Thanks to all who steered me right after my poor experience with the Ronco 4000. A genuine RK drum arrived in the mail today. It’s a beefy rig—no joke! I headed out to the local welder’s supply store for a pair of good gloves, then returned home to test the drum out. I fired up the BBQ, burned off the oils etc. from the drum for 15 minutes, and let it cool. Once it was safe to touch, I got the grill back up to heat, added a pound of the Zambia AA to the drum, and was off. A bit farther off than I’d hoped, as it turned out…took 22 minutes to get to second crack, but the emptying & cooling went E-Z. And man, those beans taste great! Thanks, Ron!
–Paul