Roti turkey: Kettle or WSM?


 
C

ChadVKealey

TVWBB Pro
Last year was my first rotisserie turkey and it was a huge hit. I have the Cajun Bandit kit that fits on my Performer. Since last year, I upsized my WSM to the 22 and the CB Roti fits that as well.

Just wondering if there's any advantage to spinning the bird on the WSM (probably with the water pan out) vs the Performer.
 
I have found that for poultry the hotter fire of a grill works better for me than the low and slow of the smoker. I rotisserie on the weber kettle with the coals on the side and drip pan in the middle. A couple of hunks of wood on the coals adds the smokey goodness.
 
...however, if you use the 22" WSM without the water pan and a decent bed of hot coals, PLUS smoke wood atop that, beneath the rotating bird, it'd be like pit smoked rotisserie turkey.

Hmmm

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...and everyone knows rotisserie anything cooks faster than regular grate top cooking....
 
Jim Lampe said:
...however, if you use the 22" WSM without the water pan and a decent bed of hot coals, PLUS smoke wood atop that, beneath the rotating bird, it'd be like pit smoked rotisserie turkey.

Hmmm

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...and everyone knows rotisserie anything cooks faster than regular grate top cooking....
Click to expand...

OK, I'm sold!
 
Now, I have a WSM to match my rotisserie ring from the kettle! Flame on! High heat,high altitude spinning turkey may be an option for this year after all!
 
I'm going to pick up on Jim's post because--while I lack years' experience enjoyed by others of you--I have WSM's and a PBC. I enjoy both but I experience a distinction between the two that I associate with a barrier between drippings and hot coals. Hence; when I want to experience that different flavor I at least keep the dry [foiled] water pan in my WSM.
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
Can you elaborate on that? Just what kind of difference are you talking about ?
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To me, foods from my PBC have a bit of a different taste than what I get from my WSM's. I'm just going to assume it is due to this reason, taken directly from PBC's site: ".. dripping juices fall onto the hot coals, producing a smoke fog which fills the barrel and envelops the meat, infusing it with even more natural flavor."

However; I also have a WSM 14 that I've only used once thus far and the pork loin had the exact flavor that I get from the PBC. Done in the WSM 18 or 22 have a different flavor (which I appreciate).

Of course, you can call me crazy, too.
 
I don't have a rotisserie for it but the idea of cooking the turkey on the WSM without the water pan sounds really good if you aren't worried about collecting the drippings. Anyone done this?
 
Dustin Dorsey said:
I don't have a rotisserie for it but the idea of cooking the turkey on the WSM without the water pan sounds really good if you aren't worried about collecting the drippings. Anyone done this?
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I've not done this yet, but am planning to next Thursday, so I'll let you know the outcome. Normally, I do try to collect the drippings to make gravy, but I've got several quarts of turkey stock in the freezer (made from the carcass of last Thanksgiving's turkey) to use for that.

EDIT: I'm definitely planning to leave the bottom grate in just as insurance that no solids fall into the fire. I thought about using a couple of foil roasting pans with an air gap or foil over top to catch drippings, but decided against it. Seems like too much trouble.
 
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I hate to say it but, I’m still really torn! To spin or, not to spin, that is the question! Since I now have the 22 I CAN if I want, I just know I will miss the bacon blanket if I do spin it. The nice crispy bacon on the basic kettle indirect has not failed me in years! Maybe I will do one between the holidays and see how the high flying turkey works. Brisket for NYD though, I think.
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
I hate to say it but, I’m still really torn! To spin or, not to spin, that is the question!
Click to expand...

I've been pondering this myself the last couple weeks. For the moment, I decided to commit to not spinning and use one of the WSM's. But I also worry about things that normal people don't... such as what if the motor burned out while it was on, lol.
 
I have the frozen bird brine thawing right now! I figure I have until Wednesday to make the final decision about that, I must admit I really have come to enjoy the blanket of bacon all crispy and brown.....
 
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