Can you brew on a BBQ Grill?

Can I boil my wort on a grill outside?

Yeah if its gas

If it'll support the weight. That'd be my concern. A full boil for a 5gal batch is between 50 and 60 pounds. I don't think my Weber kettle would handle that, but a bigger propane model with cast iron grates probably would.

Chad

Sure you can. In most cases the btu output of your grill is going to exceed that of your stove.

My charbroil has solid brass burners and I've straddled two of them with a 30qt pot for many batches. Most grills have cheap sheet metal burners though.

THATS HOT! (no pun intended...LOL)

I have a pretty big propane grill with cast iron grates right outside. That would eliminate the "smell issue" that occurred this weekend when I brewed!

As for the weight, I only boiled 3 gallons, not the full 5, so it wont be an issue.

Thanks guys...I was just about to start shopping for a propane burner when that occured to me.
-I

IvanTheTerrible said:

I have a pretty big propane grill with cast iron grates right outside. That would eliminate the "smell issue" that occurred this weekend when I brewed!
-I

Click to expand...

Lucky bastard! It takes a real man to brew in a townhouse complex with strict fire codes against propane. Or an idiot like me

Dude... wife was out shopping all day while I brewed. I had the windows open, the house fan on, the stove extractor, and a 2-hour buffer between the time I finished and the time she got home. Both my kids were home with me wearing jackets! LOL... I thought I was in the clear by the time she came home... boy was I mistaken! I thought she was gonna kill me! LOL...

Outdoor grill is the way to go.

That being said, should I keep it covered while it's boiling so none of that outdoor stuff gets into the brew?

Don't cover it around the hot break and hop addition times. If you have to cover it, do not cover completely. I'd just put a splatter screen over it myself...

I saw a guy on here that posted about using coal with a grate over the fire to brew with. Any heat source should work if it gets hot.

Soulive21 said:

Don't cover it around the hot break and hop addition times. If you have to cover it, do not cover completely. I'd just put a splatter screen over it myself...

Click to expand...

Curious, why don't you want to have the kettle covered during hop addition times (beside the obvious issue of physically needing to remove the lid to add hops, of course).

You will need a very hot grill to brew on it. Most have the heat sheilds over the burners and a good distance between the flame and the grill. I am going to say you success will be iffy at best.

MrFebtober said:

Curious, why don't you want to have the kettle covered during hop addition times (beside the obvious issue of physically needing to remove the lid to add hops, of course).

Click to expand...

Because the hop additions are usually times of foam ups, which lead to boil overs...

GaryA said:

You will need a very hot grill to brew on it. Most have the heat sheilds over the burners and a good distance between the flame and the grill. I am going to say you success will be iffy at best.

Click to expand...

It really depends on the grill design. I can vouch for the stainless Charbroils with solid brass burners only. I had a turkey fryer pot filled to the top boiling quickly and vigerously over two burners. That was something like 26,000 btu.

Doing it outside is definately the way to go! I can't speak to putting the pot on the actual grill surface, but I can tell you that my 12k BTU side-burner on my grill was woefully inadequate at bringing 3gal to a boil. It took all of 90min to get my first brew to a wussy boil. For the second one, I spent the $45 for a 150K BTU turkey fryer and got my next 3gal batch to a boil in 19mins! If it's all you've got, the grill should work, but I'd spend the money to be sure I'm safely into "overkill" territory.

I use the side burner on my grill when the weather is good to do a quick 3 gallon batch. Not enough power to do a full wort boil, but for a quickie, it works good.

With turkey day over, a lot of stores that don't sell them year round will be trying to get rid of anything they have left over. You should check some stores. Last week I got a burner/stand, a 7.5 gal kettle, and thermometer set for $30 at target. Its not the best but it works well.

Kegerator said:

I use the side burner on my grill when the weather is good to do a quick 3 gallon batch. Not enough power to do a full wort boil, but for a quickie, it works good.

Click to expand...

I'd think it would be handy for heating sparge water too.

I'm trying this on the porter next weekend. I'll let you know how it works out.

The distance from the flame to the cast iron grills is less than 1 inch, and when I remove the flame cover it should reach the pot perfectly.

I'll straddle the pot between 2 burners like someone suggested and hope for the best.

-I

That's gotta be a new record...

Wow almost a 10 year old thread!

IvanTheTerrible said:

Can I boil my wort on a grill outside?

Click to expand...

OMG, I was just thinking that. I'm going to try my next micro batch omn my Weber G4.