Gonna do my first boil this weekend...Is this right?

[DonMcJr]

I really like this site great people and info! I'm boiling my 1st time this weekend and wanna make sure I'm doing it right...

I have a wood burning stove and I'm gonna set 2 firebricks on top of the box and I have a 24 x 12 x 8 Stainless Steel pan that will sit on the two fire bricks.

I figure I'll fill it half full and let it boil and when I see it has dropped an inch in depth add more sap til its at 4 inches again and continue till I have no sap left to add.

Then at that point I'm guessing I use my candy thermometer to watch the temp...I'd like to at the right point transfer it to a smaller pot and finish it in the house on the stove. So at what temp or point do I do the transfer?

I also have a syrup hydrometer but I figured that would be used in the house while finishing the syrup.

I'll only have 10 to 14 gallons of sap so I'm only expecting a quart or so of syrup. It's Sugar Maple Sap.

So have I got it right? I'm gonna guess since it turns to syrup at 219 degrees I should pull it off and put it in the small pot when it hits like 215 degrees?

I don't wanna mess this up so please let me know if I got the right idea and if I don't I don't mind being wrong I just wanna do it right!

THANKS!

[Lee]

Hi Don, I'm new but figured I'd chime in. Try some water in the pans first,I think you'll find the steam pans will boil better without the bricks.
I've been taking it off at around 215' f and that has worked well.
It'll be the best tasting syrup you've ever had!
Lee

[DonMcJr]

I just read the thread where someone built an evaporator from a 55 gallon drum and saw it looked like the fire hit the bottom of the pans and I was thinking the same thing....no bricks...

So you take it off at 215 F and then finished it on the stove in the house?

[Brent]

With the bricks I don't think you'll ever get a boil. With the pan sitting on the woodstove top I think you'll still have a problem. The heat loss of the top and sides will be close to all you can put in the bottom. If you've got any removable inserts in the top, pull them out.

With that quantity of sap, I'd never put in more than about 1 1/2", when you run out of sap and the depth goes down to 3/4" or so
I'd transfer to a 4 quart pot in the kitchen. You're going to spend a lot of time going very slowly and it wil be challenging to keep your concentration after hours and hours .... but when you get to the kitchen stove, things will start to accelerate, and ( voice of experience ) you'll go from "it's starting to look good" to "Oh my god it's boiling over and scorched" faster than you can go the little boys room and back. Cleanup on the stove takes hours and you can lose all you precious syrup.

If you try to finish in the big pan, you'll be amazed how much you can't get out of it when it gets thick.

Have fun, good luck.