OctoForks New Twist on a Roti Shaft

[DennisLinkletter]

Got a call from the owner/founder of OctoForks  Keith Brown.  He's created a very interesting, adjustable spit rotisserie accessory that is very different from anything else I've seen and worth some investigation. 

http://octoforks.com

[dstr8]

Maybe its just me but I don't see an advantage of piercing a piece of meat, once or multiple times that would lend itself to better on the plate results; but rather a point release(s) for interior fat/juice to escape.   

[DennisLinkletter]

9 hours ago, dstr8 said:

Maybe its just me but I don't see an advantage of piercing a piece of meat, once or multiple times that would lend itself to better on the plate results; but rather a point release(s) for interior fat/juice to escape.   

 

 

I don't think the piercing matters until the meat is cooked.. in fact, those tenderizers poke scores of holes in the meat.  I was thinking one of the downsides is that the ends of the meat would be much closer to the fire with something long and would brown more quickly.. Have to give it a spin to confirm I guess.

[tony b]

8 hours ago, DennisLinkletter said:

 I was thinking one of the downsides is that the ends of the meat would be much closer to the fire with something long and would brown more quickly.

 

I think so, too. Would be fine for thighs and other smaller/uniform pieces of meat, but not sure about ribs or pork butts. If you cooked a butt to "pulling temperature" would you risk it falling off these forks? MIne almost fall apart when I pick them up with gloves off the grate, can't imagine what might happen to one spinning around like this??

And, they look more like some Ninja weapon than a BBQ accessory - LOL! 

[Pequod]

I've seen these discussed over at the guru. Between the KK roti basket, spit rod, and add on baskets (if I can find a tumbler I like), I'm not sure these add anything. Maybe it makes sense for the Kamado Joe Joetisserie.  

[Pequod]

Wait a minute... Just peaked over at the Brethren. I think Octoforks is aka "Fwismoker", one of the more prolific and respected members there. Need to poke around some more. Haven't logged in there in awhile. 

Edited February 8, 2017 by HalfSmoke

[Pequod]

Where this is gets interesting is with some of the add-ons he's working on, like skewers. This might be in a section of the forum that requires you to have an account, but pictures here:

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=239749

Other add-ons coming include additional spit rods that mount between the forks, an adjustable basket system, and a tumbler basket system. 

Interesting...

[DennisLinkletter]

After watching these videos, I'm guessing the meat on the very outside/ends which is closest to the heat would brown faster and need to be removed before the meat spinning in the middle near the shaft..  if you wanted uniform browning on both.   Then again, maybe the distance away from the heat on the upswing makes up for this and the middle meat has constant temps all the way around.. 

Either way, I always think a rotisserie for grilling or roasting, not low and slow cooking.

[Aussie Ora]

Definitely different

Outback Kamado Bar and Grill

[Pequod]

7 hours ago, DennisLinkletter said:

After watching these videos, I'm guessing the meat on the very outside/ends which is closest to the heat would brown faster and need to be removed before the meat spinning in the middle near the shaft..  if you wanted uniform browning on both.   Then again, maybe the distance away from the heat on the upswing makes up for this and the middle meat has constant temps all the way around.. 

Either way, I always think a rotisserie for grilling or roasting, not low and slow cooking.

That's the part that baffles me -- the claim that vertical spinning results in more even heat. Huh? I'd need to see evidence, because I think you're exactly right. The outer edges would cook faster and be more browned. 

[tony b]

I'm still waiting to be sold on this idea. Maybe some of the later accessories will make sense, but just these "forks," not seeing it.

[Keith OctoForks]

Hi everyone my name is Keith, The owner and creator of the OctoForks™   Dennis should have his pair in a couple of weeks but who knows considering I haven't shipped that far yet! lol.     Dennis I look forward to hearing your review after you use them.

To address a few of the points/questions I'll just break them individually.

1) Even heat-  The closest example I could give is if you've ever hung ribs the heat and cook will be very consistent top to bottom.  There's one exception which is if they're too close to the coals when hanging then the bottom edge may get burnt but that's not the case with rotisserie of course since each side of the meat is always rotating.  

  The concept of even heat also extends into faster cooking.  On my website you'll see a side by side comparison cook doing a pork loin the traditional way most know and one of equal size with 1/2 pair of OctoForks.    Both roasts tasted equally great but the benefit for me was that the vertical roast cooked much faster.    For anyone wanting to fit more product on your spit rod then the OctoForks won't let you down because you  are in essence "stacking" the meat side by side.  In fact  with multiple pairs you can rotisserie up to quadruple or better the amount of meat if the motor you use can handle the additional capacity.  The pic above was with my "pre production" parts (Not stamped with company info etc...) but should give you an idea of how it utilizes the space better on the spit rod not to mention you won't have the holes in your meats because the spit only goes through the width of the meat.

The claws also "invert" or reverse in for tines closer to the spit rod so it's extremely versatile if you want to do meats the traditional way.

2) Pulling temp of meat-  Oh definitely impossible to ever lose a piece of meat like a pork butt to the fire with 8 tines gripping it from both sides.   Also you'll never have to truss or string up whatever you're putting on the rotisserie ever again.  Trussing is a thing of the past.  

Also you can hold small roasts etc... outside on both sides opposite the spit.   A video on the website will show where I cooked "dueling" pork sirloin roasts held between the tines on both sides. Again just use your imagination on different ways to use them.

3) Accessories-  Yes there will be accessories coming to plug and play into OctoForks. Very exciting stuff but that's a topic for another day!

4) Dennis mentioned seeing rotisserie as for roasting/grilling vs low and slow.  The beauty of rotisserie is you can do whatever you want. You can low slow cook 225* or H&F cook @ 450* plus. Either way you'll get self basting action like you've never experienced before. Example on self basting action is when I do ribs there will be a glaze develop so pronounced that it will blow your mind. It actually resembles glazing your ribs with a sauce when there isn't one on there, Definitely a crazy thing to witness for the first time! lol  

It doesn't matter if your cooker is big or small and shallow for things like ribs etc... because doing half vs full size there's no difference. The product on the spit will self baste better and food plus rubs/sauces will have less chance of burning.  In fact I many times cook ribs well past conventional temps with sugary rubs directly over a fire and there's no burning and will make for some of the best food you'll ever have off the cooker.

5) For now if you want to vastly expand the capacity of your rotisserie, rotisserie many more types of meats/veggies, adjust the forks to fit what you're cooking, cook faster and have better balancing  of the food then these won't disappoint.  They're also built like a tank! lol   Regular forks will become obsolete once you use the OctoForks and you're only limited by your own creativity on how to use them for your rotisserie cooking.

*** Balancing***  There are tick adjustment marks on the top so you can adjust the claws evenly on each side if needed.

Any more questions please don't hesitate to call, email or post them.   I am planning on doing some "coupon codes" for Komodo-Kamado customers.  Right now I'm working with my web person on getting that rolled out but should be fairly soon.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 9, 2017 by Keith OctoForks

[Aussie Ora]

Welcome Keith thanks for the explanation they are definitely different for sure .looking at them now the clamp idea is great

Outback Kamado Bar and Grill

[Keith OctoForks]

***Komodo Kamado owners coupon code*** Valid through March 1

Enter coupon code "komodo8" for an additional 10% off single pair of OctoForks.  Total savings over $12 on single pair.

Enter coupon code "komodo16" for an additional 15% off multiple pairs of OctoForks.  Total savings of over $18 each on multiple pairs.

(Customers outside the U.S contact us for a special use coupon)

Edited February 9, 2017 by Keith OctoForks
adding content

[golfingfool]

How could this be used with the current rotisserie set up on the KK? I already have the motor. Need special rods?

[MacKenzie]

golfingfool, I do believe you would use your KK rotisserie rod.

[Keith OctoForks]

41 minutes ago, golfingfool said:

How could this be used with the current rotisserie set up on the KK? I already have the motor. Need special rods?

Yes you would use your regular spit rod.  The OctoForks will fit any size spit rod from 5/16"  through 1/2"

[Pequod]

1 hour ago, golfingfool said:

How could this be used with the current rotisserie set up on the KK? I already have the motor. Need special rods?

Unless I've missed something, Dennis has spit rods available only for the 23", 32" and 42" KK's. All others have only the rotisserie cradle as an option, and the Octoforks would not work with the cradle. 

[Keith OctoForks]

Here's some split chicken breast from tonight.  Very juicy!

 

 

Edited February 14, 2017 by Keith OctoForks

[Steve M]

On 2/9/2017 at 0:13 PM, Keith OctoForks said:

***Komodo Kamado owners coupon code*** Valid through March 1

Enter coupon code "komodo8" for an additional 10% off single pair of OctoForks.  Total savings over $12 on single pair.

Enter coupon code "komodo16" for an additional 15% off multiple pairs of OctoForks.  Total savings of over $18 each on multiple pairs.

(Customers outside the U.S contact us for a special use coupon)

I tried to order two pairs of octoforks and was denied using the komodo16 coupon because it said my order was less than $120 (it was 119.98). 

If you don't mind a little feedback, I found the website a little confusing and difficult to use. I couldn't tell for sure what all was included when trying to order them or if I was ordering the right thing. I saw a promotion about ordering extra claws with any kit but couldn't find where to order them. Maybe just me.