Low country/crawfish boil pot input

BigGreenBamaGriller

I'm sure some of you guys are experienced boiling various types of seafood in large quantities. Anyone have any input as to a certain type/brand of boiling pot/burner? What about size recommendations as well? I doubt I'll ever have more than 12-15 people at any given time (and that many would be rare).

Thanks,

Chris

johnnyp

i use my turkey fryer.  The pot is huge and will hold as much( or as little) as I want.  If you don't have a turkey fryer, grab one and then it will serve dual purposes.

AUCE

Get a propane fish cooker from walmart. Perfect height and can hold a large pot Then find a HEAVY aluminum pot with a basket AND lid.  A 5 gallon one thats what I use ...sounds like over kill but a half full pot is much easier to handle than a full 2.5 gallon one.Turkey pot works ok but the Basket is the trick.
just a personal trick..
when the spuds etc. Are all cooked. Dump shrimp in boiling mix/water. Stir and Turn off the heat, Cover for 10 mintes..perfect shrimps...artichoke s are an added treat as well

BigGreenBamaGriller

Thanks. Some of the burners I've looked at seem kinda crappy. I guess there isn't much difference from one to the other?

SGH

BigGreenBamaGriller said:

Thanks. Some of the burners I've looked at seem kinda crappy. I guess there isn't much difference from one to the other?

Right now these are on sale at Lowes for 59.00 bucks. Ther are regular 129.00 bucks. For the money they are excellent for boiling large quantities. It's a Bayou Classic double jet burner. They are not suited for frying unless you are doing a a real large pot of cooking oil. Their forte is boiling and they are excellent for this purpose. Last week at the crawfish festival in NO, it was the most used burner by far by most of the teams. Again, for the money, these are excellent boiling rigs. They also work excellent for starting charcoal and lump in a chimney starter. If you are looking for a reasonably priced high performance boiler, the double jet is hard to beat for 59.00 bucks.

SGH

Now if you want to step up to the big leagues and boil 100+ gallons in 10 minutes or less, then I use and recomnend the big muti jet burners, However they are not cheap at all. The bigger ones can approach 1,000 dollars. Nonetheless their performance is unmatched. The larger ones will not even run on a standard 5 gallon bottle. When turned up on high, they will freeze the regulator in about 30 seconds. If you are going big, here is the bad boy.

SGH

The above burner is both dangerous to operate and a fuel hog. However in the game of one up manship, it usually easily wins.  

BigGreenBamaGriller

Whats the difference, application wise, from one of the jet burners, and a banjo type burner?

SGH

BigGreenBamaGriller said:

Whats the difference, application wise, from one of the jet burners, and a banjo type burner?

I have both a jet and a banjo burner. For frying the banjo is far more practical. It can be turned down real low and it uses a wide spread out more even flame. The jet burner uses a concentrated flame resulting in hot spots. This is a plus for boiling though. Not so much for frying. I personally do not like the banjo burner. For every adjustment that you make on the regulator, you have to compensate with a adjustment to the air shutter on the face of the Venturi. Trust me when I say that this gets aggravating real quick. If you are looking for a combination unit that does a decent job of boiling and a real good job of frying, I would then recomnend a standard high pressure cast burner that comes on most outdoor cookers. It's much easier to use on the fly than the banjo. I'm sure some like the banjo, but I do not. Again the standard high pressure cast does a much better job for frying than the jet burner,  but it lags behind the jet burner in terms of heat output for rapid boiling. Others who like the banjo may can offer more info to sway you towards it. But I do not care for it at all for the reasons stated above.

SGH

Here is the standard high pressure cast. Again it is great for frying and deep frying. It is decent for boiling as well. It is a good "all around" unit.

PlanoPokes79

If you want a big burner you go BIG and use the one on my balloon....

BigGreenBamaGriller

@SGH Thanks for all the input. Your info is very helpful. I think I will go with the double jet burner.

PlanoPokes79

Can't go wrong with any advice SGH gives out. 

SGH

BigGreenBamaGriller said:

@SGH Thanks for all the input. Your info is very helpful. I think I will go with the double jet burner.

You are more than welcome brother. Again, if boiling is your forte, the double jet does a fantastic job. And for the money (59.00 bucks) it's untouchable. I love mine.