Pork Butt on a rotisserie ?


 
Bob Bailey said:
I did one a few weeks ago. Seasoned it with SPG spun it for 4 hours over Kingsford Blue and Royal Oak Lump and then wrapped and finished on the pellet grill. Turned out great.

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Bob - That is quite the setup. I have to ask as it puzzles me. Why? What advantages does open air, non covered cooking get you. I cook 98% covered to retain heat. How did this compare to just using the standard Weber roti on the kettle? Seems like most of the heat and smoke are not getting to the meat. Thanks
 
Hopefully Bob will chime in here but my best guess is that he wasn't shooting for pulled pork when he put that butt on the rotisserie, more likely he was planning to slice it and eat it more like a roast. More often than not, we're talking about delicious smokey BBQ pulled pork in the forum, but pork butt roasted over coals and pulled at 150~160 F can also be delish.
 
I think you’re right John, I’d cover and spin, the multi grill cookery doesn’t appeal much to me. I sure can’t see any reason for spinning a butt to not be just one more interesting method. Full report upon completion, please?
 
I'm more of Tim's mindset. If I were to spin it on the kettle I would cover it. What is the purpose of uncovered BBQ or rotisserie? Are there some advantages I just don't see.
 
Cooking over an open fire imparts an entirely different flavor to meat. If you've ever eaten Argentine BBQ or meat cooked on a Santa Maria grill, you know just how different the flavor can be. The combination of simple seasonings, flames licking at the meat and the juices hitting the fire and sending up pure flavor produce delicious results. Definitely worth the extra fuel. Burning splits is definitely better, but the lump comes pretty close and, until I prune my fruit trees, I don't have a reasonable source for hardwood. I also do pork butts in the kettle and pellet grill. Three different methods and 3 great, but different end products.

I was aiming for pulled pork, thus the wrapping and finishing on the pellet grill once it had spun over the open fire long enough to absorb plenty of flavor. I pulled it at 203, rested for ~ an hour and helped it fall apart for some really nice pulled pork.

The biggest reason for spinning it was so I didn't have to babysit it on the Santa Maria, which is definitely a hands on affair.

Hope that answered all of your questions.
 
I don't remember ever eaten Argentine BBQ or meat cooked on a Santa Maria grill, so that is why I probably don't get it. Unfortunately your too far away for me to come by for a taste;-)
 
I don't remember ever eaten Argentine BBQ or meat cooked on a Santa Maria grill, so that is why I probably don't get it. Unfortunately your too far away for me to come by for a taste;-)
It’s like a giant shawarma or kabob. The meat self bastes, like a rotisserie chicken. Instead of baking the meat (indirect) it’s grilling it with fats atomizing and attaching to the meat as it spins. Kind of next level flavor.
 
Would it not be just about the same as you have pictured, if I did the same setup (baskets in the middle) with the rotisserie and ring, and left the cover off the kettle?
 
Joe Anshien said:
Would it not be just about the same as you have pictured, if I did the same setup (baskets in the middle) with the rotisserie and ring, and left the cover off the kettle?
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In theory, yes, but I don't think the meat would do well that close to an open fire. There are a lot of flareups, so some distance really helps. You don't want the meat engulfed in flames. It is more or less of a slow cook. The pic is after spinning for 4 hours.
 
I tried it once. I tied it up really well and let it roll. It turned out great! Here's a couple of pics. I covered it AND had a drip pan for the juices that didn't stay on the meat.2012-08-24__2012-08-24__IMG_0516_©MikeWillis_©MikeWillis.JPG2012-08-24__2012-08-24__IMG_0522_©MikeWillis_©MikeWillis.JPG2012-08-24__2012-08-24__IMG_0534_©MikeWillis_©MikeWillis.JPG
 
The coals were on either side of the foil pan until they burned down then I pushed them under the pan. Here's another pic from the earlier in the cook. They had already cooked down a bit.2012-08-24__IMG_0523_©MikeWillis.JPG
 
I think to replicate Bob's setup you would need to have the coals right under the item you are spinning. That way it is direct cooking and not indirect. Not that I am saying one is better than the other because I have never tried the Santa Maria or Argentine way. I had been taught that some things are hot and fast, some are low and slow, some are one then the other. It is just seems to be more inefficient to cook that way unless you got a lot of free wood / coal. It does have a following and is popular in a lot of places.
 
It was just an experiment for me. I wasn't going by anything I had read about or seen. After looking for these images to post, I realized this cook was done August 24, 2012. Haven't done another one....yet. I was going high heat and relied on the lid to provide a convection effect to help it along. It worked pretty well for me.
 
Bob Bailey said:
Cooking over an open fire imparts an entirely different flavor to meat. If you've ever eaten Argentine BBQ or meat cooked on a Santa Maria grill, you know just how different the flavor can be. The combination of simple seasonings, flames licking at the meat and the juices hitting the fire and sending up pure flavor produce delicious results. Definitely worth the extra fuel. Burning splits is definitely better, but the lump comes pretty close and, until I prune my fruit trees, I don't have a reasonable source for hardwood. I also do pork butts in the kettle and pellet grill. Three different methods and 3 great, but different end products.

I was aiming for pulled pork, thus the wrapping and finishing on the pellet grill once it had spun over the open fire long enough to absorb plenty of flavor. I pulled it at 203, rested for ~ an hour and helped it fall apart for some really nice pulled pork.

The biggest reason for spinning it was so I didn't have to babysit it on the Santa Maria, which is definitely a hands on affair.

Hope that answered all of your questions.
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I just purchased a vortex and was wondering if anyone has tried an inverted vortex (large side up) filled with coals and have the chicken on the rotisserie directly above it. I am thinking it is the same principle as the Santa Maria. It should come out nice and crispy if you can get the inside done before the skin burns. I searched here and YouTube but could not find that method. I found people cooking indirect with the chicken in the vortex with coal around it. It may before I get to it buy may give it a spin.
 
Joe... Not at all the same principal as a Santa Maria grill. On a Santa Maria grill, while to do cook over the live coals, you control the heat level by changing the cooking grate's elevation above the coals.

Pre-pandemic, Maryann and I would travel up the coast to the Santa Maria Valley and the San Luis Obispo area on a yearly trek to enjoy some great Santa Maria BBQ and gather some superb wines. It's only a short 200 mile drive.

Most of the BBQ places we stop at have pictures of their Santa Maria pits. Below are a few links to their sites.

Jocko's in Nipomo
The Hitching Post in Casmalia
McLintocks in Shell Beach
and 2 we haven't tried, yet...
The Santa Maria Elks Lodge in Santa Maria
The Far West Tavern in Orcutt / Santa Maria (unfortunately no pics of their pit)
 
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Yes, what Bob said, where you will concentrate heat, that’s not how a Santa Maria works. Besides, the inverted cone while concentrating some heat will also make for vast quantities of chicken fat into a concentrated heat source, the flare up will be uncontrollable without removal of the protein being cooked (I see a big fire and consequently big mess). If you want to try and take one for the team, I’m all ears but, I see too many ways for that to be more trouble than using equipment the way it was designed.
Sorry to rain on a parade but, putting a pie pan in the bottom of the cone and fire around the perimeter, makes a a lot more sense to me
 
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