Gas Burner

For a while now I've been brewing 5 gallon batches on my propane stovetop and I think it's time to move to a burner outside. I'm only 22 and can't afford a $100 burner, but am considering building one out of a free propane grill from Craigslist.

Is this a plausible idea? Has anyone here done this before? Any suggestions?

the burner bar in a grill is usually elongated and would not really work well for this application. search craigslist for a turkey fryer instead. they can usually be had for around $10-$20.

http://mower-blades.agrisupply.com/search?w=burner&x=0&y=0&asug=

What does being 22 have to do with affording a propane burner? Get to work!

My Bayou Classic ( model SP10 ) was around $35 on Amazon ( you'll need to find a propane tank though ). Works great and my 10 gallon brew kettle fits on it perfectly.

Wow those are a lot cheaper than the one at my brew store. Thanks for all the responses.

dRaPP said:

Wow those are a lot cheaper than the one at my brew store. Thanks for all the responses.

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Your local store will always be more expensive as they need to pay the overhead for their brick and motar location.

Sawdustguy said:

Your local store will always be more expensive as they need to pay the overhead for their brick and motar location.

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I bought my turkey fryer burners at a local store (grocery not brew) for $10 new! Problem is you need to buy just after turkey frying season when they are clearing them out. I bought mine in January a few years ago.

I got my SQ-14 at ACE Hardware for 50.00 and it's big enough to fit a keggle if you decide to go that route down the road.

I picked up a Bayou Classic 10 gal SS pot and SP-10 burner from Amazon for $139 (free shipping w/ Prime). The deals are out there.

Spend the extra money to get this burner. http://www.agrisupply.com/product.asp?pn=64482&sid=&eid=&bhcd2=1280880161. I use it for my 5 gallon batches with a 10 gallon kettle. I have not had any problems with it and it is big enough to support a larger pot if you move up to larger batches.

Thanks for all the input! I'm going to be looking online for a good deal and/or looking on craigslist for turkey fryer. I may still try the grill burner if I can find a suitable grill just for the sake of building something, but I'll definitely look into those other items too.

dRaPP said:

Thanks for all the input! I'm going to be looking online for a good deal and/or looking on craigslist for turkey fryer. I may still try the grill burner if I can find a suitable grill just for the sake of building something, but I'll definitely look into those other items too.

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I'd think that you would have a hard time doing full boil 5 gallon batches with a grill burner. I think you'd be far better off picking up a Bayou Classic SP10 or better yet SQ14 for under $50.

kmat123 said:

I'd think that you would have a hard time doing full boil 5 gallon batches with a grill burner. I think you'd be far better off picking up a Bayou Classic SP10 or better yet SQ14 for under $50.

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I agree, most 2 burner gas grills are in the 25-30,000 BTU range (a quick google search) and that heat is spread out wider than a typical kettle. Turkey fryers range from 55-170,000 BTU and that heat in concentrated on the bottom of the pot.

That said, if you can try it without sinking a lot of money on it, give it a try. I just think you will be waiting a long time to get a boil.