If you are direct fire mashing do you need to recirculating the mash? Is a RIMS setup just having a pump constantly recirculating the mash as you heat with the flame from your burner under it?
Is there a difference between decotion and step infusion mashes? As I use a 10 gallon cooler as my MLT would I just conduct the mash in my boil kettle and then dump into the cooler? What about hot side aeration?