Chicken Trusser

[GolfGeezer]

I just saw this on Shark Tank. - had to order it. Here’s a link:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Jfrosty27]

I saw that episode too. The guys selling it were so nervous they made it look hard to use. Looks easy in the video on Amazon. Let us know if/how well it works.

[GolfGeezer]

Will do. I’m also curious whether it will work with my rotisserie on my gasser.

[jfmorris]

You know, I’ve seen these before, but the one question I don’t see an answer to anywhere is the diameter of the spit rod hole in the middle. One of the Amazon reviews the guy said his spit wouldn’t fit through it. If you get it that would be useful to know.

[GolfGeezer]

Apparently, they have a newer version that has a larger opening for rotisseries. Here is a screen shot off the TurboTrusser website.

[Uncle Bob]

Be interesting to hear your feedback. Looks better for rotisserie chicken than this one...........

[JCBBQ]

I don’t remember the last time I cooked a "whole" chicken that wasn’t spatchcocked. I guess if I had a rotisserie it might be of some use…

[Dan Deter]

Cool, but its really not that hard to truss a chicken for the rotisserie. Speaking of which, I need to do that in the near future...

[realdocBBQ]

I need a grill I can do rotisserie on... then I can get a rotisserie. lol

[Dan Deter]

realdocBBQ I hadn't planned on getting a grill with a rotisserie, but when this one dropped in my lap for a song, it turned into one of my favorite things to have. Now I'll always have to have one.

[Spinaker]

Added the pictures for you! Looks cool!

[GolfGeezer]

Thanks!!

[jfmorris]

You know, if I spin a bird on my Genesis II I would definitely need something like this, as even a 5 pound chicken will flop about and hit the flavorizer bars when spinning unless tightly trussed with string. However, the last few I did on the Weber kettle rotisserie, I didn't even bother to truss. There is no need - there is so much space when spinning a bird on the kettle rotisserie ring that trussing is only needed if you think the bird might fall apart. I will likely still do it for a 2.5 to 3 hour cook of a turkey, but don't feel it is needed for the average 3-5 pound chicken. I think the legs get done better if you let it all hang out, and not having the wings up tight against the breast least more skin get crisped.

Here's what I mean. These are the last birds I spun, which made it into the monthly newsletter. Why truss when there is about a foot in all directions around those spinning birds?



Can anyone tell me a reason to truss a bird, aside from keeping the flopping legs and wings from hitting things as it spins? Is there another advantage to it?

[Dan Deter]

I've seen multiple reasons why trussing keeps the white meat from drying out while the dark gets done enough. Don't know if any of them are actually accurate, though. I just know that I truss and it all comes out good...

[jfmorris]

Dan Deter I also trussed every time up until the last couple of times I spun chickens on the kettle. I'll have to file away "keeps white meat moist" as a reason. I can see that, as the wings and the thighs could shield the sides of the breast a little.

[RonB]

I haven't trussed a chicken when spinning one on my Kettle in years. More skin is exposed so it can crisp up, and I don't have any trouble with breasts drying out. However, I pull when the breasts are at 160°. By not trussing, I t hink the legs cook quicker too. But do whatever works for you.

[jfmorris]

Dan Deter I found this interesting article where they tested trussed and untrussed birds of the same size, side by side, and the conclusion is interesting.

https://www.fifteenspatulas.com/shou...hicken-or-not/

They did the test in the oven, but the method of oven versus rotisserie doesn't really matter. I like their conclusion:

Conclusion: Trussing your chicken not only looks better but yields a more evenly cooked, moister bird. When you don’t truss your chicken, the breast cavity remains wide open and too much hot air circulates inside of it, drying out the breast before the thighs and legs are properly cooked. So always truss those chickens in order to protect the breast and make the chicken a more even mass for roasting.​

That bit about the breast cavity being more open to hot air circulation on the untrussed birds causing the breast to cook faster is likely true, and a good argument for trussing our birds on the rotisserie, even when we have room for them to flop around.

Interestingly, Meathead himself recommends AGAINST rotisserie cooking OR trussing for turkey for several reasons in this article:

https://amazingribs.com/tested-recip...turkey-recipe/

He says this against both:

Rotisseries are a good way to cook meat because the process of rotating it between hot and cool zones retains juices and insures even cooking, but I don’t recommend them for turkey.

The problem is that you need to truss the bird up tight on a spit or else the wings and drums go flopping around and get burned. If you truss your bird for use when preparing a grilled turkey recipe or smoked turkey recipe, the skin beneath the wings, thighs, and drums never darkens and stays rubbery. And because the thigh is pressed tightly against the side, it takes too long to warm and cook through, so by the time it hits ideal temp, about 170°F (76.7°C), the breast is overcooked. That’s why I recommend cooking turkey untrussed.
​

I've rotisseried trussed turkey quite successfully a couple of times on my Weber kettle - I am talking 20 pound birds, coming out perfect. However, the method I have settled on that I like the best for my Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey? Deconstructed! Every piece cooks to its perfect temp, and I can move stuff around to different grate levels and hot spots to control how fast each piece cooks. I've been quartering the turkeys, removing the wings, and cooking two leg quarters (with deboned and tied thighs that slice nicely for serving), two wings and two breasts.

[Dan Deter]

jfmorris yeah, the wings and thighs shielding the breast was the first thing I learned, and more recently the drying out from the inside. They both seem reasonable, but its nice to see someone actually did a real test so its not just hearsay. We still do our turkey in my wife's turkey roaster....its great, so why change! We have to truss or the legs and wings will touch the sides and burn.

[Meathead]

YES! leaving the cavity open WILL cook the meat from the interior and that means it will finish faster. That means less evaporation and drip loss. Alas, she did not check the breast temp and I'll bet it was overcooked because it cooked faster. I would have preferred her to cook without the veggies, an unregulated variable.

Of course I have LONG stated my preference for spatchcocking which cooks even faster retaining more moisture and browns the cavity on a grill or if it is on a rack in the oven. Better still: Break ALL whole animals into parts so you can cook each part to its optimium temp, breasts 155-160 and thighs 170 or so.

[jfmorris]

Meathead, I've spatchcocked, rotisseried and broken down my turkeys over the past 5-6 years of following your wisdom, and have settled on the broken down turkey as being the best way to tackle a big bird with success. I still spin chickens on the kettle from time to time, but have to face it that its mostly because it looks cool. And more often, it is because my wife has asked me to rotisserie two, so that she can take a whole chicken to someone that she is providing a meal to.

[realdocBBQ]

Perfect logic and I agree about the 'uncooked' skin on turkeys. With chickens, it's really a tiny amount, but turkeys are so much larger, the relative area under the wings and thighs is significant enough to make a difference.