Huge batch in evap now sludge

[katmike]

Well I messed up big time.

I stoked too much wood in evap before going to bed and knew I had a problem when I go out there this morning and smell burnt sugar.

The pan didn't boil dry - just well past syrup stage is my guess... it's now just a sludge that smells burnt. I had no idea I was so close to syrup when I stoked it up.

Can I save this? Try and make granulated or add sap and see what happens? I'm afraid it's going to just taste like burnt syrup. It's cooled down so I'm guessing I can't make granulated.... just makes me sick. This was going to be a huge batch.... a weeks worth for me. I'm afraid to see what the bottom of the pan looks like.

[Maplewalnut]

If I were you I would try and add some water to dilute the sludge a little to help empty it out of pan. Save what you can and then focus on seeing what the damage is to the pan and concentrate on getting that clean. You can worry about the syrup later. Big loss syrup wise but hopefully your pan is not scorched.
good luck

[Pibster]

I would dump some raw syrup in and heat the pan. Once the sludge and sap mix, you'll be able to drain the pan. Keep that stuff separate and deal with the pans. See how it tastes, it may not be as bad as you think. You may be able to mix it in with future sap.

[Clinkis]

If there is any type of burnt flavour you won’t get rid of it. If so, I wouldn’t risk mixing it with new sap and risk spoiling a new batch. I’d chalk it up to lesson learned.....been there done that.

[Russell Lampron]

Add some water to it and heat it up to get it liquid again. Draw some off, filter it and taste it. If it taste good do the same to the rest of it. If it taste burnt dump it.

[buckeye gold]

If the burnt taste is not too strong after diluting and filtering then use it for glazing nuts or a cooking additive. I had some I done that too a couple years ago and I was ready to toss it and my wife wife said to keep it and see what she could figure out. well she worked it into a barbecue sauce and a baked bean recipe and both were really good. She also added bourbon to the barbecue sauce, maybe that is why.lol

[katmike]

Thanks for all the ideas. Lesson indeed learned.

I did try to evaluate a sample and see if it could be saved - no way. Too burnt and tossed it all. I didn't see buckeyes suggestion but too late. Just a hobbyist ... probably 3-4 gallons. Not much at all for you big boys but still hurts.

Added hot water and put a small fire in the evap to loosen the sludge. Man that stuff is hard when cold. Worked pretty well and I'm down to a couple scorch spots to fix in the bottom of the pan.

[Biz]

Been there done that, just recently, it sucks. Saved mine for use as "maple BBQ" sauce. Get a couple gallons of white vinegar, it's cheap, let it soak in the pans. Heating it up to near boil helps. Most of the black stuff will come right off.

Dave

[eustis22]

I don't have any advice re: pan or the syrup but I do recommend you stop firing an hour before you want to quit vs loading up an unwatched stove.

[Atgreene]

Scrape your scorched spots with a copper pipe flatened on one end or you'll never get rid of the burnt taste.

[michael marrs]

when i first had that happen to me, i got real upset, and told a buddy who has made m s in the past. he just laughed and said sooner or later, everybody burns a batch. i did however save it and i use it on ham, in the smoker. i even put it in the freezer and break off what i think i may need , thaw it and put it on. still makes you mad

[fishnhunts.on]

I feel your pain, and have been there. I am also just a hobbyist and I finally bit the bullet and bought a stainless pan and wood fired arch. I had boiled down a fair bit of sap and nearing the end of the day I left the syrup unattended to go and collect sap to continue the boil. Well a nearly brand new pan was scorched, burnt, ruined and I was heart broken and quite a few dollars lighter in my wallet. The syrup was sludge and wasted. Pick up the pieces and move on, a hard lesson learned.

[DrTimPerkins]

Sorry for your loss. Not to pick on you in particular, or anyone else who does this, but I've never understood the thinking behind walking away from an evaporator that is still hot. Now granted, it is possible to still scorch a pan even if you're standing right there, it just seems to be too big a risk to ever think about leaving an evaporator unattended. Anytime the operator here (typically me) has to step away for more that 30 seconds, it is always announced that we're "stepping out" and somebody else steps up and watches it. When it is finally shut down, we typically make 3 passes around the evaporator to make sure everything is shut off and it is ok to leave. Even as a kid, I don't recall a time when there wasn't somebody (grandfather, father, uncle) more than a few steps away from the evaporator when it was hot.

[fishnhunts.on]

Sorry for your loss. Not to pick on you in particular, or anyone else who does this, but I've never understood the thinking behind walking away from an evaporator that is still hot. Now granted, it is possible to still scorch a pan even if you're standing right there, it just seems to be too big a risk to ever think about leaving an evaporator unattended. Anytime the operator here (typically me) has to step away for more that 30 seconds, it is always announced that we're "stepping out" and somebody else steps up and watches it. When it is finally shut down, we typically make 3 passes around the evaporator to make sure everything is shut off and it is ok to leave. Even as a kid, I don't recall a time when there wasn't somebody (grandfather, father, uncle) more than a few steps away from the evaporator when it was hot.

Some of us maybe aren't as fortunate to have the help and time to monitor the evap non stop and are forced to multi task despite the known risk. With all due respect.

[katmike]

Sorry for your loss. Not to pick on you in particular, or anyone else who does this, but I've never understood the thinking behind walking away from an evaporator that is still hot. Now granted, it is possible to still scorch a pan even if you're standing right there, it just seems to be too big a risk to ever think about leaving an evaporator unattended. Anytime the operator here (typically me) has to step away for more that 30 seconds, it is always announced that we're "stepping out" and somebody else steps up and watches it. When it is finally shut down, we typically make 3 passes around the evaporator to make sure everything is shut off and it is ok to leave. Even as a kid, I don't recall a time when there wasn't somebody (grandfather, father, uncle) more than a few steps away from the evaporator when it was hot.

Certainly there's a risk, I thought a well calculated risk. I've been using this rig for 10 years and I thought I knew everything about it and it's nuances... how much sap/nearup is in the pan and how much time is generally involved in leaving it for the evening.

Well simply put... the calculated risk finally caught up. I got "burned"