Split Boil

This may just be a bad idea…but, is there any way to do a split boil and maintain quality? By this I mean; I have a 5gal. brewpot and a 3 gal. brewpot. Can I boil the majority of the wort on a burner in the bigger pot, and do a small stovetop boil with the smaller pot. I would boil hops in the larger batch and combine the two batches in the fermenter after cooling. If this is rediculous please say so. I am trying to transition to all grain without my wife complaining about spending money for a new brewpot…

I’ve done that several times and have not noticed any downside except double the boil off rate during the time you’ve got both pots going.
I usually only make 2.5-3.5 gallon batches, but for bigger beers I end up with too much wort for one 5 gallon pot. So, about 3 gallons go in my 5 gallon pot and another 2 into my 4 gallon pot.

I split my 60 minute hops between the two. Then as I approach the 30-40 minute point, the boil off in both pots has reduced each by enough that I can combine them into my 5 gallon pot. From that point on, the hops go in as normal.

cheers

That sounds good. Thanks for the feedback.

aluminum pot is very cheap

I have done this twice recently due to raining outside and on a tight window for brewing. I boiled 3 gallons in two large pots on the stove. I just split my hop additions evenly and poured them both in the fermenter after the boil. They turned out good. Very good. I’m still sampling the last one and can not tell a difference in the process. I will do it again if I have to.
One was an all grain and the other an extract. If I recall correctly I caught all of the runnings from the AG in my 10 gallon pot and then divided it into smaller pots. Or maybe I eyeballed the runnings half and half between the strike and sparge. IDR. I made good beer anyway.

I do my AG brews with a Split Boil. From my mash tun, I put my first runnings in my smaller pot. Then my second runnings go in the larger pot. Then I combine the two runnings into the larger pot to get an even pre-boil wort.

I then split my pre-boil wort in half between the two pots and divide all hop additions evenly between the two and boil. The only negatives I’ve experienced is its slightly more time consuming, more clean up, and more of a pain to cool 2 separate pots. I’m still fine tuning the process, but its definitely worth it to be able to do AG.

ONe of my best Saisons had to be done with a split boil due to rain. I just halved my runnings between the two pots. Split my hop additions in half and used a timer on each pot since they came to a boil at different times(differently shaped pots). Turned out great for me.