Living in Indiana where it can get quite cold in the winter, I will keep the insulating idea in mind.  We have a large pole barn with a concrete floor and three large bay doors. I should be able to roast out of one of those doors if the weather is inhospitable without creating any smoke or toxic fume issues. The roaster is scheduled to be here Monday, I have the next two weeks off and will soon have a full bag of Guatemala Trapichitos on the way...plenty of opportunity to practice!

Shep

[ButtWhiskers]

The Guatemala Trapichitos has good art on the bag!  You'll dig that...