First rotisserie chicken


 
C

ChadVKealey

TVWBB Pro
Got my Cajun Bandit rotisserie on Monday and taking it for the first spin (literally) tonight with 5 # chicken. I brined in apple juice, salt, brown sugar and some montreal chicken seasoning. Before trussing it (badly - I'll need to work on that), I minced some fresh rosemary, thyme and garlic, mixed with some olive oil and spread it out under the skin on the breast, then rubbed on olive oil and added some salt and pepper. Oh, and I jammed some onion and a few sprigs of rosemary in the cavity, too, then got it onto the spit.

Here it is at the start:


And about an hour in:


Temps are about 170 in the dark meat and 150-ish in the breast, so I'm giving it another half hour. Still tons of juice in there thanks to the brine.
 
Done! 165-175 in the breast, 180-190 in the legs & thighs and unbelievably juicy. I'm going to like this rotisserie, I think.

 
I minimally truss, using the forks into the leg and keeping it as snug as possible and only tying the "popes nose" to the "ankle" and then a simple wrap to hold the wings in. Forking very securely, so there will be no "slop" after it cooks out some. Truss after spitting.
I think this is where some people get to feel they need a counterbalance. I don't know, I have honestly not seen any real need for one. If you don't let the spit flop, you don't put undue stress on any of the works so, keep it tight and you should not have any problems. Three birds to see what works for YOU and you won't be able to use the twirling bird method enough!
Practice will help you see when and if you need the counterbalance. A chicken is easier to find "center mass" on than some other products. Only you will be able to sort out what does and does not work for you.
 
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Timothy F. Lewis said:
I minimally truss, using the forks into the leg and keeping it as snug as possible and only tying the "popes nose" to the "ankle" and then a simple wrap to hold the wings in. Forking very securely, so there will be no "slop" after it cooks out some. Truss after spitting.
I think this is where some people get to feel they need a counterbalance. I don't know, I have honestly not seen any real need for one. If you don't let the spit flop, you don't put undue stress on any of the works so, keep it tight and you should not have any problems. Three birds to see what works for YOU and you won't be able to use the twirling bird method enough!
Practice will help you see when and if you need the counterbalance. A chicken is easier to find "center mass" on than some other products. Only you will be able to sort out what does and does not work for you.
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Thanks for the info. I watched about a dozen YouTube videos that made it look like a cakewalk. They don't convey how slippery raw chicken can be. In the end, though, it all seemed to cook evenly, and the stuff in the cavity didn't fall out, so all is well. At this point, I'm just hoping it doesn't dry out in reheating for dinner tonight. I've got it in a foil pan and wrapped in parchment paper, so I think it'll be OK, plus it was brined, so that should help. And I need to get through the rest of this work day before I can have any. Tom Petty was right, the waiting is the hardest part.
 
I doubt it will be dry but, skin will not be crisp of course.
Glad you did it?
Wait until you do a loin of pork wrapped in bacon, it will require a length of twine for each strip of bacon but, the time in prep will be rewarded after resting and slicing!
Have a ball!
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
I doubt it will be dry but, skin will not be crisp of course.
Glad you did it?
Wait until you do a loin of pork wrapped in bacon, it will require a length of twine for each strip of bacon but, the time in prep will be rewarded after resting and slicing!
Have a ball!
Click to expand...

I'll take moist/tender meat over crisp skin any day. And I can see myself getting a lot of use out of this, so I'm very glad I did it. I'm planning to try a pork loin at some point in the near future, and my son has developed a taste for roast pork sandwiches (Tony Luke's, a Philly staple/tradition), so I want to try a small shoulder roast as well.
 
I agree! But, I am always tempted to just scarf down the skin before I put any of the meat away after dinner!
Spinning meat will get easier and more interesting all the time, have fun!
 
We had this for dinner tonight and the boy said "wow" and gave me a fist bump, signifying that he enjoyed it. I think it probably could have gone another 15-20 minutes (meat in the thighs wasn't as done as I like), but the flavor and texture was amazing. I saved the bones and carcass for stock.
 
Steve Porter said:
Will the Cajun Bandit 18.5 rotisserie fit a Weber 18.5 Smokey Joe Platinum?
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Based on the description here, I would guess it would. I think the Platinum used a standard 18.5" kettle bowl with a slightly shallower (but identical diameter) lid, so no reason the 18.5 rotisserie shouldn't fit. However, to be sure, go to the Contact link at the top of the page and shoot them a message.
 
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