Scalding Pot size??

Hey I'm gearing up to do my processing on my CX, wondering what size Stock Pot you all use for your scalding? I'm seeing anywhere from 20 quart to 50 quarts. Thanks

Good question. I have been wondering the same thing

I hear my water up in an aluminum pot from walmart ($28) that I normally use for brewing. It's a 32qt pot, but I only do about 16-20 qts. Then I pour that 4-5 gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket and dip birds in that. Works well for me.

I can heat more water to use if that bucket gets too cool while I'm working with the birds.

I'm certainly no expert at processing, but having done several hundred birds with various methods, I've found that somewhere around 30 to 60 quarts works good. I just moved from using a stock pot and turkey fryer/propane to electric. So far it seems to work well. I would also suggest trying to find ways to hold your temperature consistent for an even scald. I use 147-148 degrees for around 20-25 seconds. Insulating your pot will help to this end. Blessings on processing day!

I was just processing this morning (using my new Whizbang Plucker; see other thread!) so I went and measured my scalding pot.

It is an Outdoor Gourmet brand, and measures 11.25" tall and 12.75" across. Someone else can do the math and figure out how many quarts that is.

I'm able to dunk two Freedom Rangers in there. Two Cornish X would be a tighter fit, but it would work. One at a time would be no problem at all.

That particular pot is very useful because it came with an insert that I think is intended for boiling shrimp (large holes). I use it for dunking the shrink-bagged chickens to seal them up for the freezer. (After cleaning and bleaching the pot of course! Scalding water is nasty...)

Here's the setup:




I fill that pot as full as I can get it and still lift it, then bring it and another up to boiling. I lift it down to the boards-on-concrete-blocks platform and then adjust the temp by adding cold water, or by dipping more hot water out of the other pot (which stays on the flame.)

(This is a pain, especially when I'm working alone, and now that the plucker is done my next project is a scalder that will magically hold the water at 150F for me!)

-Wendy

about 11.359 quarts (full)

656 cubic inches ~

I use my Presto pressure canner, it is 23 quarts. So far it has been big enough to do every bird I have processed. I like it because it is light for its size, and heats up quickly.

wsmoak said:

It is an Outdoor Gourmet brand, and measures 11.25" tall and 12.75" across. Someone else can do the math and figure out how many quarts that is.

...

-Wendy

Click to expand...

Since the volume of a pot is Pi x R squared x H, it comes out to about 5069.5 cubic inches. And, since there are 57.75 cubic inches in a quart, that works out to 87.78 quarts.

T-traveler said:

Since the volume of a pot is Pi x R squared x H, it comes out to about 5069.5 cubic inches. And, since there are 57.75 cubic inches in a quart, that works out to 87.78 quarts.

Click to expand...

Hmmm....That seems a little high. 87 quarts is almost 22 gallons. My math got around me around 24 quarts.

You're right! My bad. I calculated Pi x D squared x H, instead of Pi x R squared x H. The volume is 1437 cubic inches, which is 24.9 quarts.