New to Rotisserie question


 
R

Regina S

TVWBB Pro
Not really sure where to post this. I recieved my new EZ Que rotisserie. Will attempt my first cook this weekend if the weather cooperates. 1) Do you guys/gals leave the lid on or off? 2)Drip pan under meat (chicken or rib roast)? 3)Bank coals to one side or both sides?4) Would it be safe to put potatoes in the drip pan and consume them or is there a safety food hazard?
Sorry for the long post and thank you in advance for your responses. All of you are so very kind to the newbies like me....
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I've done about 10 rotis cooks in the past weeks trying different things. I've made two prime ribs, ribs on the ribolator, and chickens.

I'll tell you what I think and I'm sure others wwill follow...

Drip Pan - absolutely use one. Found this out the hard way this weekend on the second batch of chickens. I forgot to put the pan back in and within about 5 minutes, I had huge camp fire going in my ash catcher (I have an otg) while I was tempted to yank it and throw in the pool, the 30 guests in and around the pool made me think otherwise. I pulled the pan out, went out the screen door added a bit of dirt... we're good.

Banking Coals - this is one of my quandaries but I think I've narrowed it down some. Uniform cuts, like a rib roast or better prime rib, pork roasts etc, work well with coals banked to just one side. Whole chicken, where there's different surfaces, nooks and cranny's, and what not, seem to do a lot better with coals on both sides. At least from my experience.

Drip Pan Goodies - I haven't done any myself yet, but based on the number of recipes for just such things, it's clearly safe and encouraged. Check out Dad Cooks Dinner for some great rotis recipes including drip pan extras.

The Lid - leave the lid on. The idea is that you're cooking with sorda a modified direct/indirect/convection kinda thing. Lid on. No peeking... and you won't once you get the hang of it.

Hope this helps. Others will have a lot more advice and sounder reasons. Consider them all, and play. You'll find out what works for you.
 
Thank You, Thank You Chris!...That was perfect just everything I needed to know! And thanks for the great explanations. I do know I just have to get brave and do it and will feel more confident. I have checked out Dad Cooks Dinner website, yes there are good tips there. But with further research you can find opposing opinions. THanks again for your time.
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i've done potatoes in the drip pan below 2 chickens

however, they didn't full cook, and the drip pan became almost FULL of chicken drippings

the taters were quite large. i ended up quartering them and finishing in the oven.

i always leave the lid on - otherwise the coals will burn REALLY hot (and probably open flame, which will put soot on your food)
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> But with further research you can find opposing opinions.
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You're exactly correct which is why you just sorda take it in... figure out what makes sense to you... then go with it.

Maybe start out with a chicken. For a few bucks you can give it a whirl. I think what you'll find is that you're over complicating it and even more so, that simple is often times better. Just a little salt and pepper the first go around is all you need. You'll be blown away at how good it is just spinning it over the coals and having your own right of the spit rotis chicken.

Do yourself a favor though.. and I know this'll make some folks groan... but write down what you're doing. It doesn't have to be a novel, just some quick notes: how many coals you used, where you put them, how long you waited, how hot your fire was, was it windy, how long you cooked, and finally, your impressions. the first few times you'll be amazed at what you'll learn.

Let us know how it all turns out and don't hesitate to ask questions.
 
I have done a number of whole chickens and ribs on both my gasser rotis and silver kettle rotis. They have all been done either banked on one side or just the back burner turned up high. My experience has been it is pretty hard to mess up a rotisserie cook.
I will definitely second the drip pan suggestion. My first chicken was on the gasser weith no drip pan and it was quite a sight the next time I fired it up to do a burn off.
 
Regina - I've done many, many cooks with my EZ-Que set up. Prime Rib, duck, whole turkey, whole chickens, lamb, whole pork loin, etc, etc.

I don't know that I can add anything to Chris's response, he's pretty much covered it all. I use the lid 50/50 typically removing it towards the end, but it depends on the finish I'm going for or how much I want to control the heat. I have had occasions where I needed to keep the lid off as I didn't want as high a temperature and instead wanted to slow things down.

I've banked coals one side and both sides. And frankly haven't found it to make much difference in the end.

I've always got a drip pan present. I have used the juices for gravy and sauces with good results.

Curious where you picked up your EZ Que, since they've been out of business for awhile I thought. Have mine for a number of years and love it.
 
Regina I cook potatoes in the drip pan all the time and haven't killed anyone yet. I usually quarter larger potatoes or use small potatoes. If you end up with too much grease in the pan you can move them in a separate pan to finish them off.
 
pretty much the only thing different with the roti is unless you're going for a really hot fire (good for chicken IMO) you'll need to use the top vent to help control the temperature. This is after the bottom vents are closed. Just a lot of air sneaks through the ring & rotisserie shaft holes & allows it to burn hot.
 
To r.benash.
I bought mine here in Michigan at Bourlier's BBQ and Fireplace 248 582-1084. They bought out EZ Que.They are selling the whole set with the stainless steel ring, rotisserie motor,baskets etc.They are very reputable and a great family company. They are currently looking into a company to make them again to the same standards.I did find extra prongs for the baskets on eBay.Just wanted a little more security in holding the meat.The guy selling them on eBay is the original company CEO his name is John.Very nice man to deal with.I have no ties to them just giving the info.By the way it was Joe S here on the forum that mentioned their website,that is how I knew where to go.Thanks again to Joe S!I did not want to deal with the standard prongs and balancing,although I read here it is not much of an issue.
 
To r.benash. Just wanted to add I have seen your posts of your rotisserie cooks, you are truly an inspiration! It is one of the reasons why I wanted the EZ Que!Thanks again to all of you for your posts and expert advice and above all your kindness.
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To r.benash. Just wanted to add I have seen your posts of your rotisserie cooks, you are truly an inspiration! It is one of the reasons why I wanted the EZ Que!Thanks again to all of you for your posts and expert advice and above all your kindness.
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Good info Regina. Glad I if any of my posts have helped in any way.

Good to hear that we may see these products offered again. The basket, clamping system, heavy duty motors, and overall quality were top notch and worth every cent.

Good move on picking up the extra clamps. I've typically only needed two. But on odd shaped items like say a whole turkey the extras come in handy.
 
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