Failing KK style

[jdbower]

My wife brought home a pair of chickens from Costco on Saturday, I imagined I cooked one of them but for reasons that will become obvious shortly I have no photographic record of such a theoretical cook. A comedy of errors ensued.

First, it was afternoon so it was getting too dark (seriously, to use the local vernacular it gets dark wicked early up here!). There also wasn't enough time to brine or otherwise marinade the chicken, I figured a quick rub of Dizzy Pig's Ragin' River would have to suffice. And then I noticed that they were probably sitting next to the cooling element in the fridge, my fresh chicken was partially frozen so I thawed it in some hot water while I lit the grill.

Lighting the grill actually went smoothly. Other than hovering around 10F outside, that is. First of all, being so cold and just having been used a few times I really should adjust the rear spring - the lid is a little droopy. Being lazy I figured "one more cook" and then I'll pull out the socket wrench to make the adjustment. I tossed in a Grate Chef starter, added a few fresh coals on top of it, and a quick hit with the lighter got me going to 350F in no time. I had the Stoker running and got to monitor the progress from my PC using StokerLog.

I figured this was a great time to try out the rotisserie. I loaded up the basket in the kitchen and brought it outside once the KK was temperature stable. Blindly feeling around for the bearings in the dark while pushing the lid up the last few inches with my head I finally got the basket installed. I thought. It flipped forward and dumped the bird onto the coals. I made a sound very similar to Doc Brown from the Back to the Future series whenever his experiment caught on fire and spent a lot more time debating running into the kitchen for the silicone BBQ gloves than it would have taken to actually get them. I finally reached in with bare hands and rescued the poor guy without injuring myself. As a word of advice, using the lower grill may be a good thing for rotisserie cooks.

Mea culpa, I didn't tighten the thumb screws enough on the basket and I should have checked it in the kitchen. I replaced the slightly injured bird in the basket and tightened it down. I then put the basket back in the KK and watched it turn. Or at least waited for it to turn. The motor was going and turning the main drive shaft, but the basket was just sitting there. I still haven't fully figured out what I was doing wrong but rather than standing out in the cold and dark trying to make sure both drive shafts were actually properly seated while the lid was open and the Stoker was blowing (remember when I said I was lazy? That also applies to turning off the Stoker when I open the lid) I decided to forgo the rotisserie and just use the trusty main grill.

Admitting defeat I grabbed the main grill and a Stoker meat probe and cooked direct for about 2 hours or so until I got to 170F. The result of this disaster? An incredibly moist and tender bird with very crispy skin and only a few singe marks from the coals (given the looks and the anticipated results I was hoping to forget this cook rather than capture it for posterity). When even self-created failures like this come out so well it's kind of hard to learn lessons.

One more lesson I should learn is to check the weather forecast. I woke up the next day to about 6" of snow and was outside early in the morning to pull the cooker back in the garage before the plow came. A little forethought and I would have been able to do this late last night when more properly attired for such an adventure

[DachsieSlave]

I love reading fairy tales with happy endings.

Glad to hear the food turned out good anyway. Got to love cooking on a "ceramic" cooker almost always a good result despite our best efforts other wise.

[Conodo12]

A great read - Thanks Jeff!

Now go and figure out that Rotis... mine is still in the box from Christmas