Genesis rotisserie hack


 
Hey everybody!

Haven’t been very active lately, but I have a good excuse. We’ve been doing a complete kitchen remodel for the last couple of months, and spare time has been hard to come by. But I have been using the grill a LOT lately, as it’s been our only method of cooking since the remodel began — and we still have at least a month before we’ll be able to cook indoors again!

The grill that’s been getting all the action has been the Genesis Platinum (2005). We’ve been in fire season since July, and are allowed to cook with “liquid fuels only” — which means my beloved Summit Kamado has been sitting idle. The season will hopefully come to an end in a week or two, and it’ll be back to charcoal. In the meantime, though, it’s propane or nothing. Since I’ve been cooking so much on the Genesis, and particularly using the rotisserie attachment, I’ve come up with a little hack for the Silver/Gold/Platinum series with the 5-bar cookbox.

Users of these grills know that there’s not a lot of clearance when using the rotisserie, particularly if you want to put a drip pan under the spit (for cooking veggies or just collecting the juices.) This also means that very large items, like turkeys, are a problem to turn.

I stumbled across this method when I was turning a larger-than-average chicken, and needed a little extra room. I simply removed the center flavorizer bar and turned the adjacent bars on their sides, with the folds facing outward. Between those bars I placed a standard “1/3 size” steam table pan (available at any chef/restaurant supply, or even Amazon.) It sits quite securely down inside the bars, and gives a solid 2” of clearance gain. (Of course, the pan protects the UNLIT center burner from drips even if you’re not using it to collect or cook in.)

The pic should explain all:

genesis-platinum-rotisserie-hack.jpeg
 
I like it Grant! I thought I was done with my kitchen remodel the. My wife said “Honey, I think you deserve a dishwasher!”
I fought it when we were doing the rest but, I relented so for the last month once again, the kitchen is a mess, I’m repurposing the cabinet with a new top and casters to be relegated to the basement as a wine glass storage unit with a rack on top ( if interested look in the “Dishwasher under $1000“ thread) but, I’m almost on track for this to be done by Thanksgiving!
 
Excellent! I've used a cookie sheet across the outer two flavorizer bars, but I think your pan gives more clearance (and it's deeper & less prone to warping.)
 
Grant, if that is messy, then you need to see some of the grills I pick up for rehabbing.
 
That is a nice hack. Low rotisserie clearance, not being able to cook on the grates, and having to remove them has always bugged me about Weber's. I am glad they finally raised the rod in the new models. Now if they only added a rotisserie burner and IR burner they could more evenly compete with others.
 
Hey everybody!

Haven’t been very active lately, but I have a good excuse. We’ve been doing a complete kitchen remodel for the last couple of months, and spare time has been hard to come by. But I have been using the grill a LOT lately, as it’s been our only method of cooking since the remodel began — and we still have at least a month before we’ll be able to cook indoors again!

The grill that’s been getting all the action has been the Genesis Platinum (2005). We’ve been in fire season since July, and are allowed to cook with “liquid fuels only” — which means my beloved Summit Kamado has been sitting idle. The season will hopefully come to an end in a week or two, and it’ll be back to charcoal. In the meantime, though, it’s propane or nothing. Since I’ve been cooking so much on the Genesis, and particularly using the rotisserie attachment, I’ve come up with a little hack for the Silver/Gold/Platinum series with the 5-bar cookbox.

Users of these grills know that there’s not a lot of clearance when using the rotisserie, particularly if you want to put a drip pan under the spit (for cooking veggies or just collecting the juices.) This also means that very large items, like turkeys, are a problem to turn.

I stumbled across this method when I was turning a larger-than-average chicken, and needed a little extra room. I simply removed the center flavorizer bar and turned the adjacent bars on their sides, with the folds facing outward. Between those bars I placed a standard “1/3 size” steam table pan (available at any chef/restaurant supply, or even Amazon.) It sits quite securely down inside the bars, and gives a solid 2” of clearance gain. (Of course, the pan protects the UNLIT center burner from drips even if you’re not using it to collect or cook in.)

The pic should explain all:

View attachment 61000
How do you keep the veggies from burning though? I've tried a similar hack with my Weber Genesis Silver C and a disposable drip pan and the veggies just burned.
 
That is a nice hack. Low rotisserie clearance, not being able to cook on the grates, and having to remove them has always bugged me about Weber's. I am glad they finally raised the rod in the new models. Now if they only added a rotisserie burner and IR burner they could more evenly compete with others.
I figured I needed a rotisserie when I got this newer Weber Genesis II E325S. Found one on FBMP...but I'm in no hurry to get it spinning. Mainly because I'm not familiar with cooking that way. Seems woefully inefficient on a Weber without an infrared burner but I get it that food tastes great cooked that way. But I agree with you, so the meat spins, the grates are off now I can't cook potatoes, vegetables...whatever.
 
How do you keep the veggies from burning though? I've tried a similar hack with my Weber Genesis Silver C and a disposable drip pan and the veggies just burned.
I would add liquid (water of broth) with maybe and or a rack to elevate it if needed.
 
How do you keep the veggies from burning though? I've tried a similar hack with my Weber Genesis Silver C and a disposable drip pan and the veggies just burned.
Several things:

— The steam table pan I use is thick stainless, versus the thin aluminum foil of a disposable drip pan. The stainless doesn't heat up as quickly and spreads heat more evenly.

— The burner under the pan is off, so it's only getting convective heat from its surroundings.

— I only use veggies that take some time to cook (the favorite around here are small new potatoes, but I've also used carrots to good effect. I coat them with EVOO, toss them in whatever seasonings I feel appropriate (usually Lawrys and black pepper), and put a little EVOO in the pan before adding the seasoned veggies.

I usually run the grill at about 400 degrees for rotisserie. At that temperature a chicken cooks in about 75 to 90 minutes (depending on weight), and that's just enough time to cook potatoes to tender without burning. Denser things like carrots need to be parboiled (partially cooked) before adding them to the grill, because 90 minutes isn't enough time for raw carrots to get tender let alone burn.
 

 

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