The Order Of Adding Extras

[Dribs]

I'm planning on adding some crystal malt, hop pellets and DME (and maybe some dex) to a Coopers pre-hopped goo tin.
I'm assuming I don't need extra bittering so I'm just after flavour from the hops. I can't boil the the crystal malt because of unpleasant tannins.
My questions would be:
Do hops need to be boiled for 10-15mins for their flavour to be released, or would steeping them for an hour or so with the crystal malt produce a similar effect? My guess would be that you'd need high temps to extract the oils.
Or could I boil the hops for 10-15mins, then steep the crystal malt for an hour once the temperature has dropped?
Or would it be better to have the hop pellets in a stocking so I could remove them before steeping the crystal malt?


On a related matter, when you're after bittering, craigstube said hops needs to be boiled with malt extract so it can interact with the sugars. Would boiling hops for a hour in a dex solution work?

 

[manticle]

Steep the cracked crystal for 30-60 mins in hot water or overnight in cold. Drain the liquid (strain), rinse with some more hot water. Add your dex (or malt extract if you have some) to get a gravity of about 1035.

Boil that for (minimum) 10 mins, add hops and boil for another 10-20 mins. Add goo to fermenter, use boiling liquid to clean goo tin into fermenter, rest of liquid in, top up, measure temp, pitch when cool enough.

High sugar liquids inhibit bittering extraction (alpha acids), but low sugar liquids can extract harshness. Not sure of the exact effect gravity has on other compounds but anything between 1030 and 1050 should be OK. Starting at 1035, the gravity will increase a little as evaporation occurs so starting at 1035 should see you through OK.