Anyone built a chili roaster?

[Dirtybird103]

A guy at work asked me today to build him a chili roaster. Has anyone built one? Any tips on size that you like or think would work best? Thank you!

 

[macattak]

Take a like at peublochiliroasters.com. They make a good one, although it's a bit big. You can find smaller ones on eBay that might be more suitable. I think you could build one out of a rotisserie unit for a grill that would work pretty nice.

 

[Ign]

Use a HF cement mixer; put in patch panels of expanded steel, cap the open end.

Ok, just kidding!

 

[onewaydave]

The ones I saw at the Albuquerqe Ballon Festivle were home made. Looked like 2 end caps for round pipe about 30" in diameter with runners/joists about 36" long. This was covered with steel mesh or hardware fabric. It was mounted above a fire source of choice, mostly open hardwood fires, with a hand crank to turn as a rotissorie. I'm sure someone could fab up a power source to turn it. They turned it about 6 times a minute, IIRC. The BIG benifit was walking around and smelling the roasting chilies and jalepenos, stuffing ourselves with Mexican and Navajo food.

For cheap end caps (price of steel now) consider cutting the bottom of metal barrels or garbage cans. Or if you are a fab shop with tons of scrap, fab your own.

Dave, wishing he had a chilie roaster right now.

 

[Dirtybird103]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I'm going to get a couple 35 gallon drums from work and use the bottoms as the end caps with expanded metal in the middle. He wants it collapsible so I think I'll do a couple triangle shaped legs that can disconnect at the drum. Hopefully it will be able to handle a bushel. Ign that's a good idea haha just throw a burner on the bottom haha! Sounds like you need to go build one Dave!

 

[macattak]

A bushel? That's some serious roasting. Don't forget pics!