I'm pumped


 
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Anthony W.

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My Performer is coming out of winter hibernation
this weekend and wanted to try my new rotisserie.

I wanted to do a brined bird or 2 cornish hens
and had a few questions.

-Which fuel to use, briquettes or lump

-Charcoal basquets or none, drip pan in the middle for sure I would imagine.

-How do I make sure my skin is nice and browned

- At what time should I start to probe for doneness

Thanks guys
Anthony
 
Hey Anthony...your performer Hibernates? Thats too sad..use it year round
icon_biggrin.gif
Anyways, the rotiss is great. No need to brine a bird. I have just thrown em on and they are super juicy. I actually mix lump and briquette, but it doesnt really matter. One or the other. Good thing about the rotiss..you dont have to do much for it to come out golden brown. I would rub a little oil on it, whatever rub...or just salt and pepper. It will be golden brown w/ no assistance. Dont over think it...just keep it simple. Should take about an hour.
 
Hey Gary, I brined and spatcocked some cornish hens last summer and they were outstanding and the best chicken I get in Montreal is a Portuguese place where they do some kind of brine.I'm convinced its juicier... its a little more work though, I will try a mix of both lump and briquettes and maybe a chunk or two of maple..

Thanks
Anthony
 
Hey Anthony, I am a big fan of the brine, I am actually going to cook some game hens this weekend indirectly that have been brined. If you are making a basic brine w/ just salt/sugar and water with the rotisserie, I just feel its over kill cause the bird is self basting. But if you are going after a more complex brine w/ multiple flavors, I can see where it would be beneficial..esp spatchcocked. Sounds like you will have some good grub this weekend.
 
when i do mine i use coals piled on just one side. put it so the rotis rotates towards the coals at the top, the bottom of the chicken moves away from the coals. i just use briquettes but a mixture should be ok. some chunks of yer choice would be ok but remember that smoke is only go on the skin. most chickens take about an hour and fifteen minutes. cornish hens less than an hour. if yer fire is hot enough it will crisp up. if not enough you can just turn off the rotis and turn it slowly by hand as the skin crisps up.
 
Anthony
Everyone has their own ideas on doing chickens on the rotis including me and everyone has their own ideas about brining.
I always brine whole chickens no matter how I am going to cook them. I add some garlic flakes and mustard powder to the basic brine solution.

I always use briquettes when cooking the chickens on the rotis and I use the char baskets. This way I can move the baskets underneath to get better colour and crispiness on the skin if need be. also the fat from the chicken boils off on the fire and adds a certain bbq flavour. I only have the baskets under for about 10 minutes near the end of the cook. the rest of the time I use a foil pan under the chickens.
For the timing I use 25 briquettes per side which with top and bottom vents open gives me about 375 - 425F (depending on outside conditions and if I am cooking 1 or 2 chickens) I allow 1 hour 15 minutes and generally they are perfect at that time and very moist.
By using the briquettes I can get the timing and temps consistent without having to play around with vents and things.

Make sure you completely dry the chicken and lighly brush with oil to get the best skin.

Cheers
 
Thanks Phil, the wife wanted salmon last week
so had to wait another week, I have a lot of lump, do you think lump would work and what is your time frame for brining one 3 to 4 pounder.

Thanks again
Anthony
 
Where should I place my vents on top, with 2 baskets on each side and the chicken over a drip pan. Should it be over one of the baskets?

Anthony
 
Id put it in the middle, I dont think it would make much difference to be honest. If you are cooking indirectly, with a lit pile of coals on one side and meat on the other, put it over the meat so the smoke will draw across it. But for the rotiss...dont think it matters. It will be so tasty regardless.let us know how it turns out
 
Thanks Gary, making my brine now, hope 6 hours
is enough to be in the brine, now should I use
lump or briquettes or a combo of both.

Anthony
 
Everyone has there preference, depends on the cook for me. But for the rotiss I like briquets as they will burn longer but I always have lump around and usually throw some on top. Throwing a few raw pices on top will gradually ignite extending the burn times if needed, plus lump always adds a nice flavor.
 
Anthony
For Chickens.
I brine for 5 hours for a 1.6 Kg (3.4 lb) bird so 5 - 6 hours would be good.
As for lump v briquettes I use briquettes for indirect as lump is expensive here Char basket either side and drip tray in the centre. Both vents open and the topv ent in the middle. I use 25 briquettes per side. The briquettes thatb I use are 38 mm (1.5") this gives me a preheat lid temp of 425 and a cooking lid temp of 350 - 375. I half fill the drip pan with warm water to start to help keep a stable temp.

regards
 
That looks great Robert, how did you get 4 birds on there.

Phil, I did my chicken and is was dam good, here is what I did, brined it in DR BBQ's big time brine for 5-6 hours then dryed the beast and then added little evoo, s/p then 20 briquettes
in each basket topped of with some leftover lump that was in the kettle, then threw in a small kindling of maple on each side, had some from my wood pile for the fireplace, then sent the bird for the ride of his life, it was dark but the temp seemed high I think it said 475 so after 45 took a quick peek and the outside looked
quite good so at the 60 minute mark took it off and it was done then slapped a little PiriPiri sauce and it was feeding time, the wife loved it, I guess the fast cooking times were because of the heat, do you think it would be more tender if I was able to keep the temp at 375-400.

Whats next pork, lamb...??

Thanks guys for all your help..

Anthony
 
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