Mashing with cooked grits--effect on strike water volume?

[diesel_88]

When calculating strike water, how should I account for the water used to cook grits in advance of the mash?

Grits take a lot of water to cook, then thicken and solidify almost like jello, so they're almost solid. I intend to heat them up to mash temperature, pulverize the mess with a stick blender, and add them to the mash. I see 3 options:

A) Assume the grits have all the water they need, and prepare strike water for just the malt
B) Neglect the water in the grits, and prepare strike water for the entire dry weight of grain and grits
C) Shoot for the middle

Recommendations?

I'm attempting a Peroni clone, by the way, using 75% pilsner and 25% quick grits. Last try, I got terrible extraction and the grits never converted fully, so I'm cooking them first this time. For the curious, 1.6 pounds of grits cooks up into almost a gallon of gelatinous goop (when prepared per the package).

 

[Stillraining]

I would say they will have absorbed fully all that they will absorb by that point so I would ignore them as far as grain absorption goes. But Maintaining the proper mash thickness however for the rest or the grans to convert properly may require more water added to the tun then normal. You have to float everything after all. I think it will be some where in the middle as you say.

 

[diesel_88]

In retrospect I do not recommend mashing with cooked grits. 1.6 pounds of grits cooked per the box turns into over a gallon of goop that solidifies in the fridge overnight. I had to use a stick blender to break it up.

Plus it turns your primary into Sediment City. Holy cow, I've never seen such sediment. I lost probably a gallon out of a 3.5-gallon batch.

On the plus side, I got really good extraction, once I let it convert for over two hours.

Next time I'm going to try soaking them overnight. That should avoid activating the starch.