DavidBB Senior Member Joined: 10 Jan 2008 Posts: 170 Location: Alberta Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Vibiemme Domobar Super... Grinder: Mazzer Mini Vac Pot: 8 cup FP Drip: Hamilton Beach Roaster: 5lb BBQ Drum, iR2
Posted Tue May 20, 2008, 1:04pm Subject: 2nd batch on BBQ.
Yesterday was my 2nd run at BBQ roasting. I did another 1kg blend of Brasil Santos, El Salvador and Ethiopian Harrar. I also added 1/4 lb of mystery beans supplied by Len of coffeeroastersclub.com that came with the drum. This time I got the grill up to 550 to start. I hit 1C around 19 mins and took the roast off at 25 min. since I was having a hard time seperating the end of 1C with getting into 2C. I also had my colander set up on a fan this time for cooling and chaff removal. This worked very well for me. I tried using a shop vac last time, but ended up melting the first foot of the hose from the heat of the beans right off the bbq. Wow.. what a great looking roast. Nothing burnt this time. A very uniform roast that smells absolutely suberb. I'm looking forward to the 1st cup tomorrow. If this roast tastes anywhere near how good it looks and smells I think my iroast2 will be seeing the back of the closet for a long time.
"Once you wake up and smell the coffee, it's hard to go back to sleep".
Stewart Senior Member Joined: 20 Jun 2003 Posts: 413 Location: North of Toronto Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Rancilio Silvia Grinder: Mazzer Mini,*$ Barista/Solis... Vac Pot: E Santos,Vintage... Drip: not Roaster: 4 lb RK drum,SC/GG combo,WB...
Posted Wed May 21, 2008, 6:29am Subject: Re: 2nd batch on BBQ.
David:
What bbq do you own? Seems like you are losing lots of heat or your thermometer is off. If I put my bbq at 550 the beans would be burnt tasting. Anything over 530 and you will burn for sure.
Try to get a thermometer that is more accurate and place it at the midpoint in height of the drum. -
19 mins is too long IMO to get to 1st. Although if you like the taste then that is your choice. Experiment with a 9-10 min 1st (13-14 min 2nd) and then compare what it tastes like with the same bean.
Try blowing the beans instead of sucking on them with the vacuum-easier on the motor.
Posted Wed May 21, 2008, 6:42am Subject: Re: 2nd batch on BBQ.
Numerical temperature readings in the realm of Internet discussions don't mean much. I can move the probe of my grill set-up and get a 10-15 degree change. Location, grill design and environmental factors will most definitely affect the numerical reading.
For example I roast at 575F-650F (depending on ambient temps and humidity) until first crack. Yeah those number sounds high, but that's what works for me. My point is don't worry about the number; rather use it as point of reference. Find what numbers work and keep going for those numbers.
Now 19 minutes to first crack is too slow. While the coffee may be ok, the flavor and aroma are impacted. The trick to bbq roasting is to start hot, then cool down around first crack. Some people lower temps before, or after, but generally the grill burners are lowered so that the heat from the chemical reactions in the beans doesn’t make the roast race out of control.
Try roasting hotter until the onset of first crack, then turn your burners down a bit. On my grill it’s from HIGH to medium, or medium-high. Your grill will be different.
I like first crack around 8-12 minutes, with second (if going that far) no longer than 3-5 minutes later. Anything more the aroma is shot, anything less the roast isn't properly developed.
DavidBB Senior Member Joined: 10 Jan 2008 Posts: 170 Location: Alberta Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Vibiemme Domobar Super... Grinder: Mazzer Mini Vac Pot: 8 cup FP Drip: Hamilton Beach Roaster: 5lb BBQ Drum, iR2
Posted Wed May 21, 2008, 9:51am Subject: Re: 2nd batch on BBQ.
Ok. Thanks for the tips. My thermometer is at the top of the bbq so I'm sure it reads hot. It's a 3 burner plus rotisserie burner, stainless Kirkland from Costco. The beans didn't burn at all and they look and smell great. I'll try to get it hotter to start next batch to speed up time to 1st crack.
"Once you wake up and smell the coffee, it's hard to go back to sleep".
Posted Wed May 21, 2008, 10:29am Subject: Re: 2nd batch on BBQ.
DavidBB Said:
Ok. Thanks for the tips. My thermometer is at the top of the bbq so I'm sure it reads hot. It's a 3 burner plus rotisserie burner, stainless Kirkland from Costco. The beans didn't burn at all and they look and smell great. I'll try to get it hotter to start next batch to speed up time to 1st crack.
Careful with the numbers, on my grill raising the thermometer will produce a far lower number. Also the analog dial type thermometers are worthless in my opinion for coffee roasting. Mine is always 75F off and doesn't change when roasting, where on my thermocouple the temps change by over 175F (hot to first, then cooler to stretch the roast). 175F is huge when dealing with coffee roasting.
Invest in a thermocouple (mine was $30 from Sweet Maria's) or play it by smells and sounds, but don't trust that analog thermometer. They are too slow to be of any real use in coffee roasting beyond the preheat temps (if that).
sdcoffeeroaster Senior Member Joined: 25 Nov 2006 Posts: 100 Location: san diego Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Brewtus II Grinder: Mazzer Super Jolly, Solis Drip: Cuisinart, Melitta Clarity Roaster: Fresh Roast+, I-Roast, BBQ
Posted Wed May 21, 2008, 7:06pm Subject: Re: 2nd batch on BBQ.
Stewart Said:
David:
What bbq do you own? Seems like you are losing lots of heat or your thermometer is off. If I put my bbq at 550 the beans would be burnt tasting. Anything over 530 and you will burn for sure.
Try to get a thermometer that is more accurate and place it at the midpoint in height of the drum. -
19 mins is too long IMO to get to 1st. Although if you like the taste then that is your choice. Experiment with a 9-10 min 1st (13-14 min 2nd) and then compare what it tastes like with the same bean.
Try blowing the beans instead of sucking on them with the vacuum-easier on the motor.
I pretty much agree with Stewart but then others have a point in that in all depends on where and how you're taking your measurements. You didn't say, but I'm wondering if your drum RPM is slow. What are you using for a motor? If it's not in the 50-60 rpm range that will really slow down the roast speed a lot.
I never try to put more in the drum than I can roast in 11-13 min 1st crack. And that's measuring the temp no greater than 520 F mid drum as close as I can get to the drum. That's at the back of the BBQ where the beans spend their time due to my particular rotation. I have two probes at the back which allows me to "balance" the settings of the two burners better.
I have another probe at the front of the drum that with very light loads of a lb or so can be 50F or more higher than at the back. As I increase the load size that value approaches the back and finally as I approach something like 5 lbs or so I can see the front temp 50 F lower. So the beans are really absorbing a lot of the heat and there's a lot of beans in the drum to do that. I also have added a bean mass probe which really helps me know what's going on inside the drum. But I do know that even a inch or so lower in the drum closer to the burners the temperature is a lot higher. But the beans don't scorch because they're mostly kept up a mid-level by the faster rotation, which helps mixing and overall heat transfer as well. Here's a plot of my last roast. I'm finally able to roast 5 lbs in a very reasonable amount of time without tipping or scorching the beans. It's taken awhile to get here so keep trying and take good notes. Good luck
DavidBB Senior Member Joined: 10 Jan 2008 Posts: 170 Location: Alberta Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Vibiemme Domobar Super... Grinder: Mazzer Mini Vac Pot: 8 cup FP Drip: Hamilton Beach Roaster: 5lb BBQ Drum, iR2
Posted Thu May 22, 2008, 1:26pm Subject: Re: 2nd batch on BBQ.
Thanks. My spit turns pretty slow, maybe 4 or 5 rpm. My drum also sits fairly high from the burners due to the size of the BBQ. I have enough room for the drum that I don't have to remove the grill grates. The drum is made to hold up to 5lb and I'm roasting 2ib batches, but that should be ok. Not sure I can lower it, but I could buy a motor that would give me about 60 RPM. I'll try this batch tomorrow and see if it tastes ok.
"Once you wake up and smell the coffee, it's hard to go back to sleep".
sdcoffeeroaster Senior Member Joined: 25 Nov 2006 Posts: 100 Location: san diego Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Brewtus II Grinder: Mazzer Super Jolly, Solis Drip: Cuisinart, Melitta Clarity Roaster: Fresh Roast+, I-Roast, BBQ
Posted Thu May 22, 2008, 9:04pm Subject: Re: 2nd batch on BBQ.
Yes a 60 rpm motor is going to speed your roast up by at least 2 min or more and will mix much better. Even though the drums can do 5 lbs the real sweet spot seems to be around 3-4 lbs without a lot of effort and tinkering. While my current BBQ is fairly small, I'm working on one similar to yours with a IR burner at the back too. It has a lot of capacity and takes a lot of gas to even heat up unlike the one I use now. I just did about 145 lbs on one regular tank of propane with the smaller two burner Fiesta with the insulated lid.
The drum is a bit higher above the 3 burners on the new BBQ. I'm currently working on that one with a few mods like I did on the smaller one.
Len sold me my first drum too and he's a great guy who is always willing to listen and help with advise.
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