Rotisserie Newbie

[Richard Garcia]

This Sunday I am planning for the first time to use my Cajun Bandit Rotisserie on top of my Weber Performer Deluxe(WPD). I will be roasting a four(4) pound Brined Whole Chicken and will appreciate any advice on using my new Weber Tool. My tentative plan of Action:

1. Brine the Chicken overnight.
2. Do a simple "truss-the-chicken" and by simple I mean only the legs and wings tied around the body.
3. Set up the Weber Charcoal Holders for indirect heat with a pan partially filled with some hot water placed between the holders.
4. Light up a Weber Large Chimney 3/4 full of Briquets and when lit pour into the two(2) charcoal baskets.
5. Season the Bird-on-the-spit-rod once placed on the WPD.
6. Once spinning add a few more unlit briquets after each hour until done.
7. Remove the Spit Rod from the WPD once the Chicken Breast Temperature reaches 170F and Chicken Thighs 180F and May add BBQ Sauce when temperature reaches 165F and 175F.

 

[Ed P]

After removing the bird from the brine, rinse it and pat it dry. Assuming you are going to use the water pan to collect the drippings for gravy, I don't like to put the water pan on the same grate as the charcoal baskets if I don't have to because ash tends to fall into it, possibly ruining it for gravy. I use the grill grate to elevate the pan with a small bird...it also shields the bird from direct heat, so you can remove it during the cook if you like crispy skin. Check for clearance first. Also, 165F is a little underdone for me. My wife doesn't like dark meat, and the joint area could still be a little reddish at 165F. With brining and using the roto you will not have to worry about the chicken drying out if you cook it a little longer. Don't take a lot of temperature readings with an instant read thermo...every time you stick it you let the juices out.

 

[Richard Garcia]

I use the grill grate to elevate the pan with a small bird...it also shields the bird from direct heat, so you can remove it during the cook if you like crispy skin. Check for clearance first.

Ed; Never thought of elevating the Pan, so, do you put other "edibles(i.e.,potatoes,Veggies,etc.)" on the Grill Grate while the Bird is Spinning? Thanx for your excellent advice!

 

[Richard in NS]

Richard, I put chicken broth in the pan under the bird if I want richer gravy and you can add potatoes and veggies to that pan to if you like. Make sure that pan does not boil dry as well.

 

[Ed P]

Ed; Never thought of elevating the Pan, so, do you put other "edibles(i.e.,potatoes,Veggies,etc.)" on the Grill Grate while the Bird is Spinning? Thanx for your excellent advice!

You certainly can, if you have room. I have the grate that has the fold-up sides and usually I leave the sides up if the pan is small enough to make it easier to add charcoal. I also use the chimney to get the charcoal started before I add it, to keep the temperature from sagging, and with some brands of briquets it causes an off-flavor (to me) if they are not lit prior to adding.

I have a Lodge cast iron griddle that goes right down the center and I have used it with an inverted Vortex for indirect cooking on the roto as well as cooking vegetables at the end (sorry for the crud in the picture...I haven't used it in a while!) As you can tell, my last roto cook I didn't use a drip pan because the griddle with a Vortex acts like flavorizer bars in a gas grill. The Vortex makes it difficult to add charcoal or wood for smoke so it's not really suitable for longer cooks where you need to add charcoal unless your grate has the removable center. You can use the griddle with a water pan if the pan is small enough...take the pan off near the end of the cook, take it inside to make gravy, and do your sides on the griddle. Lots of combinations!

EDIT: I also cook the chicken to around 175F-180F, to avoid the reddish color in the joint area where the drumstick meets the breast. It grosses my wife out if it's not cooked well in that area. This is a pic of the 5lb bird I did a couple of days ago on our Genesis 1200, done to about 175F. I look for the meat to be shrinking on the drumstick and a nice dark color before using the instant read...took about 2 hours or a little more at around 350F.

 

[Richard Garcia]

You certainly can, if you have room. I have the grate that has the fold-up sides and usually I leave the sides up if the pan is small enough to make it easier to add charcoal. I also use the chimney to get the charcoal started before I add it, to keep the temperature from sagging, and with some brands of briquets it causes an off-flavor (to me) if they are not lit prior to adding.

I have a Lodge cast iron griddle that goes right down the center and I have used it with an inverted Vortex for indirect cooking on the roto as well as cooking vegetables at the end (sorry for the crud in the picture...I haven't used it in a while!) As you can tell, my last roto cook I didn't use a drip pan because the griddle with a Vortex acts like flavorizer bars in a gas grill. The Vortex makes it difficult to add charcoal or wood for smoke so it's not really suitable for longer cooks where you need to add charcoal unless your grate has the removable center. You can use the griddle with a water pan if the pan is small enough...take the pan off near the end of the cook, take it inside to make gravy, and do your sides on the griddle. Lots of combinations!

EDIT: I also cook the chicken to around 175F-180F, to avoid the reddish color in the joint area where the drumstick meets the breast. It grosses my wife out if it's not cooked well in that area. This is a pic of the 5lb bird I did a couple of days ago on our Genesis 1200, done to about 175F. I look for the meat to be shrinking on the drumstick and a nice dark color before using the instant read...took about 2 hours or a little more at around 350F.

Ed: I first ordered the Cajun Bandit Rotisserie Kit with the Battery-Cordless Motor. A few weeks later I purchased the One Grill Electric Rotisserie Motor with the cord which will not fit on the Motor Mount that came with the Battery-Cordless Motor. So, are there two(2) different types of One Grill Motor Mounts?

 

[Ed P]

Wow, that is strange! I have never seen that. I have the OneGrill kit for my gasser and it is the standard mount, although the motor hangs sideways while all the other mounts I have the motor hangs down (and I just received a Joetisserie for my BGE! It's sitting on my front porch. I don't know how it mounts yet) I bought the OneGrill cordless motor as part of the roto kit...I'd like to see a picture of what you are talking about. Are the dimensions different, or is it a different mount altogether?

I would definitely be reaching out to OneGrill (and Cajun Bandit) customer service about this!

(I have 3 motors, a Weber, an aftermarket generic, and the OneGrill...they all fit the standard bracket)

 

[Ed P]

Hey, Richard, the Joetisserie is an aluminum casting and the motor mount bracket is part of that casting. It is thicker and wider than the stamped motor brackets so my other motors won't fit. Is that your problem, that the motor mount bracket on the motor is too wide?

 

[Richard Garcia]

Hey, Richard, the Joetisserie is an aluminum casting and the motor mount bracket is part of that casting. It is thicker and wider than the stamped motor brackets so my other motors won't fit. Is that your problem, that the motor mount bracket on the motor is too wide?

Ed: Thanx for the reply and no, it is too Narrow for the One Grill Electric Rotisserie Motor with the Cord and does not slide down for a tight fit on the One Grill/Cajun Bandit Bracket. My One Grill Battery-Cordless Rotisserie Motor that was included in the Cajun Bandit Rotisserie Kit fits A-OK due to wider opening. I ordered the Rotisserie Motor with the Cord directly from One Grill sometime after. Hopefully the photos below will show my problem situation which in the photo the Motor with an Electric Cord is on the left-hand-side and the Cordless on the Right-hand-side. Please note the wider bracket attachment opening on the cordless motor in comparison to the Motor Bracket pictured In IMG 144-147. .

I have also sent a Message to Brian of One Grill Customer Service with this same question.

As for tomorrow's cook I tested this morning the One Grill Battery-Cordless Rotisserie Motor with two(2) D Batteries and is all set-to-go.

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

Richard, I’m not quite clear on the problem, are you saying the width of the mounting bracket is different or, is it the thickness of the bracket itself?
It looks like one of your motors has the tabs less open, so if you pryed the tabs open a touch more that might be one solution.

 

[Ed P]

Yes, I agree with Timothy...will it fit if you pry the one tab open like the other one?



Nice heavy bracket, though!

 

[Richard Garcia]

ichard, I’m not quite clear on the problem, are you saying the width of the mounting bracket is different or, is it the thickness of the bracket itself?
It looks like one of your motors has the tabs less open, so if you pryed the tabs open a touch more that might be one solution.

Tim, the Motor Bracket attached to the Rotisserie Ring is a touch too-thick for the Bracket Placement on the motor. I will try to pry it more open for a better fit. Thanx for your reply!

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

Looking forward to finding the result of the dilemma!

 

[Richard Garcia]

Looking forward to finding the result of the dilemma!

Should be OK as I will be using the Battery-Cordless Motor tomorrow.

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

More about the fix, not necessarily the cook, I’m sure the cook will amazing!

 

[Richard Garcia]

Yesterday's First Trial-Run with my new Battery Operated Cajun Bandit(CB) Rotisserie Kit turned-out A-OK doing the following:
1. Brined the Chicken for twelve(12) hours and did a simple Truss of the Chicken.
2. The Chicken Breast reached a temperature of 165F in around 80 Minutes using a Weber Large Chimney 3/4 filled with South American Charcoal Briquets and Did not add any additional Charcoal.
3. The Wifey stated "Can we do the same next weekend" in which the Chicken turned-out Juicy and Tasty.!
4. Also, placed a couple of potatoes directly on the lit charcoal holders and also used a Grill Grate Cover toward the end of the cook.

5. Oh, did have one problem as shown in IMG 162 but the problem was quickly resolved by pushing the spin fork back-in.

I did not cover the holes on the Cajun Bandit Rotisserie Ring and was able to quickly arrive at the desired Cooking Temperature and was able to maintain a steady Lid temperature of around 425F for over one(1) hour. The CB Battery Operated Motor operated "like-a-champ".

Life Continues to be good here in Costa Rica!

Again, thanx to all who replied to this thread!

 

[Richard Garcia]

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More about the fix, not necessarily the cook, I’m sure the cook will amazing!

Working on this; Brian of "One Grill" responded quickly to my message concerning this situation and he also recommends prying the motor bracket more open. He also informed me that "One Grill" does not make the Motor Bracket Fittings for Cajun Bandit(CB) and there may possibly be two(2) different types of CB Proprietary Rotisserie Motor Bracket Fittings for the "One Grill" Electric and Battery Operated Motors. Yesterday, I sent Chris Perres of "Cajun Bandit" a message asking this question.

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

Looks great,

 

[Richard Garcia]

More about the fix, not necessarily the cook, I’m sure the cook will amazing!

Tim: Yesterday I received an Email Message from the Cajun Bandit(CB) Owner, Chis Perres, who is sending me a CB Proprietary Rotisserie Motor Mount Bracket that he modified yesterday to fit my One Grill Electric Rotisserie Motor. It appears that in the near future there will be two(2) types of different CB Proprietary Motor Mount Brackets; one for the "One Grill" Battery and another for the "One Grill" Electric Motors on the CB Proprietary Rotisserie Ring for Weber Kettles.

Also, I received great customer Service from both "Cajun Bandit" and "One Grill".

Another Note; that the "One Grill" Rotisserie Motors are made in Taiwan, China which explains the great quality of this motor.

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

Great news Richard! It’s always nice to hear good customer service reports!