cracked corn

Lost · 08-12-2006, 08:33 AM

I'll be using a lot of corn in the next couple batches and buying it at 1.50 per lb is a bit impractical. What's to stop me from buying a 50lb or 25lb bag of cracked corn from the feed store? Is that corn not safe for human consumption (i.e. pesticides, bugs, rat crap, etc.)?

boo boo · 08-12-2006, 11:08 AM

I don't know if that type of corn is useable in the brewery. If it is, then you would have to cook the corn to gelantanize it.

mysterio · 08-12-2006, 12:37 PM

It's worth bearing in mind pre-gelatanizing is a real PITA, doubles your mess on brew day.

**david_42** · 08-12-2006, 02:14 PM

Give it a good rinsing with hot water and cook for two hours before mashing.

G. Cretin · 08-12-2006, 02:34 PM

PLEASE MAKE SURE IT IS FEED CORN.
if it is seed corn or is a little red it might have mercury on it as a preservative, I know it sounds rediculous but there was an incident in the 80's where the U.S. sent food relife to Africa and it was the wrong corn.

Lost · 08-12-2006, 05:50 PM

Feed corn it is then. We had chickens growing up and the stuff never seemed like it was anything but corn but I figured that you can never be too sure today that the mfg's aren't busy adding chemicals, preservatives and hormones to the feed.

I'm planning on using corn for 40-50% of the grainbill. Of course I think this calls for 6 row malt (which would be historically accurate anyway). I'm also thinking that a protein rest would be a good idea... I know a protein rest and a mashout would thin the mash pretty good and the 6 row would aid in lautering but am considering using the rice hulls. Does anyone think they're necessary? I'm using a manifold and not a false bottom BTW. Those rice hulls are getting expensive around here at $1.75 a lb...

edit: one more thing... when I cook it, do I boil it or just pasturize it? Is 2 hrs the minimum? How much water do I use and do I then add the whole lot of the slop into the MLT to be mashed with the 6 row?

alemonkey · 08-12-2006, 08:08 PM

Johnny cracked it. And I don't care.

**Chairman Cheyco** · 08-13-2006, 09:18 AM

I always thought it was Jimmy who did the cracking?

Anyway, this is not a pasturization step, you actually need to cook the corn until it's gelatinous goop.

alemonkey · 08-13-2006, 10:35 PM

Was it Jimmy? Well, even if Jimmy did it instead of Johnny, I still don't care

Personally, I think you'd be better off ordering some flaked corn in bulk from your LHBS (if they'll do it). I've pre-gelatinized wheat, and it's a real PITA. What I do is boil it gently on the stovetop until it puffs up and turns to goop, like the Chairman said. When using large amounts of adjuncts like that I've found I get about a 5% or so increase in efficiency by using a protein rest.

Lost · 08-14-2006, 02:36 AM

Let me put it this way, my mash will be more than 50% corn... I'm trying something different if you get my drift. So buying the amount of corn I need just isn't cost feasible if I'm paying $1.75 per lb.