The crawfish boil is one of those recipes that fill your heart with joy every time! It’s a great dish to get closer to your family and friends on those hot summer or breezy spring days!
But not all of us have a crawfish boiler in our garage! So does it mean we can’t have that delicious treat?
Well, don’t you worry about that anymore! We are about to tell you how to build a crawfish broiler on your own! In this way, you can have this meal anytime you want!
So, let’s get started!
How to Build a Crawfish Boiler – A DIY Project
You can easily get a crawfish boiler from the market if you want to save time and energy. However, if you are feeling a little crafty, you can build it by yourself.
All you need is to build the gas burner and get a stockpot of your desired size. So, let’s get to know how to make that burner.
For building a gas burner, you will need-
- Black iron tube fittings
- 1/8-inch Brass fittings
- 4-inch nipple and coupler
- 4-inch end cap
Step One – Burner Intake 1
First of all, you need to take the four-inch brass nipple and insert it vertically through the breaching point of the bell. You have to make sure that the tube is placed in a midpoint position through the intake. Otherwise, the burner will fail to perform, and we don’t want that.
Now, draw a centerline on the exterior of the reducer. You can use a carpenter’s square to do that. Otherwise, a combination square will do the task.
When you are done with the marking, expand the line along the reducer’s wall. After that, take the 1/8-inch brass nipple and put it adjacent to the broad rim.
Then draw from corner to corner of the midpoint line and lead this line to the reverse side. You can use the combination square for performing this job.
After drawing lines, it’s time for you to drill an opening for the 1/8-inch brass nipple. Firstly, make the pilot hole on the targeted midpoint of the reducer and then drill through a 3/8-inch bit.
You can employ a round file to help the brass nipple fit through the openings.
Step Two – Burners Intake 2
As the gas pipe is placed all the way through the intake of your burner, it’s time for you to secure the whole thing.
While using the gas burner, ensure that the orifice is positioned down the burner pipe. Otherwise, it will not work correctly. And to ensure its perfect placement, you will have to put in a set of screws to prevent the mechanism from rotating.
Just drill a hole in a little inward angle towards the minute hole of the reducer. You can utilize an 8/32 tap/screw for the best result.
Step Three – Set up the Orifice
Now it’s time for you to set up the orifice. You will need a #57 drill bit to do that. And for this step, the hole must be centered. Or else the location of the gas pipe will be compromised.
First of all, draw a line downhill to the extent of the four-inch nipple. In this way, you will never compromise the center point.
In addition to all, you need to drill a hole in this one cautiously. As the tiny screws are delicate, you may end up breaking them if you work aggressively.
Step Four – Flare
For completing this step, you have to use the burner intake. You will also need the mirrored funnel. These tools will help you generate the vacuum upshot that is known as the “Venturi Effect.”
To make the flare, you will require a three-inch fragment of a one-inch pipe that will glide over the end section of the ¾-inch burner pipe. Then you will have to heat the three-inch component until it is flaming hot.
When it reaches that point, it’s time for you to hold the mighty hammer.
Now strike the rim of the tube alongside a section of round bar. And you will have to rotate the pipe simultaneously while working. If you keep doing that, the flare will swell up to 1 ½ inch at the opening.
It would be better if you put a set of screws in the flare. In this way, you can ensure plenty of modifications for your gas burner.
Final Step – Assemble Everything
In order to adjust the orifice, you have to pick up the #57 bit and put it into the opening. Now, you can employ the drill bit as the pointer and tense up the set screw.
The final setting on the brass congregation is a 1/8-1/4 inches bushing. It connects to a gas pipe that affixes to a controller running off a propane tank.
When you are done with all these steps, your gas burner is ready. All you have to do is prepare your crawfish and boil them using the stockpot according to any recipe you want!
Further Read:
- How to Clean Catfish Before Cooking
- Best Catfish Skinners
How to Prepare Crawfish – The Proper Way
Now that you know how to build the boiler, you should learn about the preparation of your delicious crawfish. It’s time for us to enlighten you with tips and tricks.
- First of all, you have to get rid of the head of the crawfish. Just keep pulling off the heads to finish this step.
- Now it’s shell-time! You can start with peeling the shell from the tail. And then remove it from the side to expose the delectable meat.
- If you have got bigger crawfishes, you can eat the claws too. But in the case of the smaller ones, it’s better to throw them away as there won’t be much meat to collect.
- The scrumptious yellow lever of the crawfish is in their head, and they are yummy! Therefore, food lovers are crazy about this part! They say that the heads taste exactly like the sea urchin, which is a delicacy around the world.
- You can boil one pound of crawfish just in fifteen minutes. However, when you are done cooking them, keep the pot on simmer for fifteen minutes more. When they look grey, you can go on and serve them to please a crowd.
Wrapping Up!
If you are into DIY projects, you will have fun while making this boiler. However, this procedure is pretty complicated; hence, armatures may struggle a little in the beginning.
But thanks to this quick guide, hopefully, you have learned how to build a crawfish boiler. Now that you know where to start, you will become an expert in no time!
