So, I ran by Hasty-Bake today, and picked up a rotisserie kit for my stainless legacy today. Mainly because I watched this 'steak' show on Netflix where some Argentinians were cooking some meats on a spit, and my creative juices started flowing. I personally have never used one.
So who here uses one? What are your favorite cuts to use on it, and why? Which do you recommend NOT to use it with and why? Any recommended tips / tricks are going to be appreciated!!
I have a rotisserie for my 22" Weber Kettle. It's main use is for tri tip (hey...I'm from Central California!). However, I've done duck and chicken with it as well.
My unscientific findings:
Tri tip: I can knock this out with pneumatic regularity. A little BBBR, 40 minutes on the rotisserie (up to about 115 degrees), then pull it off the spit and sear it on the grill. It's the easiest thing I make, and it's the one everybody keeps coming back for. If you have access to tri tip, you need to try this method!
Duck/Chicken: In my opinion, rotisserie is a good method, but you have to pay attention to the uneven surfaces of the bird. It just seems like some things get done faster than others.
Ribs: When I want to do a slab for me & the Missus, I put it on the rotisserie. The meat cooks very well, but the "chomp" is not quite the same as low & slow (since it really wasn't low & slow...)
In summary, "Thick steaks" such as tri tip and prime rib are awesome on the rotisserie. Whole birds (especially duck) work well too, but they have uneven surfaces that may interact with the heat differently (cylindrical/even surfaces seem to do better). Anything that can benefit from internal basting will also work well on the rotisserie.
Are you using a basket for those ribs then, or skewering them. My initial thought pork ribs would fair better in a basket.
Also, you don't use the rotisserie in conjunction with low and slow?
Tri tip is available here, and I will try your method. Will probably start with chickens (have never eaten duck, but might ought to). Am curious how my beef ribs will change with it, as I spent a large part of last year working on that recipe.
I just skewer a single slab. I've thought about using a basket, but I also have a PBC for low and slow ribs.
I haven't used the rotisserie with a low/slow style yet. Most of my smoking lately is around pork shoulder and pig belly. Both items are not really conducive to the roti. I might experiment at some point, though...
My wife is a big fan of duck. Me? Not so much. But the duck soup she made with the leftovers was outstanding!
PBC
Weber Performer
Rotisserie Ring
Rotisserie Basket
Smokenator
Maverick 732 (featuring a melted back panel, courtesy of a disastrous attempt at pizza)
Thermoworks Pocket Thermometer
Three Bricks
I also use one on a Weber Performer, though it's been a while. Whole chickens, mostly, but I've done legs of lamb, porchetta, and I think a rib roast once, too. With chicken, I like to build the fire off to one side, put some aluminum foil underneath the bird, and drag a piece of bread through the drippings when no one's looking. Man, that's good.
I have a rotisserie for my gasser, which has an infrared panel in the back, so the heat is coming in from the side. I have made plenty of good roasts on it, and I like the way they turn out. Unfortunately, my wife likes her food more toward the cremated end of the spectrum than I. I like my meat still mooing (assuming it is beef - hate it when my chickens moo). Even giving her the ends and me taking the middle, I still have to microwave her portion. So I have not used it in a while. I am doing more low and slow stuff now where rare isn't needed. If I am looking for a steak, I do one for her and one for me.
My Broil King 90XLS [gasser] came with a rotisserie. I used it a little over the last 6 years that I've had it. Lately I've been using a lot more. I discovered a site that is all about using this method and it's very informative. Many hints, methods, recipes using this method. It shows both gasser [Weber Summit] and coal Weber Kettle. Great site. I'm going to try to post the link.
I think you may find it extremely helpful. The pcs are of a 15LB. turkey I did in 2009. At that time I had had this grill a short time. It was done using the outside burners of the four indirect heat @ 300 degrees. Smoke boxes with wood chips over both burners. I turned off those burners and turned on the back rotisserie burner for the last of the cook as the big ole bird came up to temp. Probably the last hour or so if I remember correctly. That turkey did test the spit and motor as the recamended max weight weight is 12 LBS. Came out great and Thanksgiving day was GREAT!!
Thanks for posting this website broilking4 . I was using my rotisserie before I got my PBC and haven't used it since. Seeing this website has inspired me to try some of the great recipes!
You're very welcome. Glad to be able to share it. I came across it about 3 months ago and have used the rotisserie more since then than I have in the past 6+ years I've had this grill.
I LOVE the rotisserie!!!!!!!!! I have a Weber genesis with three lengthwise burners, so I turn off the middle burner and generally "rotiss" at 375-ish (per the built-in thermometer which I've never checked for accuracy). I do mostly chickens and small (< 14 #) turkeys on the spit and have a nice basket attachment for thighs and drums, wings on occasion. The basket is nice for spatchcocked birds as well, not to mention pork tenderloins. In the basket, layer slabs of thin pork steak (seasoned w/ chile/cumin/lime, etc) with pineapple. Voila--al pastor taco makings!
Juicy, perfectly browned, no burning. I LOVE IT!!! The only way to do Thanksgiving turkey.
So, from what I am gathering here, the rotisserie performs better with a higher radiant heat, than with the highly valued low and slow method?
My initial though, when purchasing, was that it would be used low and slow still, only providing movement through the cooking area (self basting, bones not always down absorbing heat like a shield, a small amount of convection).
I'll definitely try some of these 'roasting' recipes, but am curious as to what, if any, affect a rotisserie would have on a low and slow approach.
I've done a small Buston butt on the rotisserie [about 6-7LBS] sort of low & slow. Prep is the same as for smoking or roasting. Use favorite marinade, brine rubs ETC truss it and put it on the spit. With just the 2 outer burners as low as they will go I can keep the grill at 250 +/- and a smoke box over one burner. Oven temp measured with the ET732 probe hung on spit next to roast. Have an aluminum drip pan over the 2 unlit burners under the meat. I fill this with a couple of inches of apple juice or cider. Not quite the same as a proper smoker at lower temps but good eatin' just the same and it's just so dam easy to maintain the temp on a gasser. LOL
Here's a link from the site I mentioned in earlier post. I am going to try this soon as I just happen to have nice bone in rib roast in the freezer. I'll let ya all know how it works.
> Weber Genesis EP-330
> Grilla Grills Original Grilla (OG) pellet smoker with Alpha/Connect
> Pit Barrel Cooker (gone to a new home)
> WeberQ 2000 (on "loan" to a relative (I'll never see it again))
> Old Smokey Electric (for chickens mostly - when it's too nasty out
to fiddle with a more capable cooker)
> Luhr Jensen Little Chief Electric - Top Loader circa 1990 (smoked fish & jerky)
> Thermoworks Smoke
> 3 Thermoworks Chef Alarms
> Thermoworks Thermapen One
> Thermoworks Thermapen Classic
> Thermoworks Thermopop
> Thermoworks IR-GUN-S
> Anova sous vide circulator
> Searzall torch
> BBQ Guru Rib Ring
> WÜSTHOF, Dalstrong, and Buck knives
> Paprika App on Mac and iOS
I use a rotisserie on my Weber gasser (EP-330) primarily for poultry ... especially the messier recipes like Huli-Huli chicken (no grill grates & a drip pan on the flavorizer bars) cooked "indirect(ish)" at 325 - 350 deg. F with only the left and right burners lit. Smoke from foil pouch(es) over the lit burners.
I have a rotisserie for my KK 32" Big Bad known as TheBeast. Among rotisseries it is unique in that you don't stab the cook with the spit or sliding forks. Rather you have a basket with adjustable Prongs that hold everything in place. It produces the juiciest cooks you can imagine. I LOVE my roti!
I've done chicken, who hasn't, prime ribs roast, loins, turkey, etc. I'm looking at doing a pork butt when the weather gets warmer.
A rotisserie on a kamado is a very rare thing. To my knowledge, the Komodo Kamado has the only line of products that currently sells a rotisserie. Kamado Joe says they have a rotisserie, but they've missed several shipping deadlines. They may have solved those problems at this point, but when I talked to the folks at the local ACE Hardware this week they had not even heard that the KJ had a rotisserie in the pipeline. I hope KJ has the wrinkles ironed out; a lot of friends have the KJ and are waiting.
I have a cajun bandit rotisserie that fits my weber grill and wsm. I've used the dadscookdinner website for recipes. Maybe the best thing I've made was pollo a la brasa with a green sauce that was amazing.
I have a rotisserie for the Performer. I've mostly used it for turkey but did cook a leg of lamb with it once. I haven't used it in quite a while though. I've gotten such good results with the Smokenator (upgraded to SnS this Christmas) that I've kind of concluded that it may not be worth the extra effort. On occasion I've used it to increase capacity inside the performer - like putting a standing rib rack all of the way off to the side. The ring raises the dome enough for me to be able to do that.
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