Turkey Fryer Burners are the Only Way to Fly!

Even though I just brewed 2 batches on Friday, I wanted to try out my new toy that I purchased on Saturday---the turkey fryer kit. I'd been brewing on my kitchen range, stinking up the whole house, pissing off SWMBO, turning the kitchen into a warzone, and taking 45 minutes just to get the wort up to a boil.

So I went home yesterday afternoon and brewed a partialmash smoked porter. I gotta say, the improvement is unbelievable! Instead taking 45 minutes to get a boil, it took 4. Instead of stinking up the house, the fumes drift harmlessly into the ether. Instead of turning the kitchen into a warzone, the mess was contained in the mudroom.

And I have the perfect layout: our roof overhang is pretty big, like 2 feet...so, even though it was raining like crazy last night, me and my wort stayed out of the weather. Garsh, to be able to brew on a weeknight...and SWMBO is happier than ever! :rockin:

Cool! Some kind of propane burner, either a fryer or something similar, is definately next on the to-buy list.

What was your smoked porter recipe? I'm trying to finalize my plans...

Bass Pro Shops is offering whole turkey fryer kits for 29.99!!! I got one and LOVE it!!! 30qt pot and a burner and thermometer!!!!

Hey, bird, you were my inspiration for that brew, baby...thanks! I just used the grains and extract I had on hand....

Actual recorded OG was around 060.

Smoked Porter

A ProMash Recipe Report

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines
-------------------------------

12-B Porter, Robust Porter

Min OG: 1.048 Max OG: 1.065
Min IBU: 25 Max IBU: 60
Min Clr: 22 Max Clr: 42 Color in SRM, Lovibond

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 5.00 Wort Size (Gal): 5.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 11.14
Anticipated OG: 1.068 Plato: 16.69
Anticipated SRM: 47.2
Anticipated IBU: 53.6
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Pre-Boil Amounts
----------------

Evaporation Rate: 15.00 Percent Per Hour
Pre-Boil Wort Size: 5.88 Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.058 SG 14.31 Plato

Formulas Used
-------------

Brewhouse Efficiency and Predicted Gravity based on Method #1, Potential Used.
Final Gravity Calculation Based on Points.
Hard Value of Sucrose applied. Value for recipe: 46.2100 ppppg
% Yield Type used in Gravity Prediction: Fine Grind Dry Basis.

Color Formula Used: Morey
Hop IBU Formula Used: Rager

Additional Utilization Used For Plug Hops: 2 %
Additional Utilization Used For Pellet Hops: 10 %


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
26.9 3.00 lbs. Generic LME - Dark Generic 1.035 25
13.5 1.50 lbs. Generic LME - Extra Light Generic 1.035 7
13.5 1.50 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) America 1.036 2
9.0 1.00 lbs. Chocolate Malt America 1.029 350
9.0 1.00 lbs. Crystal 20L America 1.035 20
9.0 1.00 lbs. Generic LME - Weizen Generic 1.035 7
9.0 1.00 lbs. Maris Otter Pale Malt Great Britain 1.038 3
4.5 0.50 lbs. Black Patent Malt America 1.028 525
4.5 0.50 lbs. Molasses Generic 1.036 80
1.3 0.14 lbs. Scottish Peated Malt 1.038 5

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.40 oz. Magnum Pellet 14.00 25.3 60 min.
0.20 oz. Simcoe Whole 14.40 11.8 60 min.
0.40 oz. Simcoe Whole 14.40 14.8 35 min.
0.25 oz. Crystal Pellet 4.50 1.0 8 min.
0.25 oz. Tettnanger Pellet 4.00 0.8 2 min.


Yeast
-----

Safeale US-56

I think that I am going to pick one up tomorrow. :rockin: I have been wanting to do a full boil for quite some time now!!

I got my TF at Target for I think $40ish. I have yet to use it to brew, but this weekend could be a first! My last 2 gallon boil took abou 20 mins to get to a boil and its just unnecessary wasted time!

Is everyone using the aluminum pots that come with these things? I think that I would want to stick with stainless. I saw one on HomeDepot websight for $99 with a 30qt stainless pot and accessories.

I wouldn't spend that money on a pot that was only 30qt. You'll want one bigger eventually. Someone here was selling beer kegs for $35 + $35 shipping, buy one, cut off the top, add a weldless spigot and you're all set for AG. If you don't want to do the keg route, I would at least invest in a pot that was at least 40 quarts, give yourself plenty of room. Better to spend an extra $50 now than have a $100 pot you end up not using.

This is still a little on the small side, but it's an option if you want stainless:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...loc=closed_view_item&refwidgettype=osi_widget

the_bird said:

I wouldn't spend that money on a pot that was only 30qt. You'll want one bigger eventually. Someone here was selling beer kegs for $35 + $35 shipping, buy one, cut off the top, add a weldless spigot and you're all set for AG. If you don't want to do the keg route, I would at least invest in a pot that was at least 40 quarts, give yourself plenty of room. Better to spend an extra $50 now than have a $100 pot you end up not using.

This is still a little on the small side, but it's an option if you want stainless:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290047254207&ssPageName=MERCOSI_VI_ROSI_PR4_PCN_BIX&refitem=290040021813&itemcount=4&refwidgetloc=closed_view_item&refwidgettype=osi_widget

Click to expand...

$99 is for the whole turkey fryer setup. From what I have seen, just getting the burner then buying a new SS pot (bigger than 30qt) would put me about the same. I would think that the 30qt pot would be good enough for a 5 gal boil.

Even though I have a heavier-duty 32-qt alum pot, I tried out the light-gauge 30-qt pot that came with the kit last night. Worked great. I'm doing partial-mash, though.

I thought that I heard somewhere, sometime back that Aluminum was not ideal to brew in. I could be wrong though

It's a point of contention among homebrewers. Personally, I've never witnessed any problems. Perhaps it's not "ideal", but I have yet to see a reason to ditch my $60 pot.

anthrobe said:

$99 is for the whole turkey fryer setup. From what I have seen, just getting the burner then buying a new SS pot (bigger than 30qt) would put me about the same. I would think that the 30qt pot would be good enough for a 5 gal boil.

Click to expand...

That's going to be tight, it should work, but if you start collection more than 5 gallons of runnings (if you're going AG), you're going to be looking for something a little bigger. If you're just doing partial mashes and/or extract, it'll be fine; you can boil 5 gallons (or a little less), then top off to make up for evaporation. AG, that's not really an option.

Oh, and the aluminum question has been debated ad nasuem. Personally, I have no problem with AL, but some people feel more comfortable with SS. I prefer SS mostly from a durablity perspective, but the bigger issue, I think, is making sure you get a pot that's big enough to do what you need it to do.

Not that I wish to reanimate the bloated corpse of that debate, but what exactly are their reasons for being uncomfortable with AL??

Concerns about the long-term health ramifications of ingesting AL, I believe. Alzherimer's, although from what I recall the study (I think it was just one) that linked AL to Alzheimer's was later discredited (and it's not like you're grinding the pot up and adding it to the mash). I've seen it written that using AL can lend a metallic twinge to the beer, but if you're not getting that, I wouldn't think twice about it.

Never had anything resembling a metallic taste. But then again, now that I have alzheimers from all this aluminum, I might have and just forgotten about it...

My thoughts are that if you drink enough aluminum-born homebrew to get some sort of sickness from the aluminum you'd have other health problems long before the aluminum hit ya. Plus....copper, for example (wort chillers, anyone?) leaches a quantifiable amount of "itself" into liquids. Maybe we should do away with that too!

No worries. SS is, in the end, better because it is more durable. If money were no object, buy the SS. If you'd rather save a few bucks, aluminum works fine.

Got this off the web and I bring this up because I've heard a LOT about this and want to get to the nitty gritty
..
Over the last few years, there has been concern about the exposures resulting from leaching of aluminum from cookware and beverage cans. However, as a general rule, this contributes a relatively small amount to the total daily intake. Aluminum beverage cans are usually coated with a polymer to minimize such leaching. Leaching from aluminum cookware becomes potentially significant only when cooking highly basic or acidic foods. For example, in one study, tomato sauce cooked in aluminum pans was found to accumulate 3-6 mg aluminum per 100 g serving.
Isn't wort acidic????
And this..........
Autopsies performed on persons who have died of Alzheimer's disease have revealed accumulation of up to 4 times the normal amount of aluminum in the nerve cells in the brain. Especially high concentrations of aluminum have been found in the region of the hippocampus, which plays a role in memory.

British researchers concluded that the risk of contracting Alzheimer's disease was 50 percent higher in regions of Great Britain where drinking water contained elevated levels of aluminum. The threat from aluminum may be increased by chronic calcium deficiency, which may change the way in which the body uses minerals and result in greater accumulations of aluminum.

While the British populations must contend with the threat of aluminum-tainted water, Americans can ingest aluminum through a wide variety of products. While there is still a great deal of controversy as to whether the accumulation of aluminum in the neurons is the cause or a result of neuronal dysfunction, it is believed that it is best to avoid aluminum as much as possible as a preventive measure. The following guideline will assist you in the elimination of as many potentially hazardous aluminum products as possible from your kitchen and from your medicine cabinet. It is better to be safe than sorry.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


ALUMINUM COOKWARE

Aluminum cookware contributes significantly to the amount of aluminum in the diet. Using aluminum pots to cook tomatoes doubled the aluminum content of those tomatoes, from 2 milligrams to 4 milligrams per serving. Aluminum cooking utensils and pots should be replaced with stainless steel or glass cooking ware. Aluminum foil use should be kept to a minimum or not at all.

Seems like some pretty good evidence for me, at least, to stay with SS.

http://www.niehs.nih.gov/external/faq/aluminum.htm

Question: I have heard that aluminum may be involved in the development of Alzheimer's Disease. Does use of aluminum cookware and drinking from aluminum beverage cans place me at greater risk for developing this disease.
Answer: Aluminum is one of the most abundant elements found in the environment. Therefore, human exposure to this metal is common and unavoidable. However, intake is relatively low because this element is highly insoluble in many of its naturally occurring forms. The significance of environmental contact with aluminum is further diminished by the fact that less than 1% of that taken into the body orally is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract.
The average human intake is estimated to be between 30 and 50 mg per day. This intake comes primarily from foods, drinking water, and pharmaceuticals. Based on the maximum levels reported in drinking water, less than 1/4 of the total intake comes from water. Some common food additives contain aluminum. Due to certain additives, processed cheese and cornbread are two major contributors to high aluminum exposures in the American diet. With regard to pharmaceuticals, some common over-the-counter medications such as antacids and buffered aspirin contain aluminum to increase the daily intake significantly.
Over the last few years, there has been concern about the exposures resulting from leaching of aluminum from cookware and beverage cans. However, as a general rule, this contributes a relatively small amount to the total daily intake. Aluminum beverage cans are usually coated with a polymer to minimize such leaching. Leaching from aluminum cookware becomes potentially significant only when cooking highly basic or acidic foods. For example, in one study, tomato sauce cooked in aluminum pans was found to accumulate 3-6 mg aluminum per 100 g serving.
Certain aluminum compounds have been found to be an important component of the neurological damage characteristics of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Much research over the last decade has focused on the role of aluminum in the development of this disease. At this point, its role is still not clearly defined. Since AD is a chronic disease which may take a long time to develop, long-term exposure is the most important measure of intake. Long-term exposure is easiest to estimate for drinking water exposures. Epidemiological studies attempting to link AD with exposures in drinking water have been inconclusive and contradictory. Thus, the significance of increased aluminum intake with regard to onset of AD has not been determined.

I'm certainly not going to disagree with serious scientific study of this issue, but I think that it's missing the point. It is the type of issue that if one were to really worry about it, they should also be worrying about an endless amount of other "health risk" issues that are commonplace on evening news-style expose bits. How about the alcohol in general is bad for you, in many ways? How about the fact that many studies would consider you a "binge drinker" if you drank to get drunk on the weekends? There are HUGE health ramifications of those things to some people. How about walking around in the city all day and inhaling tons of car/bus emissions? Trans-fats in foods. Second hand smoke. Lead pipes and paint in old buildings. Ozone depletion/skin cancer. Carcinogens in the ribs and pork butt that spent 18 hours in the smoker.

I throw all these things into the aluminum-will-kill-ya bucket. not that I don't think that they all have merit in some way, but there are plenty of things ut there that might kill me and I'm simply not willing to avoid them all.

Cheesefood said:

...processed cheese and cornbread are two major contributors to high aluminum exposures in the American diet.

Click to expand...

Cheese. Stop causing Alzheimers.

If you've ever eaten in a restaurant, I guarantee you are eating out of aluminum cookware.

As mentioned above... Tums.
I eat those like candy.

Fiery Sword said:

I'm certainly not going to disagree with serious scientific study of this issue, but I think that it's missing the point. It is the type of issue that if one were to really worry about it, they should also be worrying about an endless amount of other "health risk" issues that are commonplace on evening news-style expose bits. How about the alcohol in general is bad for you, in many ways? How about the fact that many studies would consider you a "binge drinker" if you drank to get drunk on the weekends? There are HUGE health ramifications of those things to some people. How about walking around in the city all day and inhaling tons of car/bus emissions? Trans-fats in foods. Second hand smoke. Lead pipes and paint in old buildings. Ozone depletion/skin cancer. Carcinogens in the ribs and pork butt that spent 18 hours in the smoker.

I throw all these things into the aluminum-will-kill-ya bucket. not that I don't think that they all have merit in some way, but there are plenty of things ut there that might kill me and I'm simply not willing to avoid them all.

Click to expand...

Thanks, Professor Downer. Why don't you mention my gut and intake of greasy foods while you're at it?

So I guess my "I don't want to reanimate the rotting corpse of this debate" disclaimer fell on deaf ears. A simple "some believe that AL cookware leeches harmful elements into your food" would have sufficed.

Sorry, cheese, I was more thinking of myself. I'm the guy who packed on an extra 15 this summer with the my dual-smoker setup. I'd say I did at least 120 racks of pork ribs in the last 9 months. Gotta perfect some recipes for next spring's competition circuit!

I also like to believe that happiness is the key to good health. Even if I wash down a rack of ribs with a liter of homebrew then smoke a cigar under the baking sun.

touche, my friend. Same website. I'm looking at it, obviously, from a different standpoint. Part of my thesis for my masters degree looked at aluminum levels in fish around populated areas, well, areas that had wastewater effulents. They all had elevated levels of aluminum.

I've got an idea for a Mercuryweissen.

My wife just bought me an 80quart aluminum stock pot. I will be installing a valve to the bottom. I will run the wort through a seive then transfer to the fermentor.

Doing 10 or 15 gallon full boils will be wild:fro:

Two Dog:

What do you have to heat that big bastard up to boiling?

I see you're in Paso Robles, perhaps my favorite wine region in CA. You ever make it over to the Turley tasting room?

[also, might wanna check the spelling on you signature---you're just a couple vowels away from calling our state a word that, well, it gets censored by the naughty filter, but you get the point...]