Mash Technique

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sundaybrewingco

sundaybrewingco

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Hello all,
I am doing my first all-grain batch on Saturday and I'm trying to be as prepared as possible..

I've been reading 2 ways of mashing and was wondering which is perferred..

Do you add the grain to the mash water or add the water to the grain?

I read one method was better for preventing dough balls.. but i don't recall which one it was... :confused:

Any help?
 
I add mash water to the grain, then stir real well with a long-handled slotted spoon. Seems to work pretty good. No dough balls that I can recall.
 
I add grain to water and here's why.

Your mash tun will absorb some of the heat of the water. It's hard to predict, even after you've done a couple batches with your particular tun. What you need to do to counteract this effect is to add your strike water to your tun 5-10 degrees higher than your strike temp. Then let the tun "condition" for about 5 minutes or so and check the temp. If it's still a little hot, stir for a minute and recheck the temp. If you dump your grain in the tun then add water, you run the risk of over or under shooting your temperature and compromising your mash's target temperature.
 
I second smizak and shortyjacobs. I heat my mash water up to about 10 degrees higher than I want to mash at and add the grains to that, stirring after all grains are added.
 
smizak said:
I add grain to water and here's why.

Your mash tun will absorb some of the heat of the water. It's hard to predict, even after you've done a couple batches with your particular tun. What you need to do to counteract this effect is to add your strike water to your tun 5-10 degrees higher than your strike temp. Then let the tun "condition" for about 5 minutes or so and check the temp. If it's still a little hot, stir for a minute and recheck the temp. If you dump your grain in the tun then add water, you run the risk of over or under shooting your temperature and compromising your mash's target temperature.
Click to expand...

Bingo. I've found my tun takes 7 degrees out of the water while pre heating nearly every time. Try to pay attention to this and you'll do it exact every time.
 
I add grain to water with a helper. I run the eggbeater and the wife dumps in the grain about 1-2# at a time. Never even seen a dough ball with this method. If I dump the water into the grain I spend about 10 mins just breaking up dough balls.
 
I pour in half my water, wet all sides of the cooler with it and close the lid for 5 minutes. Then add the grain then the rest of the water. As long as the water is 10 degrees F above my target it usually ends up close to what I need.
 

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