[bigmike787]

Not sure yet. I don't know what new Behmore's are going for these days. it'll probably be in the area of $175-$200 though.

[aaron]

I started off roasting on a 4LB RK drum roaster and a motor of at least 50 rpm is a necessity unless you want widely uneven roasts. A standard rotisserie motor is between 3 and 5 rpm. Here's my pro/con list:

Pros:
- Large capacity
- Great build quality
- Can achieve professional quality roasts with enough care

Cons:
- Highly variable roasts
- Temp control on grill knobs is not accurate and therefore must be set to "max" each time to achieve any level of normalcy.
- Temp stability on different grill models can vary widely
- Outside temperature, sun/clouds, humidity, etc will have a large impact on roast length and level.
- No window, so you're roasting blind, using only the sound of cracks and acceleration of those cracks. The sound of the drum itself is often louder than the cracks so you'll have to use time, and that's not a good predictor until you can adjust for weather conditions keeping everything else constant.

If you're going the BBQ drum method of roasting I'd recommend taking exhaustive notes on what the temperature conditions are when you begin your roast and try to roast only on days that are around the same conditions. Also keeping the amount you roast each time constant will help achieve the proper time a bean needs to be at each temperature to achieve the correct roast curve.

I don't want to sound critical of BBQ roasters, they're just incredibly finicky. Here're the basic steps to take to get a great roast on a BBQ drum:

1. Preheat grill on max with drum installed for at least 30 minutes
2. Load in coffee
3. Turn on motor, listen for cracks: first around 9-10 minutes (City->Full City), second from 11-13 minutes (Full City+ -> Beyond)
4. Kill the motor and dump the beans into a cooling tray. A wire mesh colander and a medium strength fan work well.
5. If your roast was darker than the time would dictate, add more beans next time around. If your roast was lighter, reduce the bean quantity. This will find the optimal bean quantity for repeatable roasts for your grill's build. If you need to go darker but can't reduce the quantity any more, you're going to need more BTUs coming out of your grill.

[bigmike787]

Thanks for the advice aaron. The guy I'm buying it from, jonr over on coffee geek, has been roasting on it for a couple of years. He's got some metal sheeting around the drum, for temp stabilization. He also attached a temp probe inside the drum. You are right about the knobs and the temp. Jon and I are going to spend a day "training" me on the gas grill roaster.

[bigmike787]

I pulled off my first roasts this weekend and I have to say that I am pleased with the results. I didn't have to kickup my grill to high on all three burners, or roast at high. I started my roast at about 420 degrees, which is where the temp dropped to after putting the drum back in the grill. It bounced back fairly quick and I hit first crack at about 9 minutes and about 490 degrees. I pulled the roast at 12 minutes and the temp gauge was at 512 degrees. It was a very uniform roast and I'm letting it rest till tomorrow.

[Dunerunner]

Well, How is it?

I have a huge BBQ and am thinking about using it for a roaster.

[bigmike787]

The coffee is very, very good. I'm really happy with my new roaster. I owe you guys some pics of the new setup. I'm not entirely setup yet. I still need a box fan to cool the beans. I bought a big flour sifter, which will sit on top of the box fan. Dump the beans in the sifter while the fan is blowing and it instantly removes any chaffe and cools the beans all at once.