Boiling... am I this challenged?

[chris24300]

As if things couldn't get any more complicated... I can't even seem to get wort to boil now. I picked up a turkey fryer and a fresh propane tank and ready to get going.. Well I was outside for about (maybe around 30s yesterday) an hour after I steeped my grains and for some reason it would not get over 200. Does the cold and wind affect the propane that much? so after all that waiting I moved inside to the electric stove and when the 30qt pot was covered it reached a boil really fast. The recipe called for 3lbs honey and 4.5lbs malt extract so once added I left the pot on one of the large burners and seemed to boil slightly and by the time an hour was up I wasn't even sure (lid covered maybe 90%). I don't know what else to do, I know covering the wort is bad but if I don't I wont even come close to a boil. I do have a breezeway which I can try the propane burner in tonight or tomorrow but I'm not sure what to do with the wort (? maybe not even wort ) last night. dump or even attempt to boil?

any advice is appreciated. On a more optimistic view the pale ale I brewed a month ago (sluggish fermentation) is looking very good and is conditioning now.

 

[Brewnoob1]

I have a 30qt fryer that I received and did my first full boil. I decided the first time, I'd try and use it on the stove. It took about 30-45 min to bring up to temp, but it eventually got there. It wasn't a vigorous boil by any means, but it did have a SLOW boil. It burped some bubbles, and then stopped....burped bubbles...stopped. I left it a bit longer and started my hop additions. After an additional 10 min or it eventually came to a slow rolling boil. I would just give it time. Covering the wort is a bad idea. I would go with an almost boil over covering it. You aren't letting it release the stuff it needs to when covering. I'd attempt the fryer in a place that has less wind and give that a whirl. If not, just plan a bit longer on your stove without covering.

 

[akimbo78]

what kind of turkey fryer? some have auto shut off, and some are just not strong enough. there are people that boil outside in Minnesota in the dead of winter, you may just need a stronger flame.

 

[BW210]

Check the air valve on the fryer... it may be partially closed. It needs to be open all the way. I have done seafood, fish and turkeys for about 20 years year round. We see 4-5 weeks below zero every year.

 

[chris24300]

I read here that some people use two burners but it looked too dispersed, maybe I'll try that next..

It's a masterbuilt turkey fryer kit that a friend brought over, I picked up one of the brinkmann turkey fryers from HD but haven't opened it yet.

brewnoob1; I think that's what was happening to me, but I wasn't watching it the whole time (very frustrated after waiting for an hour outside). The flame looked strong but hopefully just not enough with the wind.

Is there any hope for my 'wort'? should I try pitching the yeast or should I dump?

 

[h22lude]

Definitely check the auto shut off and the air valve. If it doesn't have an auto shut off, I would assume the air valve was closed. If that is closed, the flame doesn't get hot enough to boil 6 gallons.

Cold has nothing to do with it. It may take a little longer in the cold but not by much. I brewed yesterday in the same weather and boiled just fine.

 

[chris24300]

So with my friends fryer I replaced the batteries in the regulator and it seemed like a 15 min timer to auto shut off, when the gas flow light blinked I pressed the start button again. I'll have to try it against the fryer I got from HD.

The other thing (sad) is that this wasn't even a full boil, it was only 2 gal...

 

[chris24300]

I just checked the air valve and it looked like it was 85% open, a little turn opened it 100%. the other thing is the temp gauge goes to like 400+, how could I fry a turkey if I can't even hit 200? hopefully this solves it!

 

[joeybeer]

Did you add the hops during th first boil ?? If not, just re-boil and add hops as normal. If you did add them, I would still reboil and pitch but it will be more of an experiment

 

[lgilmore]

Also try to create some shielding near (not next to) the burner to block some of the wind coming in. I have found sidewinds do add time to get to boil. I would station our recycle bins about five feet away wind side improved time to boil. When it's really cold it does add time to getting to boil.

Good Luck.

 

[Bones1948]

Is the fryer stainless steel? If it is and it does not have a special aluminum clad bottom that could be part of the problem. Stainless steel is a very poor conductor of heat. A buddy of mine was showing off his new SS turkey fryer and even at an ambient temp. of 70 degrees he was unable to keep the oil at the prescribed frying temp. with the cheezy regulator/burner that came in the kit.

 

[david_42]

Covering an extract wort isn't all that big a worry. In all-grain brewing, you have to boil uncovered because a chemical called DMS (as in sulfur) is created. But the extract-making process eliminates almost all of the DMS.

And, yes, at freezing temperatures, your turkey burner is going to have trouble keeping the wort boiling. Wrapping a sheet of metal (loosely) around the top of the burner and the bottom of the pot will act as a wind-break. I use 16" roof flashing.

 

[HolyKrausenBatman]

I know you haven't opened it yet, but with your Brinkmann from HD you will need to bypass the auto overtemp shutoff. It's there so that you don't boil over oil when frying a turkey. Follow the wire back from the thermistor to the little control box. Disconnect both wires going into the control box and rewire them together. You should be able to get plenty of BTU's out of this one to boil up to 10 gallons. I got one a few months ago and it works well. Oh, and hold the ignition button down for 30 seconds like the directions say. It takes about that long for the system to warm up I suppose. Don't forget to reconnect the control box if you're going to fry a turkey.

 

[chris24300]

I know you haven't opened it yet, but with your Brinkmann from HD you will need to bypass the auto overtemp shutoff. It's there so that you don't boil over oil when frying a turkey. Follow the wire back from the thermistor to the little control box. Disconnect both wires going into the control box and rewire them together. You should be able to get plenty of BTU's out of this one to boil up to 10 gallons. I got one a few months ago and it works well. Oh, and hold the ignition button down for 30 seconds like the directions say. It takes about that long for the system to warm up I suppose. Don't forget to reconnect the control box if you're going to fry a turkey.

Could that be the problem with my friends fryer? I'll see how it does tonight and rewire the brinkmann. I actually bought 2 of them (on sale) so maybe i'll keep one for actually frying a turkey.