RK Drum

[grinderz]

how many gauntlets does it take to cover your whole grill during those cold Texas winters?!?!  ;-)

That makes about as much sense as asking how many pickles does it take to make curtains for your unicycle.

[Tex]

I just use cowhide welding gauntlets - also from HF.

These? That's what I got.

These are useful for BBQing too. Just don't let them get wet before grabbing something hot!

[J.Jirehs Roaster]

how many gauntlets does it take to cover your whole grill during those cold Texas winters?!?!  ;-)

That makes about as much sense as asking how many pickles does it take to make curtains for your unicycle.

you don't have pickle curtains on your unicycle??..  reminds me of an Arlo Guthrie song "I don't want a pickle, just want to ride on my motorcycle" .. 

does the blanket hold in that much heat?? how much does it hinder the process of stopping the roast??

[RobertL]

If you buy ceramic insulation you can get by with as little as 30k BTU.  Off the shelf, BBQ grills are incredibly inefficient at holding in the heat.   I have the old-school 5lb RK drum, and used a well-insulated cheapy 30 or 32k CharGrill for a long time.  I think the ratio of BTU to volume is another thing that many folks don't consider:  if you have 42k BTU and a 700 square inch grill cross-section that is 60 BTU per sq in., if you have 30k BTU and 400 sq in grill cross section that is 75 BTU per square inch, which actually gets you 25% more heat directed to where it belongs.  I think that the total volume of the grill cavity and the area encompassed by the burner 'footprint' shoulc be matched to the size of your drum.  If you don't have decent insulation, and half of the burner flames are nowhere near your drum, you are just wasting propane.

I know I am reviving an old thread but since my bbq drum is one the way I've been reading this thread. I currently have a 48,000btu grill that I use for food and had planned on using it for coffee too but now I'm reconsidering that. I know ButtWhiskers doesn't hang around here anymore does anyone else agree with his statement above? I'm considering a 32,000btu 360sq inch or a 48,000btu 660sq inch for my set up. I'm only using a two pound drum I know I've read that a smaller drum in a larger grill is less efficient. What is the groups opinion on the smaller grill for my set up would it have enough power?

[peter]

Will you be insulating?

[RobertL]

Will you be insulating?

I wasn't planning on it.

[peter]

Will you be insulating?

I wasn't planning on it.

I don't use a BBQ/RK setup, but think a lot could be gained by insulating it.  I'd also rig up some sort of airflow control.

[donn]

I've been using an old Weber Genesis style grill, really don't know the BTU rating but seems very likely it's 30-40K, and a 5 lb drum with around 1 lb coffee.  It's hot enough without insulation.

The first thing on my list if I were to make improvements would be some kind of windscreen, because I suspect wind blows through there and causes uneven roasts.

On the other hand, the real problems I have had are presumably due to deterioration of the burners etc., and a few years back when I acquired the thing in only half deteriorated condition, I don't remember having troubles with uneven roasts.

I'm not saying it doesn't make sense to work on your grill to insulate it and protect from wind and so forth, but ... just bear in mind that some people have a deep seated need to do that kind of thing, sort of like a nesting instinct but directed towards appliances, and because they do it doesn't mean you have to!

[headchange4u]

A 36,000 BTU should be fine for a 2 lb drum.

Will you be insulating?

I wasn't planning on it.

I don't use a BBQ/RK setup, but think a lot could be gained by insulating it.  I'd also rig up some sort of airflow control.

I bought a fiberglass welding blanket from Harbor Freight and I've been using it on top of my RK grill with terrific results. The first few times I used it the blanket smoked a bit, but after a while it ceases to emit any smoke whatsoever.  It has become an integral part of the RK setup. I'm amazed on how much gas it saves and how much flexibility it adds to the roasting process. Need to cool the temps a bit? Just pull the blanket off. Need a very gradual rise in heat? Toss the blanket on the top.

I would also suggest a couple of fire bricks in the bottom of the grill to add some thermal mass.

[RobertL]

Using ButtWhiskers theory and math that I quoted in my last post I decided on a 36,000btu and 370sq inches char-broil grill. This grill will give me 97btu per square inch versus the 72btu per square inch that the 48,000btu unit would give me. If it doesn't work out then I will add insulation to help with heat loss.

[dickcoffee]

I think all BBQ grills are not the same. My weber 36000 btu grill with 3 burners running the length of the RK drum do a nice even roast with 2 to 3 pounds. My opinion is that spending extra on a better built grill is a good investment. I have a 4 pound drum and get 1st crack in 10 to 12 minutes depending on the bean and whether it's 2 or 3 pounds. The weber also gives me pretty good control on gas. I continue to harbor doubts about roasts bigger than 3 pounds and, in fact, think that 2 pounds is ideal.

[Jeffo]

The first thing on my list if I were to make improvements would be some kind of windscreen, because I suspect wind blows through there and causes uneven roasts.

I would amend that to say uneven temps, or temp readings, which makes it harder to know what's going on. I roast in the garage but near the big door. When it's windy, it looks like the temp is swinging a lot according to the thermometer, and sometimes I overcompensate. I learn to know when it's just some air coming through the back of the grill and it will calm back down. (Usually reads hotter as the wind blows in.) The beans will roast evenly unless the drum doesn't rotate.

[donn]

The beans will roast evenly unless the drum doesn't rotate.

My theory is that the wind enters at one end - as the prevailing wind is normally 20-30 degrees off parallel with the grill axis.  So supposing it's reasonably constant, I'd have a gradient with colder air at the upwind end and hotter air at the downwind end.  Since the case thermometer is at the upwind end, indeed I'd tend to overheat the downwind end, but whatever I do, the roast will be uneven.

Which it is, but that could as well be because the burner tubes are full of rust.  It's a good grill, though, and worth fixing up.

[BoldJava]

It's stickied.

[dickcoffee]

A thread on HB persuaded me I need a fan for my roaster - so I went out and got this: