How To Avoid Scorching Your All Grain Mash

Production methods from starch to sugars.

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Cu29er
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How To Avoid Scorching Your All Grain Mash

Post by Cu29er »

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In the old days and the recent days of mashing my all grain 'beer I'd scorch the bottom of the pan. The thicker the gelatinized mash the more trouble with scorching even with diligent stirring and scraping. Then I'm worried about the burnt flavor and also have the hassle of scrubbing out the charcoal at the bottom of the pan. I'm not buying one of those clad-bottom pots for a part time hobby.

Here's my equipment list:
Gas stove (I've used electric in the past too with the same problem).
Cheap stainless steel stock pot, the $25 kind.
Cast iron griddle like this one $27. https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/29f046 ... 08f13.jpeg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow that I already had around for pancakes and grilling.

Any cast iron sheet or skillet large enough to be a barrier between the flame and fit your boil pot should work.
A scrap steel sheet with some thickness to it (quarter inch diamond plate?) and cut with your favorite implement to match the size of your custom pot may be worth experimenting with -- if you have some monster pot. Can't say if the grill vs smooth side against the pot would change effectiveness or not, my pot is too big for the rim on the smooth side and so I had to use the grill side (no grill marks in the bottom of the pan so worked well).

Put the griddle on the burner, smooth side down/grill side up, set the pot on the griddle and heat all the malting steps you want. Last few runs I've done this way and only had a little sticking to the bottom corner of the pot where it hung over the griddle but it was only a light stick that a stream of water dislodges.

Save those stainless steel scrubbies for other projects, not grinding out charred mash from your favorite stock pot.

Maybe you have some other hints to avoid scorching?

Happy Mashing!

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Still Life
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Re: How To Avoid Scorching Your All Grain Mash

Post by Still Life »

Genius!

Cooking grain, I use 2 double boilers. Enough volume to accommodate a 6-gallon bucket.
Just happened to have camping pots that nest together to do the job in 90 minutes.
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der wo
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Re: How To Avoid Scorching Your All Grain Mash

Post by der wo »

Cu29er wrote:Maybe you have some other hints to avoid scorching?
-With insulation you need less power. Less power means less scorching. Or when using flame a heat shroud.
-When mashing don't heat the mash, only heat the water. But this leeds to less yield at least with corn.
-When distilling, stir the mash while heating up, until the mash has 60°C. Then keep the flame low, close the still and insulate everything well. The most scorching happens during heating up.
-Use a wooden mash paddle with flat end. You need to scratch the bottom of the pot to avoid scorching. A round spoon doesn't help much.
-More distance between flame and pot. Place the pot a bit higher.
-More than one heating source. The more heating surface the less scorching.
-Build an agitator: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =2&t=61817
In this way, imperialism brings catastrophe as a mode of existence back from the periphery of capitalist development to its point of departure. - Rosa Luxemburg
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skow69
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Re: How To Avoid Scorching Your All Grain Mash

Post by skow69 »

My pot still runs under vacuum in a water bath. I can distill bark-o-mulch.
Distilling at 110f and 75 torr.
I'm not an absinthe snob, I'm The Absinthe Nazi. "NO ABSINTHE FOR YOU!"
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