Rotisserie Tips

[C6Bill]

@tekobo has a great how to video on the rotisserie, she takes it from start to finish. It was done on a 3w but I assume it is similar for the 42 ? I’ll see if I can find the video

 

edit:

found it 

video

Edited January 8, 2022 by C6Bill

[johnnymnemonic]

1 hour ago, C6Bill said:

@tekobo has a great how to video on the rotisserie, she takes it from start to finish. It was done on a 3w but I assume it is similar for the 42 ? I’ll see if I can find the video

 

edit:

found it 

video

NICE - thank you

[tekobo]

I used to dread using my rotisserie until Dennis introduced the adjustable bracket.  That bracket makes it so much easier to slot your motor on and get going quickly.  I leave the bracket attached to both my KKs so they are ready to go whenever I want to use the rotisserie.  Essential when the weather is cold and you don’t want to spend too long fiddling about outdoors!

[David Chang]

i used the cradle for the first time today. wasn't having a good time because i'm cooking pieces that are too small for this setup. 3 little chickens and a bunch of corn. i was right to assume the corn would fall out mid cook, because it did and had to fish out some burnt corn from the fire. after that one of the chickens was rolling around as if it was in side a tumble dryer. the chicken turned out good,  but next time i need to roast bigger cuts.

also ran a usb powered rotisserie motor first time, seems alright!

 

 

 

 

 

[C6Bill]

Well the chickens look good 😁

[Poochie]

 

david, did you get the reducer with your rotisserie basket?  You had more space than chicken in your cook and the reducer would have help take care of that. I can't see the side of your basket but I'm sure there's two places to put the rotisserie shafts.  The lower one is to balance smaller loads in it. 

[David Chang]

mine did not come with one as it is already 6". it only has one shaft placement position. unlike the larger grill baskets that come with 8">6" reducers and 2 position shaft baskets. 

[tony b]

For smaller pieces like that, I tend to use a flat basket, with adjustable top.

https://smile.amazon.com/GrillPro-24785-1-Non-Stick-Rotisserie-Basket/dp/B00PNO2YHU

You will need the full-length spit rod from Dennis to make this work, but it's worth it for those cooks like yours.

[David Chang]

yes i have the rod. not sure if i want to get this, because i also want a napoleon basket and i'll end up having 4 rotisserie things for someone who doesn't do that much rotissering. 😅

[tony b]

Yeah, those napolean baskets look very nice. I have multiple rotisserie gadgets. Most are handy, but I never fell in love with the OctoForks. Haven't used mine in ages. I consider them to be too hazardous. I almost always cut myself using them. Plus food has a tendency to slide off them, necessitating use of twine or silicone bands to secure the food, which ups the opportunity to cut yourself on the tines. YMMV

[CeramicTool]

As a Rotisserie Newb, I can contribute in the form of what not to do, and a little bit of what to do on the chicken wing front. One of the things I can tell you not to do is put chopped and reconstituted potatoes, aka Tater Tots in a rotisserie basket. If you do, those Tater Tots will tumble and unfreeze and break up into little bits that will burn and tumble until they end up on top of the red charcoal smothering it, sucking the heat out of it to evaporate moisture, the firebox will be smoldering something real nasty. There were also sausages and stuff left in the basket that didnt fall through. Tried to eat some, tasted like eating an ashtray. A few mouthfuls and my mouth had an odd sensation like burning in it. Creosote maybe? luckily only one guest over that day.

I learned that when rotissering, the magic sauce is the radiation, and drippings can damp that radiation. Think about how much moisture and grease is going to come out of what your cooking, and over what period of time. Now I cook based off the firebox more than the temperature, for small things like wings and appropriately sized chunks of meat. I base where I start roughly off how much moisture and dripping I expert to land on the firebox.

I could of course protect the firebox, but that would mean Im not getting the radiation I want.

Chicken Wings are a good example. I like to start them with a red hot firebox, but on its way to settling down, somewhere around 850f, tumbling, dropping to anywhere between 500-650f over 8-15 minutes (in a KJ, not KK). But I dont get stuck on the temperature. There is a lot of moisture turned to steam in a short period of time.

Its the radiation that can can turn juices into steam and crust and smoke as it leaves the meat, and be constantly browning from the very second the meat is in the grill. Its the radiation that has the most potential for Rotisserie cooking, in my opinion. It can be hard to burn meat if its juicy enough and has fat and/or skin, and counterintuitively, the higher the temperature, the juicier the meat in certain situations. Its a bit of a juggling act, but I just dont consider the temperature gauge of the grill very relevant for many types of rotisserie cooking.

Back to the Chicken Wing example, What happens when you cook 1lbs in a rotisserie basket vs 3lbs in a rotisserie basket?  You mess with the amount of radiation each chicken wing can get! The temperature is no longer the relevant consideration! Im not looking to "Bake" my chicken wings! I want to steam them from the inside out while frying them in their own fat while they turn! And I need a lot of radiation to do that. More wings = need more radiation = higher temperature BUT: The more mass of wings tumbling, the slower their temperature rises. Full circle.

Its not about the temperature. Its about the radiation. (and moisture tells when to pull)

 

 

 

[David Chang]

^^ i think ultimately, the wings in a rotisserie drum is not the best approach. because the constant tumble drying action kind of breaks apart the skin and seasoning. but it's fast and makes a volume of food.

but if grilled like yakitori, it is touchless and nothing disturbs the meat as it floats on top of coals. when fat starts to drip, you just move it away. but you need to sit and perfectly cook 2 wings on a stick instead of a whole bag in a tumbler. 

 

Edited April 14, 2022 by David Chang

[Poochie]

Dude, you've got to be the gizmo King. A street vendor would love the thing. Unless it weighs a ton. 

[David Chang]

1 hour ago, Poochie said:

Dude, you've got to be the gizmo King. A street vendor would love the thing. Unless it weighs a ton. 

no, i don't have a bincho grill. too expensive to ship. @tekobo has one.

[C6Bill]

That makes her the Gizmo Queen 👸 

[tony b]

3 hours ago, C6Bill said:

That makes her the Gizmo Queen 👸 

Rivaling @MacKenzie - who also has one. The King 👑 has to be @ckreef for the amount and variety of grilling toys. 

[tekobo]

3 hours ago, tony b said:

Rivaling @MacKenzie - who also has one. The King 👑 has to be @ckreef for the amount and variety of grilling toys. 

Yup.  No contest when compared with @ckreef.  I hope he and Mrs @skreef are doing well.  

[Cheesehead_Griller]

I need a motor for the rotisserie. Any recommendations? Should I just buy the same one Dennis has on his site? I see Amazon has them. Probably a bit faster than the Las Vegas  warehouse. Lol. 

Edited April 15, 2022 by Cheesehead_Griller

[C6Bill]

Will the one from Amazon have the proper shaft ? But then again I’m sure the Vegas warehouse would be happy to give you the shaft, again lol

[Cheesehead_Griller]

Just now, C6Bill said:

Will the one from Amazon have the proper shaft ? But then again I’m sure the Vegas warehouse would be happy to give you the shaft, again lol

Lol. Too funny. I did get the shaft. I was mainly debating between the standard and heavy duty motor. Aside from that, I was just seeing if there are any better options thay others have used or liked.