Rotisserie question


 
Tony R

Tony R

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Just got a rotisserie for my weber kettle. I used it yesterday do I need to install the counterweight?

There was nothing on the manual. Didn't even know how to set it up until I saw some you tube videos but some said not to use it useless...

Thanks.
 
I use mine only if the weight of the item you're cooking is way out of balance which is not good for the motor. Just attach it and move it around until the motor sounds even and isn't straining any more. It's to counter balance the load.
 
Before I plug the rotis spear into the motor slot, I give it a gentle spin/turn and see where it lands. The heaviest side will go to the bottom. I then tighten the weight facing upward at the topside to balance it out.

Many never use it. I just hate to hear the little motor straining, so I try to help it.

This blogger rotis a lot. He gives instructions on how to set it, then confesses he does not use it.
 
Chris in Louisiana said:
Before I plug the rotis spear into the motor slot, I give it a gentle spin/turn and see where it lands. The heaviest side will go to the bottom. I then tighten the weight facing upward at the topside to balance it out.

Many never use it. I just hate to hear the little motor straining, so I try to help it.

This blogger rotis a lot. He gives instructions on how to set it, then confesses he does not use it.
Click to expand...

I saw his website yesterday. Thanks.
 
I don't use one, mostly because I don't have one, I agree with the above too. Just don't go over 20lbs on the thing, that's about all it can handle. Happy spinning buddy! Your going to love it!
 
I've had my roti since 2001 and have not used the counterweight. I probably use it for chicken 80 to 90 percent of the time and have done turkeys. I suppose if I was doing something very heavy - like 20 lbs or so - I would have to find the thing! It's buried in my garage somewhere. Enjoy!
 
Oh.... just another thing. In the last several years or so I've taken my motor unit apart completely and cleaned the gears and contacts. The first time I did it the motor wouldn't turn anymore and I thought the unit was kaput. Nope. Just a good cleaning and a bit of dielectric grease and it ran like new.
 
I've used mine when needed as well. I hate hearing the sound of the motor strain. If it's that off balance, you will actually get a "stall" at bottom dead center. After a couple hour spin, there's is significant more fire time to the heavy side of the spit. Uneven cooking. Imo
 
I don't understand why someone would not use it. If placed correctly the counterweight helps to take the strain off the motor and that has to be a good thing.
I read the blog mentioned above and he writes that his logic for not using the counterweight is because he has not used it in some time and the motor is still running. Wow, that sure doesn't make sense to me. So if I have been driving my car for a very long time and it has never been in an accident should I cancel my car insurance?
 
Have to agree with you Steve, It's not like weber thru in a extra part lol. It's there for a reason, But to each his own.
 
The point of a roti is even cooking and self basting. The weight helps with that. It shouldn't add that much extra time in the grand scheme of things; Time to pick out meat at the store, purchase, prep, clean etc... you get the point. I would use it.
 
I haven't used the counterweight but I've rebalanced my items as needed. You'll know if there's a problem and take care of it before it becomes an issue - No Doubt.
 
I use mine if I can find it, if I can't, rebalance. If I can't rebalance, just set on the grill. Little bugger have a bad habit of hiding only when I really need it!:wsm:
 
I recently got the rotisserie for a new Genesis gas grill. It does not have a counterweight like the older models did. I always used the counterweight with the old one. Not sure what Weber's thinking is on eliminating the weight.
 
I use the counterweight ( in fact, I had a friend machine up a heavier one that I haven't had to use yet) and thought there was an official Weber video showing how to use it.

I have done mostly chickens, two at a time, but for one thanksgiving we decided to skip roasting the turkey on the 22 inch kettle, and do it on the kettle roti. Question was, what was the max weight recommended? Being an anal-retentive, I called Weber. The voice on the phone claimed the kettle roti max weight is 18 lbs. So we did an 18.5 lb turkey, fiddled with the counterweight, and it came out fine.
However, this turkey day we are going back to a ~22 lb bird and will again do it on the kettle, classic indirect, coals on each side, drip pan, brined, etc.

But I would always try to use the counterweight, to minimize wear and tear on the motor......just my opinion.
 
Tony, I try to center whatever I put on the rotisserie bar as best I can. I lay the loaded bar in the slots on the rotisserie and the heavy side lands down - that's just physics. Like Chris in Louisiana says, you put the counterweight up at that point. Where the fine tuning comes in is when you have the meat centered REALLY well and it takes a second to finally hang heavy side down. That's when you can adjust the counterweight for less effect. Test it by putting the counterweight down and see if it stays down or rotates back to meat down. It isn't as much of a PITA as I'm making it sound, because once it's balanced it's done! Then the fun starts - watching dinner spin around and around and enjoying your favorite beverages while you are hypnotized by the brilliance of this cooking method!

Dang, now I have to go buy something to put on my rotisserie....:cool:

Have fun with it Tony!




 
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