mashing with cracked corn

[1965 wite]

so ive done a lot of ujssm and sf sour mashing. i have some limited exp with all grains but have only had two successful runs. I have run into problems with my mash clearing and i think i have may have scorched some cracked corn on my second run.. i have a ss clad 25 gallon mashing pot that i would like to employ. im going to make a insulated blanket for it to help hold heat in. I cant really see it being cost effective to use flaked maize and would like to go back to using cracked corn. I would like to make bourbon grain bills and i like alot of character in my drink so im assuming i will need to ferment on the grain. i was also thinking about building a automated stirring mechanism for cooking the corn to keep the corn from scorching and save me some labor. how do you do it? do you ferment on or off the grain? how do you keep the grain from scorching? do you use brew bags? any advice would help.

[firewater69]

You've been here long enough to know where to find the answers to your ? READ!

[Usge]

65white, there's plenty of methods outlined around here....including no-cook methods, baking methods, etc. But, here's a few general tips.

When using cracked corn, don't get greedy with the SG and end up too thick. (ie., your lbs of grain vs gals of water for your recipe). This makes it hard to work with all the way around. A BOP (big ole pot) with a thick clad bottom is worth it's weight in helping prevent scorching. If you need to...use a buffer plate between your pot and your heat source. Some people bake it. A good rolling boil will generally keep your corn moving IF your recipe uses enough water. Otherwise, a drill with a mortar mixing attachment will help you keep it moving. If you ferment on the grain, line the fermenter with a nylon grain bag large enough...that you can just pick up the grains when you are done. You'll still need to let it settle (the yeast/etc that gets stirred up) before racking it into your boiler. So long as you don't grind up your cracked corn into a flour and/or get it too thick, the kernel husks should form a grain bed that allows it to drain off readily after mashing.

Flaked Maize, gels a lot easier and tends to get very viscous such that it won't sparge or drain off easily. Some people use ricehulls to help form a bed. I use a grain bag to line the pot. After mashing it or fermenting it if doing on grain, you'll need to squeeze the bag. Some people use a "new" rubber maid mob ringer bucket for that job.

[rager]

id recommend the no cook method. that's what ive been doing with great success. I ferment on the grain and I strain the mash into a secondary bucket to clear using an aluminum strainer that fits perfect in the bucket. takes all of about 10 minutes to strain a bucket. I use the paint buckets from lowes that are clear. that way I can see when all the solids have dropped. I then being careful, I pour the clears mash into the boiler


gl

[Brutal]

You could build a steam injection set up to cook in that big ol pot. I haven't posted pictures of mine yet due to phone problems. It's works great though and no chance of scorching.

[MitchyBourbon]

If your having issues scorching corn, try one of the no cook methods. There are a few different methods which involve combining boiling water and corn and then insulating till the corn has released all the starches etc.

As for your other questions; i have a couple of 10 gallon blichmann boilermakers with false bottoms. When mashing corn i don't bother with trying to recirculate, it's just too thick. My grain bills tend to be 75 to 80 corn and the rest is other malts. I don't use man made enzymes. I don't ferment on the grain. The fermented grain soaks up a lot of the beer so after fermentation most people squeeze the grain. When I do this I can taste a yeasty after taste in my bourbon even after stripping and spirit run and aging 6 months on oak strips. I have tried siphoning and leaving the spent corn on the bottom undisturbed and that turned out good but that leaves so much beer behind it didn't seem worth it. So instead, I squeeze the grain after mashing. I'm using a plain pot still, maybe if I had a few plates my results would be cleaner. I tend to like a cleaner bourbon, one where the corn taste comes through unmistakable but soft, then finishes clean.

My methods are not my religion, I just do things that work for me. You should try lots of different methods and then go with what works.

[firewater69]

@1965 wite, after reading my post again, i sounded like an ass. it was not my intention, sorry.

[1965 wite]

@1965 wite, after reading my post again, i sounded like an ass. it was not my intention, sorry.

no biggie. you are right. i should be able to find the info but i hadnt talked to you guys in a while. my plans for the winter are to play with my big ol pot as i spent my summer sour mashing ujssm and sweetfeed. thought about a false bottom for my pot and using one of the stepped cook methods where you heat and stir then rest, then heat and stir then rest. that seems pretty easy. also find the single malt recipe interesting and maybe easier. i think i will go ahead and build a motorized stirring attachment for the top of the mash pot. sounds like a fun winter project. i have a 15 gallon keg pot still. my plans for the winter is to electrify the main keg then build my 7.5 gallon keg into a optional thumper keg. parts are on order for that stuff. so i was kinda looking for different options for heat on the big mash pot. probably end up sticking with my propane crab cooker. as for tonight the weather sucks and im sick. had a couple of sweetfeed/7ups and thinking about one more then bedtime. ill be dragging out the tig welder soon to begin work on the still .

[Brutal]

You could build a steam injection set up to cook in that big ol pot. I haven't posted pictures of mine yet due to phone problems. It's works great though and no chance of scorching.

Check this out: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 1#p7271109

[Halfbaked]

Brutal has a good idea. Here is another http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 14&t=48126 school of thought.

[1965 wite]

You could build a steam injection set up to cook in that big ol pot. I haven't posted pictures of mine yet due to phone problems. It's works great though and no chance of scorching.

Check this out: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 1#p7271109

this is cool and easy! could build it for next to nothing and use my keg to power it. then i would be free of the propane smell and cost. thanks for the tip. this would also eliminate the need for a auto mixer. very cool idea! im also thinking about getting into beer making so i think ill have a drain installed in the bottom.

[1965 wite]

Brutal has a good idea. Here is another http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 14&t=48126 school of thought.

this was one of the recipes i was considering. does this require two different kinds of wheat? regular and malted?

[Halfbaked]

2 row or 6 row is malted barley. The idea behind me hitting you with that thread was how he was the no boil method. If you like that thread I would post a question there. Jimbo watches his threads and answers all questions on his threads.

[1965 wite]

i tried posting a question on his thread but it was locked. So if i understand this clearly wheat malt is wheat malt neither 2 or 6 row. when he said 2 or 6 row he is only speaking about malted barley, correct?

[BoomTown]

I cook about 10lb mashes of all grain (acutally it 4 kilo). Before I discovered liquid enzymes, I used to use malted barley, about a cup or so, on the heat up to keep the corn from getting too thick and gooy. Now I use a 1/2 tsp of the high end enzyme, and simply combine all my grains in the Mash Tun and then heat it up slowly. Like re-read, Very slowly, then hold it at a slow simmer for an hour. I cook with 4 gallons of water, and after the boil, I add 1 more gallon of (140f) water to drop the temp below 180f, then add in another 1/2 tsp of the enzyme.

The Mash comes out with an SG of 1.060 (+/- .005) and I never get scorching problems. The whiskey is still too young for a one-on-one taste comparison, but I appear to be capturing the malted barley taste, without the constant attention I used to require. Good luck.

[S-Cackalacky]

i tried posting a question on his thread but it was locked. So if i understand this clearly wheat malt is wheat malt neither 2 or 6 row. when he said 2 or 6 row he is only speaking about malted barley, correct?

1965 wite, the locked thread is a stickied thread that is a condensed (abridged) version of the original recipe thread. There is a matching "discussion" thread in the same forum section that you can post to. The discussion thread - http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 14&t=39617 .

Note: Most of the T&T recipes now have a sticky/locked abridged version.