Filtering off of Smokey Lake hobby pan

[jthale]

We are about to start using a new Smokey Lake Hybrid Hobby pan and was wondering how we should go about doing the filtering when we will be taking a quart or two off at a time? How does other ones do it ? Do you hold the syrup hot till your done boiling and then filter all at once or are you filtering a quart or two at a time? We had been boiling on a flat pan and dumping a gallon or two of syrup into the cone filter/pre filters at one time. Thanks!

[jmayerl]

There are a few different ways to do it, but what I found works best when making a smaller amount of syrup was this. This was before we got larger and added a press.
1. I would filter at the evaporator with a single prefilter to get the major crud. And this was into a 16ish qt pot.
2. Wait till the end of the day or when we had 3-4 gallons and then bring it up to temp and verify density.
3. Then run through the final filters and bottle.

[Ahnohta2]

We do similar as Jthale, use a pre filter at first and get the crud out. Then at end of day heat to FINISH SYRUP, USING HYDROMETER, THEN PREFILTER STUCK INTO FINAL oRLON FILTER, then reheat and bottle

[Balsam Hills]

I usually filter with a prefilter and orlon filter when the sap is getting close to syrup. I can get a majority of niter out while the liquid is a bit thinner and it runs through the filters better.

[buckeye gold]

I too will add draws until I have a gallon at least and I use one prefilter off the pan. I also like to draw at almost syrup and then do a short finish on a gas burner. I take several small draws that way and I think I make better syrup doing that (less total cook time too). I then have my whole combined batch finished, blended and tested to proper brix with a hydrometer. I will then filter to bottle, at finish temperature I have my filter set up with two (three if sugar sand is bad ) prefilters over a final filter. I gently pull the first prefilter with 30-60 seconds and then let it set and finish filtering. This gets any course sand that may of made it through the first filtering and developed while finishing out of the way and improves overall filtering. Maintaining heat in the filtering process is what hinders most hobbyist like myself. I also have my wife sew up filters to fit my basket so there are no folds. I have had excellent luck doing this.