Water heating techniques?

What's a good technique for heating strike and sparge water to such a precise degree? Flame on low-medium until within a few degrees? Flame on high until within a few degrees? Heat slow? Heat fast? Stir a lot?

I've done some steeping on the stove top, but haven't tried to target a temp over a 105,000 BTU jet burner yet....seems like it might be a little more difficult.

" Good judgment comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgment" - Will Rogers.

In other words, you will just have to figure out what works for you and your equipment over the course of a few batches.

why not just overheat it then let it sit in cooler until it drops to temp you want?

sportscrazed2 said:

why not just overheat it then let it sit in cooler until it drops to temp you want?

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That works great for mashing- but not so much for sparging.

You get to where you know your system- if it continues to heat after you've turned off the flame, for example. The first couple of times are a learning experience, that's for sure!

A good fast-reading thermometer is crucial. A thermometer that takes a couple of minutes to register is just not going to work well for our purposes.

sportscrazed2 said:

why not just overheat it then let it sit in cooler until it drops to temp you want?

Click to expand...

This.

For strike water, I heat to about 10 degrees above my target, then transfer the water to my mash tun. After a few minutes, I check the temperature. If it's still to high, I either stir to speed cooling, or I add very small amounts of cold water and then wait a minute before checking the temperature again. Patience is key here. If you try to drop the temperature too fast, overshooting and ending up too cool is practically guaranteed.

I batch sparge, so I don't worry so much about my sparge temperature. 175-180 is close enough.

I've got a 26 qt. Bayou Classic with a 5500 watt element that I use for heating my strike and sparge water. Faster and more precise than using a gas burner. I usually go over temp, then keep the cover on until it cools to target temperature.