We are looking to buy a propane burner and are not sure what to go with. We currently use a 40qt pot and are doing 5-10 gallon all grain batches. Any advice on BTU’s, PSI regulators, or better models not listed below? Thanks
our top 3 choices: we are trying to stay in the $60 range
Bayou Classic Propane Double Jet Burner
Bayou Classic Square High Pressure Propane Burner
King Kooker
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/king-kooker.html
I hate the wind when I’m brewing, that’s why I upgraded and bought 2 of these burners. One burner is for my mash kettle and the other is for my hot liquor tank. Wind guards work when there’s no wind, but when the wind starts blowing I rely on the multi propane jets that give more direct flame to steel contact, reducing the wait time.
The base is not good for converted kegs but if you have a conventional pot, it’s great and fairly good in the wind. I have one of these for my 11 gat pot, and a KAB-4 for my 20 gal pot.
i have been looking for one of these basic burners that run off natural gas. my grill feeds off the house supply and it would be easy to put a branch line on. only ones i have seen on natural gas have been the expensive type at morebeer.
Some burners are possible to re-jet, but the real thing to look for are burners from your restaurant supply store. Particularly wok burners are fantastic for NG fed brewing.
@flapjack, bayou classic is in my opinion the best most user customizable burner supplier. I carry BC burners and accessories in the HBS and my customers love them. The sp-10 works great and has a nice wide burner for even heating.
@wiethman5, i believe most of BC burners can be converted to natural gas just by changing out the high pressure orifice.
I bought a Bayou Classic propane “cooker.” It was a little more than what I had wanted to pay for a burner, but I think I got more than what I paid for out of the thing. When I first got it I opened it up all the way to see what it could do. Sounded like a jet engine. Needless to say it works and works great.
You can easily convert a NG burner to propane but no necessarily the other way around. Something to do with the design of the jet requires the higher pressure of propane to suck enough air through the venturi. Check this out for a cheap NG burner.
Thanks Drew, Ice Harbor, and Dak. I have a friend who installs fireplaces and grills and he said we could just pop out the orifice to allow for the lower pressure of the NG. But I thought if I could get one right from the start at a decent price it would be simpler. That wok burner from CPAC looks perfect. Just needs a stand. I could incorpororate that in to my grill.
another propane option is Farm Equipment, Mower Parts, Tractor Parts, Garden Supplies | Agri Supply
cheap and effective and quiet-
So far the best deals i have found for burners are the BBQ Guys. I just ordered the “small” 23 jet NG burner, but from what others of said you only need a “micro” 10 jet to boil 10gal batch in a keggle.
A word of warning about jet burners on NG, they can be difficult to control the flame, as in full blast or nothing. Some have had success and others not at all. I think i have an idea as to why but cant say for sure till mine arrives and I’ve had time to play with it.
I just wanted to thank everybody for their responses. We decided to go with the Bayou Classic SP-10. We used it for the first time tonight, brewed an american stout, and it worked great! cut about two hours off our brew time.
The SP10 is an extremely durable burner that can take a lot of abuse, boilover, etc. I comes with a 20PSI HP regulator whereas many cheaper fryers have the same burner (close enough) but only a 10psi regulator. That extra pressure lets you crank it up when you need to heat quickly. Love mine.