BadNewsBrewery

Recipes 

If you want 'set and forget' temp monitoring, I'd suggest a PID. You could build a box with one PID, SSR, Contactor, and temp probe for not a whole lot. It will let you program whatever temp you want (or, depending on PID model, set it to manual mode) and will do the rest for you. It will cost you more than the PWM or Ranco method described above, but would also give you more percision control of the temperatures.

__________________
Building a Bad News Brewery - eHERMS

2013 Brew Count:
10gal Southern Pecan Ale (Blind Squirrel)
5gal Ed Wort's Apfelwein
5gal Saison w/ Italian Honey (Resurrection)
15gal Irish Red (Bloody Knuckles)

jeepinjeepin

Recipes 

Yup, for "set and forget" you need a PID controller. You need one that also allows manual control for the boil. I think the TA4 is the common one that people use for their boil kettles.

__________________
Walmart is about the only reason for open or concealed carry that I can get behind. -Randar

jCOSbrew

Recipes 

I have a myPin TA4 for temp control and the phase angle SSR solution for boil control. The TA4 does not have a manual mode. A similar model (TD4?) does include manual mode as do the popular Auberins PIDs.

jeepinjeepin

Recipes 

There ya go. I wasn't sure. I have a mypin ta7 for sous vide. It will likely get repurposed for mash control eventually.

Phase angle SSR solution?

__________________
Walmart is about the only reason for open or concealed carry that I can get behind. -Randar

jCOSbrew

Recipes 

search for voltage resistance SSR on ebay or amazon or this forum.
Basically an SSR with a potentiometer on the front end for analog control of the voltage/power delivered to the element. Alternately the PID manual mode is using PWM to turn a regular SSR ON/OFF to control the boil intensity.