Yes, dissolve the sugar in hot water but pour the sugar solution into your bottling bucket then siphon the beer into the bottling bucket. With the siphon tube curled, and flat to the bottom, the sugar will evenly mix with the circular motion created by the siphoning acton.
I use at least two cups of water to dissolve the sugar. I figure the less syrupy the solution is the easier it will mix. I heat the water to a boil in a small kettle. Let it boil on low heat a few minutes to sanitize the kettle and lid. Remove from the heat and pour in the sugar. Stir to dissolve and add lid back. The sugar solution does not need to be boiled. 171°F for one minute will pasteurize the sugar even though it doesn’t need it.
