Big Boy Grill, Rotisserie Ribeye Roast

[John K BBQ]

Here are a few pics of my uncle Larry's old/rusty charcoal grill. We're pretty sure it's a "Big Boy" brand grill. We usually break it out every summer for at least one cook. My best guess is that this grill is at least 50 years old. This year, we put a ribeye roast on, and goofed it up a bit. Got a decent crust on the outside, but the inside was under cooked, so we had to carve and sear indoors on the cast iron. Although we did not achieve rotisserie greatness, This year's visit to Minnesota lake country was a great trip. Good to be back after taking 2020 off due to COVID. Lots of fun had by all.

Here we are just a few minutes into the cook, with vice grips on the end of the rotisserie to act as a counterbalance. That part of the set up worked nicely. Probably didn't have enough KF competition lit to start with... This was an 11 lb ribeye roast, and probably should have cooked for close to 4 hours. Also could have had the spit a little closer to the fire.



Here's a close up of the meager bed of coals I started with. Was trying "reverse sear type plan"



Here's the grease fire that broke out during the sear..... we took it off not too long after this, because the quick temperature read was 140F and we all sort of panicked and pulled it off way too early. No pics of the carving (not worth sharing). We were feeding about 17 people, and all the meat was gone. As the lead pitmaster I take full responsibility for this C- performance (and the 3 glasses of bourbon I enjoyed during the cook).

 

[Rich G]

Looks like fun! Love that old grill, sounds like it has a few memories on it. If you served it, and it was all eaten, I'd bump that grade to at least a B-!

R

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

My dad had one like that but it had a “warming oven” on top, it was a “Buddy L” like the toys! It was pretty well used until ha got the first Weber kettle when I was about 14! I was only without one when I moved to Seattle for a short time where I used a cast iron larger square hibachi, about 14” square. Turned out some pretty good grilled dinners on that.

 

[Rich G]

Apropos of nothing, this popped up in CL here in the SF Bay Area a while back (still on there)......

 

[BFletcher]

Very nice post; I'm happy for you that your family vacation was a fun one! Following a Raichlen cook, I once put a spin on a Ribeye roast, then carved and finished it over a Santa Maria attachment. Folks in our household prefer varying doneness, so it was a good method for us.

 

[TonyUK]

That grill brings back a few memories.
My Dad had something similar to that, Cyprus early 1970s. The roti hood wasn't as big. In fact it never had a "roof". All in all it was basically a wind-break you could lay skewers across.
The cooking grate could be rotated, (not by a crank, but by rotating the cooking grate by hand), which would raise or lower it. Rotate it too far to raise it and the grate spindle would pop out of the hole, and the grub would end up either on the charcoal or on the floor! No health and safety in the old days.
Everything was hot 'n' fast back then.

 

[Bill Klinke]

My dad had one like that but it had a “warming oven” on top, it was a “Buddy L” like the toys! It was pretty well used until ha got the first Weber kettle when I was about 14! I was only without one when I moved to Seattle for a short time where I used a cast iron larger square hibachi, about 14” square. Turned out some pretty good grilled dinners on that.

Growing up in battle creek, we had a grill like that, also the the 'warming oven' on top, so my dad would put the buns in that while doing hot dogs on the 'wienie wheel' attachment for the rotisserie. Or he'd do chicken pieces in a flat basket on the rotisserie. That was pretty exotic for us. And he covered up the remaining charcoal in gravel, or something, to save some for the next time. That must be where I got the idea....grin

 

[John K BBQ]

Yeah.... this old grill has a cooking grate that goes up and down and round and round. The center post is a little "cocked" so it's not "square to the world" making a bit like a bbq/grilling tilt-a-whirl. We didn't that "feature" this year, but maybe next year.

 

[LMichaels]

I think nearly anyone who grew up in the 50's and 60's remember these grills

 

[Rich Dahl]

Yep, when I was growing up in the 'burbs of Chicago my parents had a couple of those grills I remember.
I learned how to grill burgers and hot dogs on those things. Never knew that burgers and dogs didn't have to taste like lighter fluid.

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

Dad understood the “not too damned much Boy Scout excellerant” concept.
I learned the whole spin the pork steaks so they don’t burn dance from him while drinking “Dad’s Old Fashioned Root Beer” and swatting flies! I had not thought about that old grill in years!

 

[Bob H.]

My Dad had one like that until it was lost when we moved.
Then he bought his first Weber kettle.

 

[Tim Snyder]

These oddball grills were popular, Webers were expensive!