Is this a good starting point for pot and burner?

Hi, I am looking for a larger pot and burner to use on the patio, is this a good option?

Amazon.com: Bayou Classic 3066A 30-Quart Outdoor Turkey Fryer Kit: Home & Garden

I am trying to stick to a really cheap budget, and I am hoping to start brewing full boils soon.(5 gallons)

Or are there better options out there?

Suggestions?

Thanks, Lane

Perfect.

7.5 gallons is plenty capacity for full 5-gallon boils. Just be watchful early on as it can still boil over.

It will work great. My first outdoor setup was a 30 qt pot also.

I reccomend investing in a bottle of fermcap if you are using a 30 q pot, as it WILL boil over.

It will work fine. Be sure to boil a full pot of water before using it for wort to oxidize the aluminum. You may soon find, like I have with my 36-quart pot, that you wish you'd bought a bigger pot. Just watch out for boilovers at the hot break and hop additions. I cut the heat a little at those times and avoid boilovers, but it's a drag having to pay that close attention.

Yeah, I was concerned that the pot was a little small. But, I am having trouble finding anything with a bigger pot without a huge jump in price. I may just start here and try fermcaps and watch for the boil-overs.

Here's a link to the same turkey fryer kit that's only $49.99. Don't know what the shipping would be, but worth checking out if you haven't already ordered from the other site:

Amazon.com: Bayou Classic 3066A 30-Quart Outdoor Turkey Fryer Kit: Patio, Lawn & Garden

You can always upgrade the kettle later on which you almost certainly will do.

The pot looks fine, but the burner looks questionable. The guard rail on the burner look like it is limited to using that pot or other small (relatively speaking) diameter pot. IMO you want a burner that could hold a bigger pot in the future. Before long you know you'll want to do 10 gal batches.

I realize this may break your budget but take a look at something like this:
Amazon.com: Bayou Classic SP1 Jet Cooker: Patio, Lawn & Garden

Or this:
Amazon.com: Bayou Classic SP10 High-Pressure Outdoor Gas Cooker, Propane: Patio, Lawn & Garden

-BigCask

Thanks BigCask I will look into those burners. I see what you mean about the burner not fitting a bigger pot.

Do you have a suggestion for a pot to go with the other burners?

Thanks for the help!
Lane

If you think you may upscale your kettle one day, I'd consider a burner that will accommodate your future needs, such as the Bayou Classic SQ14:
Amazon.com: Bayou Classic SQ14 Single Burner Outdoor Patio Stove: Patio, Lawn & Garden

It has a lower BTU rating than the SQ10, but it is much more stable (4 legs) and has a large 16" cooking grate (and it's a little cheaper). I use it with a 36-quart; it works great.

Buffman said:

Just watch out for boilovers at the hot break and hop additions. I cut the heat a little at those times and avoid boilovers, but it's a drag having to pay that close attention.

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This is true regardless of pot size. It may not be easy to do, or happen as often, but you can boil over a 5-gallon batch in a 9g pot (ask me how I know ), or probably a 10g pot, or even a keggle.

The reason I moved up from a 7.5g pot is that it allowd me the flexibility to do longer boils (bigger beers, drive off DMS, etc). To get 5.5g in the fermenter from 90-min boil, I need to start with 7-7.5g in the kettle.

I have used the 7.5 gallon kettle from my turkey fryer for over a dozen batches so far, with no issues...like Biermuncher said, it works for most 5 gallon batches.

What helps is getting fermcap-s foamcontrol drops, to prevent boil overs (3-4 drops/gallon). I have loaded the kettle to about 1" from the top of the kettle and had a vigorous boil and have had almost no problems with boilovers (I have had a couple flareups that through some wort up, but that was from having the boiler going way to high- Just bring the beer to a boil and backing off the gas a bit, alongside the fermcap takes care of that most of the time.)

I also use it on my stove top brewing as well. I can get 4.5 gallons boiling in my 5 gallon pot and go take a nap between hop additions and not worry.

Fermcap-S. An anti-foam agent that can be used during fermentation to eliminate messy blowoff. As soon as fermentation is over, this insoluble compound settles out and remains behind when the beer is racked. It will not affect the finished beers flavor, appearance or head retention. Can also be added during the boil to reduce the risk of boilovers. Use a few drops per gallon for boil, or two drops per gallon for fermentation. Comes in a four ounce eyedropper bottle. Keep refrigerated until use.

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the burner is great, the pot will work,but you may want a bigger pot..make sure you turn down the heat during hop additions.boil overs will happen!

Great information, thanks. It sounds like fermcaps are the way to go.

I need to try and find a pot to go with the more stable burners it looks like.

Revvy's got a great point - I wouldn't try a full boil in there without Fermcap. And use enough - I've skimped on it before (cheap@ss that I am) and regretted it.

You can use a fan blowing across the top to help control the boilover.

bdavanza said:

You can use a fan blowing across the top to help control the boilover.

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Yes, and other also have been successful with a simple spray bottle with water.

There's plenty of great options with using those cheap turkey fryers with the original kettles. Someday I will upgrade to a keg, but I'm in no hurry. This has served me well for several batches.

I have used a water bottle also, that has worked well for smaller boils.