Missed this thread until now... nicely done.
I have been using this method for quite awhile to do experimental batches since it is pretty much set-and-forget -- I can get a batch brewed during the day while doing other stuff. It works great, and the efficiency is very stable at around 75-80%. I use a 3 gallon pot for 2.5 gallons and add foam control drops to prevent boilovers. It's a tight squeeze but it can be done.
Thank you!
That's one thing I really like about this method. While I was working on my latest brew, I cleaned up my family room, did a load of laundry, talked to a friend on the phone, and smoked a cigar. All while my grains were mashing or wort boiling. Set-it-and-forget-it, the late Billy Mays himself couldn't have said it better himself.
YMMV but I found with experimentation my oven will hold the mash at 149*F if set to 170*F, 175*F will hold at 152*F, and 180*F will hold at 155*F. 200*F for 15 minutes does a quick mash-out.
When you raise your oven temp to 200F, does it really raise your wort temp to above 170F for mash-out in 15 minutes? I haven't bothered doing a mash-out, because my sparge water takes care of that for me, what advantage do you see to doing this?