to cook or not to cook

[putter5775]

I am gonna use simple process.
water
cracked corn
sugar
yeast
I have seen differing ways to get starch from corn. SOme heat water to 160, cut off heat, and pour ingredients in, Others cook corn for 30 45 minutes. Dont want to screw up on first attempt. tia

[Windy City]

Check out this recipe, It is where many a home distiller has started.

https://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtop ... f=14&t=725

Hope it helps

[shadylane]

Here's my free advice

When making UJ, don't cook the corn.
A sugar wash doesn't want or need lots of starch.

[Demy]

It really depends on what you want to get and the time you want to spend on your product... I think a traditional mash provides the best quality

[Setsumi]

Here's my free advice

When making UJ, don't cook the corn.
A sugar wash doesn't want or need lots of starch.

+1
if you cook or gelatize unmalted grains you need to add enzymes. either malted grains in a quantity to convert or HT enzymes.

[Crash]

Tl;dr: no. Fermentation is all room temp.

I only have a few runs under my belt (5) and use the same recipie as you. I've never heated anything, just room temp (68-70F). I let it ferment for at least 2 weeks to a month (no purpose for the long wait, I'm just busy). I stir it 1 or 2 times a day for the first few days. This usually produces 5/6 16oz jars and anything past that I throw into the next run. It produces some real product for sure. I just got a hydrometer so I can't really tell you what proof or s.g. anything ever was. The methods are a little haphazard but these are the results I've got. Hope it helped.

[Checkmate]

I have started boiling my water (20 gallons), then cutting the heat and then adding my ground corn. I stir it until the temp drops into the range to start adding amylaze and malted grains. I avoid completely scorching my mash this way.

[Salt Must Flow]

READ up on mashing corn. Enzymes are cheap. You'll find that most people's problems with mashing corn is that it was not milled fine enough, they screwed up the mashing temp protocols and/or the temp they added the enzymes.

Check out the UJSSM recipe here.

The difference between the two methods above is you will either MASH the corn or you will not mash. UJSSM is basically just a sugar wash with corn added for flavor.

[subbrew]

To put everything said above in one place.
1. Using sugar so you don't need the starch/sugar from the corn - no need to cook
2. If you did cook, you do not mention a source of enzymes so you would just end up with starches that the yeast could not use - no need to cook
3. Using cracked corn, not fine enough of a grind for good conversion even if you did have a source of enzymes - not need to cook

Stir the ingredients together and let the yeast do its thing. Remember that yeast like oxygen for the growth phase, so stir vigorously to get air in your mix at the beginning. Recommend following the link provided earlier to UJSSM and reading up on that, which is what your ingredients suggest you are making

[Twisted Brick]

I have started boiling my water (20 gallons), then cutting the heat and then adding my ground corn. I stir it until the temp drops into the range to start adding amylaze and malted grains. I avoid completely scorching my mash this way.

You're getting there. Be sure to allow sufficient time for your alpha amylase to work before adding your small grains or gluco. Also, both enzymes have optimal pH ranges as well as optimal temp ranges they work in.