Moving the boil outside ...

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maestrotee

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I'm looking at outdoor burners and want to grab one for as little as I need to spend. Does this look reasonable for a 5-gal kettle (boil about 3.5 at a time)?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002913MI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Also, what exactly is a 'jet' burner? Would it be hard not to burn the wort at the bottom? Seems like a lot of heat generating on one spot can't be a great idea, although the reviews are pretty favorable in regards to beer brewing.
 
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It looks like it will get the job done. It doesn't look like the best burner in the world though. To me, its one of those areas where its better to spend a couple extra dollars.

On a somewhat related note, in doing a quick search for burners I came up on this.....
 
bass pro had complete sets for about $40 with a pot and everything on sale. If you can wait it out I would watch for adds around x-mas turkey frying time and find a deal.
 
That's a good idea. I might just wait it out. We're gonna see some super sales on this stuff for sure. That Bass Pro Turkey Fryer looks pretty sweet. The spigot looks handy. Site bookmarked. Thanks!

I'm just a little impatient because I am currently stuck with a glass top electric range that blows. It doesn't even barely bring 3.5 gals to a boil, let alone my fear that the glass is just gonna crash with lengthy boils and burn down my house or atleast dump gallons of hot wort onto my kitchen floor. :( Alas, patience is still probably the answer ...

I even live in Indiana and we are going to get some snow here in the next week or so, but I will still be out there brewing when I am able! :rockin:
 
I started out using my glass top stove until I got the $$ saved up for the Stainless kettle I have now. It should be fine holding 3.5 gallons. Whether or not it heats... can't help you there. You figure Christmas is just a couple weeks away. Maybe Santa will bring you a burner.

I'm about 30 minutes from you. For now. Moving to Valparaiso next week. PLEASE don't use the S word. I'm not ready for that just yet.

<EDIT> Just noticed that Bass Pro burner I found earlier has a 20 minute timer on the burner. That's not bueno. The pot itself looks pretty sweet though.
 
If you buy a turkey fryer see if you can bypass the safety switch that turns the fryer off every 10-15 minutes of continuous use. If you cannot bypass this feature then you will have to check on the pot multiple times during your boil. I learned about theis the hard way and it took 2 hours to do my 1 hour boil.

My recommendation would to find one via Craig's list that does not have this feature or just buy the bayou classic SQ14 from amazon for $51. This is a very solid unit that will allow you to go onto bigger boils if needed while using less propane than cheaper fryers. Wish I had started with this one at the beginning.
 
I bought the SP10 2 years ago from amazon when it was about $30. Also, if you have a propane burner, why limit yourself to a partial boil? My beer got so much better when I went to full-wort boils. I spend $40 on a 10 gallon aluminum kettle. It works wonderfully. Don't believe the myths about aluminum kettles being bad. That being said, if you can get a 36+ quart turkey frying setup for cheap and disable the fail-safe, that's quite a deal. The ratio of diameter to wort height does affect the beer you brew though, just a head's up if you get one of the really tall kettles.

If you do go for the jet burner, you may want to consider adding a diffuser plate to help dissipate the concentrated flame so it doesn't scorch your wort.
 
msa8967 said:
If you buy a turkey fryer see if you can bypass the safety switch that turns the fryer off every 10-15 minutes of continuous use. If you cannot bypass this feature then you will have to check on the pot multiple times during your boil. I learned about theis the hard way and it took 2 hours to do my 1 hour boil.

My recommendation would to find one via Craig's list that does not have this feature or just buy the bayou classic SQ14 from amazon for $51. This is a very solid unit that will allow you to go onto bigger boils if needed while using less propane than cheaper fryers. Wish I had started with this one at the beginning.
Click to expand...


If you do find a sale you can't pass up on one with an annoying timer, here's a thread where someone successfully disabled the annoying feature. Not sure if it applies across the board, but it is a start.

I'd also recommend the SQ14 if you can afford it, it is a great burner. For me a burner isn't something you want to try and save $20 on.
 
I use the SP10 (got it on sale on Amazon for like 35 bucks) and wish that I would have stepped up to the SQ14. The SP10 does not hold a keggle by itself, I believe that the SQ14 does since it is square. I just bought a cheap charcoal grill grate and lay it over top, but its not very stable. I may try to get someone to tack weld it to the burner one day, probably after I have a spill accident....
 
kpr121 said:
I use the SP10 (got it on sale on Amazon for like 35 bucks) and wish that I would have stepped up to the SQ14. The SP10 does not hold a keggle by itself, I believe that the SQ14 does since it is square. I just bought a cheap charcoal grill grate and lay it over top, but its not very stable. I may try to get someone to tack weld it to the burner one day, probably after I have a spill accident....
Click to expand...

i use the SP10 with keggle. I also used the grill grate and it didnt work too well. like you said, not sturdy.

i have since put together a platform using angle iron from lowes. much more stable now, no worries about dumping my wort.

yhst-90335684517677_2135_409798934
 
PolishLogic said:
I'd say spend a few extra dollars and go with either the SP10 or SQ14. You can't go wrong with either of those.
Click to expand...

+1 they really aren't that expensive either, considering how much you'll use it. Plus if it conserves your propane, you'll make up the difference pretty quickly.

I'd drop $50 and just get a SQ14...you'll never look back. Its efficient, big enough for a keggle if you get one in the future, it can handle large full boils, and will save you time because it CRANKS with very minimal pressure/propane usage.

I've only got one now, but will be replacing my other turkey fryer with another SQ14 soon. I've probably spent 70-80 in turkey fryers, where I could have dropped an extra $20 and got 2 SQ14s from the start. Oh well, live and learn. Good luck!
 
I picked up an SQ14 and did my first all-grain with some other brewers in my family this weekend. While they had a much bigger burner for their 26 gal pot, the SQ14 rocked for my 8.75 gal pot. And I wasn't even running it on full blast, so I have no doubt that it'll be perfect when I want to go with a somewhat bigger pot down the road. Can't recommend it enough.
 
So I just caught up on reading this thread (just got home from work) and you all have convinced me. I just ordered the SQ14 from The WEBstraunt Store for $57. Hope my wife won't kill me. ;) Where do I get the propane from? I've never even had a gas grill.

Thanks for all your helpful replies! I love this board!
 
You can buy an empty tank from any hardware store for $30-40. My local Uhaul place fills tanks and the local American Legion Post in the next town over has a filling station as well. My local Walgreen has a swap thing as well where you bring an empty tank, give them yours and they give you a full one. It's more expensive to do it that way though.
 
Menard's is a pretty reasonable place to get your first tank. I bought one for $47 full of propane and it costs about $17 to exchange it when it is empty. You can also search Craig's list or put out an add on CL saying to want to buy a tank. I have seen these go for about $10-15 empty.
 
Uhaul is where I usually go. Part of the year they have this Fill-n-Grill promo where they give out stickers to puton your tank where they'll take a dollar off your fills for the rest of the year.

Wherever you go, try and get your tank refilled, not swapped. First because you usually don't run it dry, especially if you have just one tank. Secondly, a lot of exchange places charge about the same as a fill place, but only put 15lb in their tanks, while a proper fill is 20lb.
 
I paid shipping. But the original price was $42, $15 dollars shipping, so $57 overall. I'm okay with that price. I also just found a 20# propane tank on Craig's list for $15 ... sent an inquiry, waiting for him to respond! :D
 
make sure he gives you the date on the collar for the used propane tank, they are only good for a certain number of years before they need to be recertified. That usually makes for a good opportunity to swap at one of those exchange places :)
 
cklages said:
make sure he gives you the date on the collar for the used propane tank, they are only good for a certain number of years before they need to be recertified. That usually makes for a good opportunity to swap at one of those exchange places :)
Click to expand...

Great point! If there's just a date, it's good for 12 years.
Date followed by an "S" 7 years.
Date followed by an "E" 5 years.
 
So far, no reply. However, I have found two more slightly optimistic possibilities (since fed ex tracking has my burner to be delivered on Fri ... yay!). Two ads on Craigs List for small portable gas grills. Both of them $5, with the empty tank on each. I could care less about the grill, but if the tank will meet my needs, then I am stoked. If it is an 11 lb tank instead of 20, would that still be okay? Good advice about the dates, btw. Thanks!
 
maestrotee said:
So far, no reply. However, I have found two more slightly optimistic possibilities (since fed ex tracking has my burner to be delivered on Fri ... yay!). Two ads on Craigs List for small portable gas grills. Both of them $5, with the empty tank on each. I could care less about the grill, but if the tank will meet my needs, then I am stoked. If it is an 11 lb tank instead of 20, would that still be okay? Good advice about the dates, btw. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I have one of those small portable gas grills and the propane bottles have a different threading then a full size propane tank. They're tiny bottles. Here's a pic that shows both to give you a size reference: http://www.thenewsurvivalist.com/img/propanerefill.jpg.

Best of luck! Next purchase, BIG kettle! The purchases never cease! Yikes!
 
Thanks for the picture reference. That's what I am discovering. I have never purchases propane for anything before, so that part is brand new to me. Lowe's has new 20 lb tanks for $31. I'll probably spend the coins and just grab one of those. Now to find out where to get it filled. :D
 
That's cheap if they come with the first filling free. Take the plunge and get it! :)
 
Another probably dumb question, but for those who move outside to the deck or wherever to boil the wort, do you not have to concern yourself at all with falling debris from trees, wind blown contaminants, curious flying insects interested in checking out the mix, etc. during a 60 minute boil?

. . or does that just add character ;)
 

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