Bayou KAB 4

Looking at getting a propane burner for a new 10 gallon brew pot. Looked on amazon at the Bayou KAB 4, and saw a small box with a red knob just downstream of the gas fitting. Is this a flame adjustment or one of those dreaded "safety" timers? Does anyone use this cooker, and, if so, is there sufficient adjustment to control the flame? I'd like to be able to use on a "minimum " setting for temp control BIAB, as well as heat 6.5 Gal of wort in less than 20 minutes. Is this the right cooker to do all that? Finally, if I purchase the standard 20 LB propane cylinder, how many batches can I get out of a cylinder? I'm going to heat strike water, keep it to temp with a lid on the SS kettle, heat sparge water and do a solid 60 minute boil in an outdoor environment of 35F.

The KAB4 looks like your typical "Banjo" burner. The red knob is just the regulator. It says it comes with a 30 psi regulator, which should theoretically give you a ton of output. The only negative I've heard about this style of burner is that people seem to think that the burner needs to be mounted higher in the wind screen. I've heard people comment you waste a lot propane because the flame is too far away from the pot and it takes longer to heat your liquid. But, I've also heard that its fairly easy to drill new holes in the frame and mount the burner higher.

I believe that is a 10 psi regulator, meaning once your tank is at 10 psi the regulator cuts the gas, right above that is a small valve that adjusts the flow.

I've got one, used it a couple of times. It's a 30 psi regulator, fixed, but there is a little metal dial that says 'close' with an arrow, behind the big red thing. That's your adjustment. It does whip through some serious propane (also gets your boil going right-quick), mainly because of the affect of wind. I'm working on a windscreen of some kind. I have read about people redrilling and moving the burner up in the frame - I'm not sure yet if I will, but it looks like it will be easy, and you would be able to go back to the original set anytime. Good luck - despite this issue, and for ~$80.00, I'm pleased with mine.

BrewMU said:

I've got one, used it a couple of times. It's a 30 psi regulator, fixed, but there is a little metal dial that says 'close' with an arrow, behind the big red thing. That's your adjustment. It does whip through some serious propane (also gets your boil going right-quick), mainly because of the affect of wind. I'm working on a windscreen of some kind. I have read about people redrilling and moving the burner up in the frame - I'm not sure yet if I will, but it looks like it will be easy, and you would be able to go back to the original set anytime. Good luck - despite this issue, and for ~$80.00, I'm pleased with mine.

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how long does a cyliinder of propane last? more than 1 batch? and is it possible to throttle it back to a simmer to maintain mashing temps?

I haven't used it very many times, but to tell you the truth, it's been pretty hard on the propane tank. I think it was mainly because of the wind. I'm going to be moving into the garage, so hopefully that will help. And yes, that little gray knob let's you regulate.