by saucisson » Fri Jan 09, 2009 3:18 pm
Mine uses a thermistor too. I hadn't put any thought into temperature gradients yet because for mashing you are dealing with a thin porridge that benefits from stirring, so if I go for a stirrer for that then I'm covered for cooking too. If not the bubbler is a good idea Wallie. Don't worry, it's not a secret, pictures will follow as the build commences. There are a number of routes to go down, including single/double skins, where to mount the probe etc.
Even in a single skin, the element will be protected by a mesh grill, so the first thing to check is the tmperature gradient across the mesh and whether temperatures fluctuate less or more depending on which side of the grill the probe is. My inclination is to have a tightly regulated heater bath at X deg C and then monitor the temperature of inserts placed in the bath, and notch the temperature of the bath accordingly. eg bath at 70 deg will heat a 5 gallon bin of mash to 60 and a bin of water to 68 or whatever.
Curing is not an exact science... So it's not a sin to bin.
Great hams, from little acorns grow...