How many BTUs needed

So we are going use an one burner outdoor cooker on a camping trip and I need to get a burner. How many BTUs is recommended to boil a 4 gallon thing of water for a low country boil in a decent amount of time?

 

just get one of those propane fish fryers and a small 20lb tank. I wouldnt waste any time on smaller burners, you'll be there for hours trying to heat up 4 gallons.

 

To boil one gallon of water starting 70°F in 1 hour you will need 8.3 x (212-70) = 1,178.6 BTUs.

 

Yeah, I saw that formula and did a spreadsheet, but kinda wanted real world experience

 

did you read my post? lol

 

Lol, can, I did. I think that 60k I woulbe ok. There is one at Wal-Mart that is 105k, but looked cheap

 

4 gallons? for a shower?

you want a turkey fryer burner for sure. we boil 2 gallons for a shower at deer camp, and it takes 10 minutes easy.

if you're cooking and need 4 gallons, then you need a big burner for sure to bring it a back to a boil after you dump in the cold food.

good thing those burners are so cheap.

 

I had this real world experience just this past Saturday. 4 to 4 1/2 gallons of water, 7# shrimp, 7# crawfish, 3#conecuh sausage , 24 ears corn and 8 lbs of potatoes, a few lemons and onions. I used an 80 quart boil pot 21” diameter which was about twice what I needed but what I had. I can tell you the the standard cast iron burner with 15 psi regulator from fish fryer struggled mightily and my cook time was probably twice what it should have been and I never reached a good rolling boil. You need either a double jet burner or a banjo burner. I learned my lesson and ordered a 10” banjo burner last night. I opted for the banjo because of lower noise and less apt to scorch oil if I fry. I got the bayou classic KAB6 which is also large enough to support my wide pot and is rated for a 164qt. pot. You can buy just the burner for about $40. The KAB6 I found on sale for $108 and the narrower KAB4 with the same burner but 16” stand width can be found for $87.

 

Ps. The 10” banjo burner is stated to provide up to 210,000 btu, that and $1.00 might get you a cup of coffee but there are a ton of you tubes showing them boil a bunch of water fast.

 

Well, we got the only one that they had at AgriSupply. It will probably take forever, but oh well at this point.

 

Yeah I got an ASC catalog today after I ordered mine and see they had one with a good banjo burner for $69. Still glad I got the wider heavier stand for my big pot. Good cooking and happy trails.

 

Well our low country boil isn't going to be quite as big as yours, so maybe it will work ok.

 

If you got the one I saw in their catalog I’m sure it will. Burner looked the same, btu differential must be in regulated pressure. Mine went over so well I think it will be an annual family event and I may start doing smaller ones at tailgates. Should be a hell of a lot easier with the new burner.

 

i just got last week; a Thunder Group fast stove..$98. it is a wok burner. 30 PSI regulator (adjustable). it is a friggen jet engine aiming up at the sky. i boiled about a half gallon of water in less than a minute. (to clean my new wok). it can hold a bigass pot. maybe not a 21" diameter as mentioned above..

my point being: i bet you can hotrod any burner..

i hate my regulator..i am gonna modify it. the instructions say it is in it's sweet spot right at 20psi, so i think i can step down the regulator. my current regulator has press on hoses with hose clamps. and it has the male thread portion that goes INSIDE the standard propane tank valve. it is a PIA. straight from china i suppose. (all chinese propane tanks i saw over there and in Taiwan are the "inside" type)

 

I couldn't use the dang burner, too windy! Took about an hour to heat the dang pot in the camper

 

need to make you a wind block

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turkey-Deep-Fryer-Windscreen/

 

this also...
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Foldable...online&wl12=795017626&wl13=&veh=sem#read-more

 

Man, that's cool (the windscreen idea). I didn't think about it until we were at the camp site...too late