2LB DRUM

Finished Roast Volume Green Load %Load Temp Est. 1st Crack Est. 2nd Crack
1/2LB 9.6 OZ 25% 470 6 mins 10 mins
1Lb 1Lb 3.2 OZ 50% 500-525 9 mins 12 mins
1.5Lb 1Lb 4.8 OZ 75% 525-550 14 mins 16 mins
2Lb 2Lb 6.4 OZ 100% 550-600 16 mins 18 mins

4LB DRUM

Finished Roast Volume Green Load %Load Temp Est. 1st Crack Est. 2nd Crack
1Lb 1Lb 3.2 OZ 25% 470 8 mins 12 mins
2Lb 2Lb 6.4 OZ 50% 500-525 11 mins 14 mins
3Lb 3Lb 9.6 OZ 75% 525-550 16 mins 18 mins
4Lb 4Lb 12.8 OZ 100% 550-600 18 mins 20 – 21 mins

6LB DRUM

Finished Roast Volume Green Load %Load Temp Est. 1st Crack Est. 2nd Crack
1Lb 1Lb 3.2 OZ 16.6% 450-470 8 mins 10 mins
2Lb 2Lb 6.4 OZ 33.3% 470-500 12 mins 14 mins
3Lb 3Lb 9.6 OZ 50% 500-525 14 mins 16 mins
4Lb 4Lb 12.8 OZ 66.6% 525-550 16 mins 18 mins
5Lb 6Lb 83.3% 550-575 18 mins 19 mins
6Lb 7Lb 3.2 OZ 100% 575-625 19 mins 21 mins

8LB DRUM

Finished Roast Volume Green Load %Load Temp Est. 1st Crack Est. 2nd Crack
1Lb 1Lb 3.2 OZ 12.5% 450-470 8 mins 10 mins
2Lb 2Lb 6.4 OZ 25% 470-480 10 mins 12 mins
3Lb 3Lb 9.6 OZ 37.5% 490-500 12 mins 14 mins
4Lb 4Lb 12.8 OZ 50% 500-525 14 mins 15.5 mins
5Lb 6Lb 62.5% 525-535 16 mins 17.5 mins
6Lb 7Lb 3.2 OZ 75% 535-565 17 mins 19 mins
7Lb 8Lb 6.4 OZ 87.5% 565-585 19 mins 20.5 mins
8Lb 9Lb 9.6 OZ 100% 600-625 19 mins 21 mins

12LB DRUM

Finished Roast Volume Green Load %Load Temp Est. 1st Crack Est. 2nd Crack
1Lb 1Lb 3.2 OZ 8.3% 450-470 8 mins 10 mins
2Lb 2Lb 6.4 OZ 17% 470-480 9 mins 11 mins
3Lb 3Lb 9.6 OZ 25% 490-500 9 mins 11 mins
4Lb 4Lb 12.8 OZ 33% 500-525 10 mins 12 mins
5Lb 6Lb 42% 525-535 12 mins 14 mins
6Lb 7Lb 3.2 OZ 50% 535-565 12 mins 14 mins
7Lb 8Lb 6.4 OZ 58.3% 565-585 16 mins 17.5 mins
8Lb 9Lb 9.6 OZ 66% 600-625 16 mins 17.5 mins
9LB 10LB 12.8 OZ 75% 625-650 17 min 19 min
10LB 12LB 83% 625-650 17 min 19 min
11LB 13Lb 3.2 OZ 92% 650-675 19 min 21 min
12LB 14Lb 100% 650-675 19 min 21 min

THE BELOW PROFILES ARE PROVIDED BUT HAVE BEEN SUPERCEDED BY THE ABOVE

These profiles were developed using a 35K btu gas grill, and an 6 rpm standard rotisserie motor to rotate the drum. These profiles are a good starting point for your first roasting session with the new drum.
Remember each grill is a little different and you may have to adjust the profile to suit your grill.   More profiles later.

Shane’s 1-6 Pound Profiles

Here are some of my roasting profiles for larger batch roasting using Ron’s 6 pound drum to a full-city to city+ roast..  Depending upon the efficiency of your grill and any modifications that you may have made, it can be very cost effective to run larger batches if you see the need.  On my Fiesta grill I have closed off near 70% of the rear exhaust vent and placed an aluminum partition inside the cavernous lid of the grill to concentrate the heat on the roasting drum.  Initially before these modifications, I would have to run both burners at full just to maintain temperature.  Now, on Ron’s recommendations, I have plenty of temperature room to roast as I can roast nearly anything at 1/3 to 1/2 gas.

Before with the 4 pound drum, running the 4 pounder at its upper limit, (4 Pounds 12.8OZ green which results in 4 pounds finished roast) I would need to run at 3/4 gas to keep the roaster at 550 degrees.

However, now with the 6 pound drum, it has so much heat-absorbing metal, I can now run the same temperature at 1/2 gas on both burners.

The thing is, with this 6 pound drum, it generates so much heat inside the chamber, that it really takes a long time to lose its acquired heat.  In fact it radiates so much heat you can back the gas down considerably.  In my case down to half.

So from my perspective, for you more commercial based roasters, it is noticeably more economical to run a 6 pounder as opposed to the 4 pounder.  Not only can you get an extra 2 pounds of coffee into the roast chamber for the same roast time, you can use much less gas as the drum radiates so much more heat.  So your output volume increases and your cost of gas goes down.

The only change to the situation, is now, it is poorer at dissipating the heat, which, in my opinion is not necessarily a bad thing.

4 Pound Profile

So using a standard model of 3.2 OZ of green to every pound of coffee, for 4 pounds finished roast, start with (4 Lbs 12.8 OZ)  I was using Col. Popayan Supremo.

  1. Light both burners at full gas with the drum inside to pre-heat the drum to 570 degrees.  That way, there is less to heat when you put the coffee in.  It will take less time for you to get back up to temperature.
  2. Pull the drum and close the lid with the burners at high power.
  3. Using gloves, fill the drum with the greens.
  4. Open the lid and load your drum filled with greens.
  5. The temperature will drop, but should come back up within 3-4 minutes.  (Any longer than this, give the gas a kick and bring the temperature up to 550.)
  6. After closing the lid, back your gas down to your appropriate setting, for me it is about 1/3 to 1/2 gas.
  7. After a couple of minutes the temperature will stabilize around 550.
  8. First crack begins around 18:30 and finishes at around 21:00 minutes.
  9. At the middle of first crack, back the gas back to idle.  Now with the 6 pound drum, it make take 3-4 minutes for the temperature to drop 25 degrees.  In this case, I will turn off one of the burners for about 30 seconds.  This will bring the temperature down 25-40 degrees or so in about 30 seconds.  This was not necessary with the 4 pound drum as the roast chamber lost heat more quickly since there was less heat absorbing material on the inside).
  10. Now let the roast coast on its own, using the internal absorbed heat of the system and the beans.
  11. Second crack will start around 23 mintues.  I pulled the roast at 23:30, just as second crack was beginning a full roll.
  12. Dump on the cooling tray immediately and stir continuously.  4-6 pounds of coffee at 500 degrees generates a lot of heat.  Get it cooled quickly.
  13. (Note:While this volume of coffee in the 4 pound drum doesn’t mix as well due to limited space, the 4 pound roast in the 6 pound drum, roasts up nice and even due to adequate space for mixing)

5-6 Pound Profile

While I don’t have numbers for the 5-6 pound profiles yet, I have done a 5 pound finished roast and it works pretty well.  You start to see a little un-uniformity in roast color as you start the roast with a solid 6 pounds, and end up with 5 pounds finished after water loss.  I would consider this as the maximum recommended batch size for this drum.  At six pounds, you just don’t quite have the space for bean mixing.  The roast times are only extended by a minute or so.  Recommended heat should be around 575-600

I think perhaps in a crunch, this drum could manage a green load of 7Lb 3.2OZ to produce a finished 6 pound roast, and the coffee will still taste great, but I think you will begin to see some roasting defects, most noticeably the lack of uniformity in roast color.  I have pushed the 4 pound drum to  it’s maximum at 4Lb 12.8OZ on a regular basis with acceptable roasts.  If you are a most discriminating roaster, you will want to avoid this overloading of the drum however for best results.

I’ll get around to trying a 6 pound finished roast sometime just as a test.  I think the drum will perform admirably however.

2 Pound Roast (Ron’s tips)

  1. Light both burners at full gas with the drum inside to pre-heat the drum to 500 degrees.  That way, there is less to heat when you put the coffee in.  It will take less time for you to get back up to temperature.
  2. Pull the drum and close the lid with the burners at high power.
  3. Using gloves, fill the drum with the greens.
  4. Open the lid and load your drum filled with greens.
  5. The temperature will drop, but should come back up within 3-4 minutes.  (Any longer than this, give the gas a kick and bring the temperature up to 500.)
  6. After closing the lid, back your gas down to your appropriate setting, for me it is about 1/2 gas.  Then backing down to 1/3 as the beans come to temperature.
  7. After a couple of minutes the temperature will stabilize around 500.
  8. First crack begins around 13:30 to 15:50.
  9. At the middle of first crack, back the gas back to idle.  Now with the 6 pound drum, it make take 3-4 minutes for the temperature to drop 25 degrees.  In this case, I will turn off one of the burners for about 30 seconds.  This will bring the temperature down 25-40 degrees or so in about 30 seconds.  This was not necessary with the 4 pound drum as the roast. (The chamber lost heat more quickly since there was less heat absorbing material on the inside). The lowest my setup will go is 470 with everything at idle.  I have to turn off a burner if I want to drop below 470 as in a 1 pound roast.
  10. Now let the roast coast on its own, using the internal absorbed heat of the system and the beans.
  11. Second crack will start around 19 mintues.  I pulled the roast at 19:30, just as second crack was beginning a full roll.
  12. Dump on the cooling tray immediately and stir continuously.

1 Pound Roast

  1. Light both burners at full gas with the drum inside to pre-heat the drum to 470 degrees.  That way, there is less to heat when you put the coffee in.  It will take less time for you to get back up to temperature.
  2. Pull the drum and close the lid with the burners at high power.
  3. Using gloves, fill the drum with the greens.
  4. Open the lid and load your drum filled with greens.
  5. The temperature will drop, but should come back up within 3-4 minutes.  (Any longer than this, give the gas a kick and bring the temperature up to 470.)
  6. After closing the lid, back your gas down to your appropriate setting, for me it is about 1/2 gas.  Then backing down to full idle as the beans come to temperature.
  7. After a couple of minutes the temperature will stabilize around 470.
  8. First crack begins around 10:00.
  9. At the middle of first crack, I have to cut off one burner and drop the temperature to about 430-440.  When it begins to drop below this temperature, I cut the burner back on to idle and it will stabilize at around 445-450.  Now with the 6 pound drum, it make take 3-4 minutes for the temperature to drop 25 degrees.  In this case, I will turn off one of the burners for about 30 seconds.  This will bring the temperature down 25-40 degrees or so in about 30 seconds.  This was not necessary with the 4 pound drum as the roast. (The chamber lost heat more quickly since there was less heat absorbing material on the inside). The lowest my setup will go is 470 with everything at idle.  I have to turn off a burner if I want to drop below 470 as in this 1 pound roast.
  10. Now let the roast coast on its own, using the internal absorbed heat of the system and the beans.
  11. Second crack will start around 15:40 mintues.  I pulled the roast at 16:20, just as second crack was beginning a full roll.
  12. Dump on the cooling tray immediately and stir continuously.

What a truly wonderful roasting machine this is Ron.

Thanks….

Shane Lewis

Roasting Profiles for small loads up to 2 lbs

1. Preheat grill to 470 degrees, give it time to stabilize

2. Load a cold drum with greens

3. Install the drum in the grill, and close lid, working as quickly as possible, so as not to loose too much heat.

4. The grill will drop to about 395 to 420 degrees. It should come back up to temp in about 6 to 7 min.

5. Adjust if you have to but be patient. Keep the grill at 445 to 455

6. First crack should start between 11 min and 13 min depending on the amount of greens.

7. I leave the grill at 465 to 470

8. Second crack should start between 12 and 15 min. depending on the amount of green you are roasting

9. Just as second starts, I cut the heat back to low and let it coast to desired finish. Remember it will take a little time to stop the motor, pull the pin (I use needle nose pliers), get the drum out of the heat, open the door and dump the beans into the cooling tray, so stop short of your target about 15 to 20 sec. to hit the target roast. Make sure you use gloves that can with stand 500 degrees, for about 20 to 30 sec.

If a city of light full city roast is desired dump the beans before 2nd crack occurs, or just a snap or two into 2nd crack

It is good idea to have a fan and a perforated or screened cooling tray, to cool the beans and stop the roasting process.

You may have to adjust your temps, each grill is different, and smaller loads tend to roast faster. I found that a grill that is to hot will cause fast roast times and uneven roasts.

CAUTION: DRUM AND BEANS WILL BE HOT

Use protection to prevent burns

 

Roasting profile for 3 to 4 lbs

Roasting larger amounts of greens will need more heat

  1. Preheat grill to 525 degrees
  2. Install cool drum and greens, as quickly as possible to avoid loosing too much heat
  3. The grill temp will drop to about 460
  4. I leave the grill alone, let it come back up to 525 degrees. z
  5. Try to keep it between 515 and 530 degrees
  6. First crack should happen around 14 to 16 min.
  7. Second crack should happen at 17 to 18 min.
  8. As second starts lower heat to low and let it coast to finish
  9. Be prepared for lots of smoke, and very hot beans

Remember each grill will perform differently, and you may have to adjust your grill accordingly.

City or light full city roast should be stopped after first crack or a snap or two into second crack.

You will have to stop short of your target roast, 15 to 20 seconds, to allow for the time it takes to stop the motor, raise the hood, remove the drum, and dump the beans in a suitable cooling tray. Its suggested using a fan and a perforated or screen cooling tray.

I use needle nose pliers to pull the clip.

CAUSTION The drum and beans will be hot and can cause burns

 

Les Albjerg of Thor Tampers Profiles

Roasting profile for 1 to 1.5 lbs

Cinnamon Roast

“What is that?” you might ask.  This is a roast I developed by accident 18 years ago.  It was a mistake that took me almost 3 years to figure out with a popper to do it a second time.  It is easy to do with a RK Drum.  When you grind this light roast, it looks like cinnamon it is so lightly roasted.  It isn’t grassy however. It is the way to get the most radical varietal flavor out of  a bean.  I love Kona, Island, and Central coffees roasted this way.  I don’t drink these as straight espressos, but as brewed or Americanos.  So, I am going to share my secret.  The secret is you have to start HOT.  You need to get the heat in the bean fast and ramp down.

1. Preheat for 5 minutes   I take mine to 560 degrees.

2. Load the drum with a pound of beans during the preheat.  Put drum in BBQ

3. Leave the heat on high and run the temp up to 520 within 2-3 minutes.

4. Turn your nose on and when you smell the grassy smell it is time to ramp the heat down!

5. Cut you heat in half until you are down to about 450-470.  Hold that heat until you hit first crack.  It should happen at around 8-9 minutes.

6.  When first crack starts, cut you heat down to barely on.

7.  As soon as first crack starts to slow look at your timer and wait 30 seconds.

8.  Kill the heat

9.  Dump and cool

10. Let it rest for 3 days and enjoy!

City Roast

The standard roast that most of my coffee is done to.

1. Preheat for 5 minutes.  I take it to 500 degrees.

2. Load the drum during the preheat with a pound of beans.  Put drum in BBQ.

3. Ramp the temp back up to 470-480 within the first 3 min. of the roast.

4. Watch the temp and keep it there.  1st crack will start between 8 and 9 min.

5. Cut the heat as the beans are now putting off heat.  You want a good 2-3 minutes between 1st and 2nd crack.   Don’t turn the heat all the way off however.

6.  As soon as I hear a snap of 2nd crack I dump and cool.

City Plus

Same as above, but I take it 15 seconds into second crack

Vienna Roast

This roast is like the big boys.  You can’t just add more time and toast the beans. (Unless you like Charbucks.)

1. Preheat for 5 minutes.  I take it to 500 degrees.

2. Load the drum during the preheat with a pound of beans.  Put drum in BBQ.

3. Ramp the temp back up to 470-480 within the first 3 min. of the roast.

4.  When you smell the grassy smell cut the heat back to 450 until 1st crack . (very important)

5. You will notice the heat rise during 1st crack, cut your heat back some more.  You want to have a  3-4 minutes between 1st and second crack.  This roast is going to take about 16-18 minutes instead of the normal 12-14 minutes.  Keep the heat at about 470 degrees and go 30 seconds into second crack.

Bright Roast

This roast will give you a nice city roast that is bright like a hot air roaster.  You need the 57 rpm motor to do it.

1. Preheat for 5 minutes. Preheat the drum too! I take it to 500 degrees.

2. Load the drum with a pound of beans.  Put drum in BBQ.

3. Ramp the temp back up to 500 degrees within the first 3 min. of the roast.

4. Hold this heat through the grassy smell

5. Ramp down to 470

6. Hold this heat until 1st crack.  It will happen at about 6-7 minutes.

7. Turn heat down to maintain the 470-480 through 1st crack.

8. Stop roast at first sign of 2nd crack.

Les Albjerg