Sap temps?

[hillbillybee]

I have a 2x4 flat pan and plan to take it as close as possible, draw off and finish in a pot on a turkey fryer.

I read in the back yard sugar'n book that it's syrup at 7 degrees over boil...here that looks like 219 degrees.

How far should i take the 2x4 pan...i was thinking 216 degrees...is that going to be close or can i go closer to 219? Then finish in the pot.

I don't want to burn my first batch.

[spencer11]

im not sure what temp you should bring it to but i would recomend getting a hydrometer. they are more accurate and that will tell you when it is finished and you could use it to know when to draw it off. just my thoughts.

spencer

[buckeye gold]

May I suggest you purchase a Hydrometer, it is unlikely you will get your syrup density right by watching temperature alone. If you draw off at 216 you'll be in good shape to pot finish. Be careful that as draw off you don't scorch your pan and syrup. I never used an undivided pan so I'm not familiar with draw off techniques for them. Do you reduce your heat or introduce new sap as you draw? How do most of you do it? I turn the sap valve on equal to my draw off valve and do that for a few seconds before opening my draw off so i have new sap pushing the concentrate/near syrup. I too finish on a side pot. I usually draw when the sap closest to my draw off valve will float the hydrometer almost to finish. I then get a mix of less finished sap as well in my draw. If I test my finish pot, the sap will usually float the hydrometer about half to 2/3 of the finished mark. I proceed from there.

[hillbillybee]

[QUOTE=buckeye gold;170720]May I suggest you purchase a Hydrometer, it is unlikely you will get your syrup density right by watching temperature alone. If you draw off at 216 you'll be in good shape to pot finish. Be careful that as draw off you don't scorch your pan and syrup.

I did a test run last week and after i quit loading wood it took about 15 minutes to use up the wood, I let it cool down , and in about 15 minutes after that it was movable so any slosh in the pan didn't seem to sizzle in the pan. I was fighting to move it myself.
I plan to let everything cool down then lift the pan off to drain it completely.

I didn't have bricks in then and i do now, so i'm guessing they will hold more heat, which will take longer to lose the extra heat. I'm hoping that it won't rise 3 degrees in the cool down time.

I plan on finishing the syrup on another day, so i'm not worried about it cooling down.

[wiam]

When I have used a 2x4 wood fired flat pan we just pulled the pan off the fire when syrup was ready but the fire was already low. If you do it like you describe by letting the fire go out I think you will find 3 degrees is not enough. I think you will go past syrup.

[jmayerl]

You have to realize that the boiling point of water changes throughout the day. The ambient temp and pressure can change it by over 1 degree. Get a hydrometer to be sure where the density is. If it were me I would get it as close to syrup as possible. When it get close to syrup things can happen very quickly. The theremometer will sit at 217 for hours then creep up and bam.....syrup.

[Rossell's Sugar Camp]

You have to realize that the boiling point of water changes throughout the day. The ambient temp and pressure can change it by over 1 degree. Get a hydrometer to be sure where the density is. If it were me I would get it as close to syrup as possible. When it get close to syrup things can happen very quickly. The theremometer will sit at 217 for hours then creep up and bam.....syrup.

I completely agree. i would take it off at 218 if the drawoff temp is 219 that day. some days 219 would be dangerous to boil at.I know here it is usually 217 my cousin is at a higher elevation he draws at 215 or 216 most of the time. it really varies depending on a lot of factors. the only sure fire way to test is a hydrometer of a refractometer.

[wiam]

Why is 219 dangerous to boil at? I go way over that when making other maple products. 255 when making sugar. I have been way over 219 at the drawoff then just thin it back down with sweet from back of front pan. Almost all of my syrup is past when I draw because I have no way to cook it more after I draw.