Rotisserie newbie setup questions for two whole chickens...


 
DanHoo

DanHoo

TVWBB Olympian
I've been cooking whole chickens "beer-can" style using a vertical roaster for years with good results, yet I wanted to try something different.

I ordered a new roto and it should arrive Saturday.

I'm planning to use my Silver B and the tips I'm looking for is how to set it up under the rotisserie, temps timing, drip pans, etc.

I'm not looking for wood smoke on this cook, or I'd use one of my other cookers, but instead a typical "costco-style" roto chicken without having to go to costco.

I have the recipe down so my needs are entirely how best to setup and cook using the roto on the silver B.

Thanks in advance.
 
I do 2 birds more now than I used to, growing grandchildren and so on. I do them “nose to tail” not too tight, one fork in each bird I also set them up 1- up and 1- down so they balance better. Drip pan in the center, no liquid but, it’s an option.
Figure on an hour or so, I also like cutting a full head of garlic in half and putting that in with half a lemon on either side , maybe a couple sprigs of fresh thyme, tarragon or, rosemary. Then spit them and light front and rear burners.
Relax and have a cocktail!
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
I do 2 birds more now than I used to, growing grandchildren and so on. I do them “nose to tail” not too tight, one fork in each bird I also set them up 1- up and 1- down so they balance better. Drip pan in the center, no liquid but, it’s an option.
Figure on an hour or so, I also like cutting a full head of garlic in half and putting that in with half a lemon on either side , maybe a couple sprigs of fresh thyme, tarragon or, rosemary. Then spit them and light front and rear burners.
Relax and have a cocktail!
Click to expand...
That's one more reason that I love the Genny Silver B....the "East-West" burner config makes it so convenient.
 
I used an old grate across the burners for a base for the drip pans

Getting the chicken on the spit was more work than I anticipated. I think with some practice I'll get these on better.


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After reading a few recipes I went with 350 to 360F for about 90 minutes.

What I learned:

1. I should have watched videos on trussing chickens and positioning the chickens on the spit beforehand. I had a hard time getting them to stay centered and took longer than I wanted it to.

2. the bird on the left cooked a bit faster. I think the heat from the crossover tube was a factor. The left side of the left pan burned the onions.
Next time I'll shift the birds to the right side of the spit.

3. potato's were under done. a few mins in the microwave fixed that, then I made garlic smashed yukon potatos with some garlic.

4. I forgot to install the "bushing that retains the spit into the roto motor. It worked its way out at some point. Not sure how long it wasn't spinning, maybe 5 to 15 mins. I will have to get that setup correctly for next time.


Results:

My boys said this was better than beer can and maybe the best chicken I have ever cooked.

unfortunately, I didn't take any pics when they were done. We were hungry and it was late and I had several other sides I was attending to.

The chicken was very moist, and tasty and this is my new favorite way to cook whole chicken. ( for a non-smoked style chicken)

Thanks for the tips and advice.

Dan
 
Dan, looks like success even with the learning curve. Maybe try stirring the veggies in the left tray every half hour to compensate for the crossover tube. I look forward to your next rotisserie cook!
 
Thanks Richard. It was a success. The results for a first-time using the rotisserie were great, and like all things. Practice, adjustments, trial and error are part of the fun.

I'll try stirring the veggies, or maybe I'll swap the pans left to right mid cook.

I bought the rotisserie on a whim after reading other's posts. Lucked into getting one "used" from amazon. It was a return missing the original box but otherwise new at about half the price.

The rotisserie works great on the silver B with the east-west burners and I'm already thinking about what I'll cook next.
 
Sounds like a fairly good first run! Let me see if I can find a 2 bird run...
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Well, shoot, I can’t find it right now, I think you might be working too hard on getting them spitted, go right through the cavity, don’t get too worried, you’ll get it.
I’ll look again for the double bird cook I did not that long ago, at least I don’t think it was that long ago.
 
Second try went well. I positioned the chickens away from the crossover tube and went with a single drip pan.
 

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Joe Anshien said:
What kind or rotisserie do you have on that grill. It look quite heavy duty, but does not look like a Weber.
Click to expand...
Only fire 6013 on a genesis silver B.

Amazon.com : onlyfire 6013 Stainless Steel Grill Rotisserie Kit Fits for Weber Genesis 310/330 Spirit 310 330 & Older Models, with 3/8" Square Spit Rod : Garden & Outdoor

Amazon.com : onlyfire 6013 Stainless Steel Grill Rotisserie Kit Fits for Weber Genesis 310/330 Spirit 310 330 & Older Models, with 3/8" Square Spit Rod : Garden & Outdoor
www.amazon.com

Mine was a warehouse deal. Returned damaged box, never used.
 
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