Thinking about upgrading my burner and this looks too good to be true. Any thoughts on his burner?
And I just saw this same post below…
The fact that it only supports 10 gal is a deal breaker for me.
I decided to give the Bayou Classic (SP-10) a try. It supports up to 25 gallons and for the price, I figured it was worth a try. I’m sure it’s nowhere nearly as good as a blichmann. But it’s also 1/5 the price.
[quote=“Chris-P”]The fact that it only supports 10 gal is a deal breaker for me.
I decided to give the Bayou Classic (SP-10) a try. It supports up to 25 gallons and for the price, I figured it was worth a try. I’m sure it’s nowhere nearly as good as a blichmann. But it’s also 1/5 the price.[/quote]
I have the sp10 and I really like it. I did two 3 gallon boils and 4 full boils starting with 6.5 gals on one tank of propane. I don’t have anything to compare it too but that seems pretty efficient to me. I’ll be doing my first BIAB on it this week. It gets my cold well water up to 155 in no time and keeps a rolling boil going with the propane dialed way down. It may not be as nice or sweet looking as the blichman but I think I’ll be using it for a long time.
Any SP-10 and keggle users out there? I just fired up my Brinkmann turkey burner and keggle with mixed results. It certainly boiled my 5 gal batch but seemed to take longer and I definitely had to have the gas turned way up to maintain the boil. So, dropping a couple of bucks on a new burner might save me cash in the long run with propane usage?
Just remembered I saw a post somewhere recently about bayou classic banjo burners. I searched on Amazon and found a KAB 4 and KAB 6. They both say they support 120 qt pots. So if it’s a banjo burner you’re after there is a cheaper alternative than the blichmann
The Darkstar looks like a good basic burner for the price, and looks like it would fit a keg kettle if needed.
That said, if you are thinking about larger boils in the future, the Bayou Classic KAB-6 can’t be beat. It is the same burner as the Blichmann at a bit lower price point, and it will support a huge variety of kettles including those much larger than 120qt. We’ve put a pot as large as a big garbage can on mine (not quite a 55gallon drum) and it still kicked butt.
I’ve had just about all the burners out there and I prefer the large banjo-style such as the KAB-4 and 6. Keep in mind the KAB-4 model with a keg kettle will have the edges of the keg out on the outer edges of the frame, so the KAB-6 is suggested for keg kettles. Normal pots typically have a flat bottom and are not an issue with either. The KAB-6 has a higher pressure regulator and will also give more BTU than the 4. The Blichmann is the same setup as the KAB-6 as the burner, orifice, air plate, and regulator is concerned. Frame is the only difference.
The Blichmann is nice and shiny and stainless and it is clearly the best offering as it is adaptable to the Blichmann stands. I have friends using them and they are a great value when all things are taken into account. They are the choice when looking to the future.
I bought the frame only of the CS-10 a few years ago for under $100. Shipped to my door.
http://www.tejassmokers.com/newproducts_page2.htmNot sure if they even do that anymore. Built like a tank.
I had a burner and regulator which fit perfectly. Just bolted it right in.
I bought some 18" pipes at the hardware store and slipped them on for a bit shorter legs. It’s working right now! :shock:
Lots of good options floating around.
I think someone needs to wait for his birthday! Or hope for an early gift!
:shock:
Once you tack on shipping, and for me that brings the total over $52, you may as well just pay a few bucks more to Lowe’s and get one that can do 140 gallons instead of the 10 gallons this one claims.
For me personally, 10 gallons would work right now. But knowing I will no doubt be starting full boils of 10 gallons, I’d plan ahead and get a bigger one. If there were no shipping at that price and I was just starting out, I would buy the Dark Star Burner to tide me over.
I have been thinking about the dark star burner since it is in my price-range but my concern is how the heat is distributed. $40 is nice but I think I would invest in a really nice brew kettle so the heat doesn’t ruin the kettle and change the brew while in the kettle. It is a give and take and personal preference, I guess.
I’m just looking for something to heat water for a 5 or 10-gallon batch, so I think this would do the trick for me. The one I have right now, I got at Menards, and it just won’t burn clean. It keeps sooting up the bottom of the kettle. the flame burns blue at first, but then all I can get out of it is a yellow flame. Frustrating.
Have you taken it apart. I bought two burners awhile back. One worked great and the other had a yellow flame. Took it apart and found a piece of casting
in the tube. Had the same problem recently with my original burner and found rust built up under the center insert. A wire brush took care of the problem.
I’ll give that a shot. I haven’t had it apart yet.
