Steeping grains at 160 with DME

[Froyd]

Is there any downside to steeping grains in water that also has some DME mixed in? I mix the DME in cold water because it dissolves more readily; so it would be easiest to dissolve all my volume of DME into all my volume of water, and then, once my electric kettle gets the temp up to 160, i would remove a gallon or so to steep my small amount of Carapils grains, while the rest of the wort continues the heat ramp to 212.

I could not see a downside to doing this but I wasn't sure if the extra DME in the water would somehow affect the effectiveness of the steep. If I were doing an all-grain batch all my base grain malts and specialty malts would be mashed at the same time.

 

[hotbeer]

Depends a lot on what you do during the lauter.

If you have a higher concentration of sugars in your mash water then I'd think you'd leave a higher amount of sugar in your grains.

But if you are rinsing your grain with clean sparge water at the end instead of re-circulating the mash water over the grains, maybe not so much an issue.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

i would remove a gallon or so to steep my small amount of Carapils grains, while the rest of the wort continues the heat ramp to 212.

Are you able to heat the "side pot" that you will steep in? If so, you could steep the grains in the "side pot" in water while the rest of the wort is heating to boil.

 

[D.B.Moody]

Is there any downside to steeping grains in water that also has some DME mixed in?e.

Here's downside: You will lose some of your extract to those grains when they are pulled from the wort.
Heating in a side pot as @BrewnWKopperKat suggested is a better method.