Silly BIAB with Turkey Pot Question

[howabouttheiris]

Maybe turkey fryer setups are different all over the nation, but I have a question....

After looking at 20 or so photos here and 100s of photos on google images, I don't see anyone (OK, I exagerate, maybe 1-2) using the large strainer basket with handle inside the turkey pot to attach and hold the bag.

It would serve as both false bottom to give you some space for a valve, a shield from heat on the bottom if you wished to add heat, hold the bag above the bottom just to prevent scorching, provide an easy way to lift the grains out vs holding the hot wet bag, etc.

Are folks taking these out and tossing them aside? Is there any reason?

Confused.

 

[Mysticmead]

not all turkey fryers come with the strainer. my 40qt did but my 30qt didn't (yes I have one for beer and one for turkey frying) I don't use the basket in my 40qt when doing BIAB.. mainly because it was severely damaged in my last move (crushed is a more like it). It would be a great way to keep the bag off the bottom. However, if you installed a valve, the strainer would sit on the valve. could that cause a leak having the weight on the valve? It might. Of course you could figure out a way to suspend the strainer the entire time.. but that would require a pulley attached to an overhead beam or a ladder.. I brew outside.. only open sky above my kettle. Not going to bother with a ladder because mainly, Alton Brown is a sissy for thinking he needed one for frying a turkey.

can you use the strainer basket with BIAB?? sure you can. Is it needed? not really. Of course the beauty of home brewing is you can do it pretty much however you want and if it makes beer, it's still the right way

 

[TacoBrew]

If mine came with one I would use it. I've seen others using it. I just use a tamale steamer pot (slightly bigger than my turkey fryer pot), with the tamale steamer tray in the mash. Works perfectly!

 

[tekknoschtev]

Exactly what others have said - if my pot came with one I'd use it if for no reason other than trying to get all of the drippings back into the pot with a 20+lb grain bill is a pain (doesn't fit well in my strainer, and even if it did I'd be working to keep the bag from spilling over the sides). None of my pots have come with the strainer.

That said, I've been looking at some pots which come with the strainer just for the reasons you've mentioned, but until I find myself with "extra" money, I'll just have to make do with what I've got

 

[howabouttheiris]

Of course you could figure out a way to suspend the strainer the entire time.. but that would require a pulley attached to an overhead beam or a ladder.. I brew outside.. only open sky above my kettle.

Wouldn't a single metal rod thru any one of the holes in the basket and thru the other side give you 10 or so adjustment options?

 

[paraordnance]

seems like only seafood/lobster/crawfish pots have a basket inside. Mine 40 qt pot has it but after after a 8 batches of use I decided to mash without it.
There is several reasons for that. 1) you limited to what basket holds, in my case its about 13-14 lbs of grains any more will overflow and hard to swirl 2)mash thikness, we all know what to have good efficency in BIAB your mash needs to be really thin. Basket kind of lumps grains together and efficency suffers a bit 3) extra equipment to clean

 

[Mysticmead]

Wouldn't a single metal rod thru any one of the holes in the basket and thru the other side give you 10 or so adjustment options?

it might ... but then you have a metal bar getting in the way of putting the lid on and wrapping the kettle. I have no problems lifting a bag of wet grains.. its no harder than picking up my daughter when she falls asleep and I have to carry her to bed (except the soaking wet part). Plus it give the grains more room to move about.. I'm not worried about melting the bag.. if heat is applied I stir non-stop.. that keeps the bag moving preventing it from melting.