Rotisserie on the way...


 

Jake S

TVWBB Fan
Looks like there may be a present when I get home.

Weber 2290 22-1/2-Inch Charcoal Kettle Rotisserie
Status: In transit
Ship Carrier: UPS
Tracking ID: xxx
April 9, 2010 07:40:00 AM Norwood MA US Out for delivery


Woo Hoo!!
 
Actually Jake, a "present" is something that is given to you WHILE you are PRESENT.
On the other hand, a GIFT is something that is given to you WHILE you are NOT present.

Either way, I'm sure you are excited and you're gonna use this "present" all in "good taste"!
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CONGRATULATIONS!!
 
I did a test run last night with some beef round eye rubbed with salt, pepper, minced garlic, and thyme. The rotisserie ring is badly out of round, so I had trouble controlling airflow and never got the temperature under 350. It cooked quicker than I wanted, but still tasty. I'll see if I can adjust the ring before I use it next time.
 
Jake,
It's not the out of round issue that is causing the temperature spikes. It's the design. It's made with air gaps. Fortunately, I've found that most of the foods that need to be rotis'd like chicken cook better at higher heat.

Ribs, incidentally, are INSANELY good on the rotisserie at higher heats. They aren't as tender as low and slow, but they are much more flavorful and with a crispy crust, and they only take a little over an hour to cook.

Having said all that, if you want to keep the temps down, you can do it by stuffing foil in the gaps between the gaps between the bottom of the ring and the base of your kettle.
 
Here's another solution for the foil issue. I bought some rope insulation and I actually stuff it into that gap between the ring and the bottom of the kettle (you can see it on the bottom left and right of this picture.)


I also attached a gasket to the top of the ring which was helpful but not neccessary for controlling temps.

As you can see from this picture, I was also able to attach a grate on the top of the rotis ring and (with a large clay pot on the original cooking grate I was able to use the full 22.5 inches as a cooking surface...just a fun project I was tinkering with one day but it works better than I expected.

My point, however, was the temperature control is great if you somehow manage to stuff that gap at the bottom. The rope insulation should do the trick and it shouldn't cost you more than about 10 bucks for a more or less permanent solution. Incidentally, I didn't glue it there, I just tied it in a knot...that way I can stuff it in the gaps as needed. Only takes about 5 seconds. You'll appreciate that if you ever try the "foil stuffing" method.
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HOpe this helps.
 
That may be worth a try. Is the insulation food safe?

I have to say that after seeing the awesome fit of the Cajun Bandit, the rotisserie ring was fairly disappointing. I bet C&C could engineer a replacement ring that had a rolled lip for fit just like the CB and would cut out the need for any oven gasket/foil/etc.
 
That would be awesome if they did.

As far as food safety...I had the same question. I know it's designed to be used around indoor chimneys so it's (most likely) not giving off anything toxic. Since it's not ever coming into contact with the food and frankly since companies like BGE use similar material as a gasket, I decided not to worry about it.
 
Wish I had seen the Cajun Bandit before my Weber version came in the door. This seems to be an obvious design flaw on Weber's end. Weber lids fit over the kettle much like a lid on a latte at Starbucks. This collar rests partially on and in it. It does definitely burn hotter than a typical Weber due to the fact that there is more uncontrolled oxygen hitting the coals. I’m going to look into making a skirt out of aluminum chimney flashing and connect to the rotisserie’s collar brackets. I’ll write when I get pics. I’m also going to start logging the amount of fuel and temps for this sucker. I did contact Weber to see if they had a temp/food chart/timing chart for it.

BTW, I did two whole chickens with an Orange Marinade last Thursday and a spit-ful of skin-on bone-in breasts with another whole bird using a Balsamic -Ginger. They tasted great but the skin was scorched. I used briquettes instead of hardwood charcoal.
 
I like the looks of the Cajun Bandit ring very much. I will be buying it for my Performer sometime in the future.

In fact if they made one for the 18.5" WSM I'd buy that too. As well as a High flow charcoal ring for the 18 WSM if they made it.

Come on CB show the 18 some love.
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i guess i'm missing something. i havn't had any issues with my weber rotiss setup. i use coals only on one side. this would be the side that the top of the meat rotates towards. i also don't light up a huge pile of coals to start with. chickens etc come out great every time.
 
There is an air gap between the collar of the fit of the rotisserie and the Weber kettle that spikes the temperature. More oxygen on fuel, the hotter and faster it burns. I tested the temps using Maverick remote and a Trend thermometer with the same amount of charcoal on my two Weber 22-1/2 and the heat difference was dramatic.

On Memorial Day Weekend I did about 10 pounds of lamb leg for a Big Fat Greek Street Food Grilling party. I invited about 20 folks and told them to bring mezze and things to smear over the lamb sandwiches.

I added 2 dozen charc briquettes in each side basket with a drip tray. I used a Trend BBQ therm in one of the air vents at the top and dangled the probe of a wireless Maverick Grill therm so it would slide across the meat as it turned. The Trend gave me a read of the cooking chamber and the Maverick ran the temp on the meat’s surface. I held the temp at 325oF. I also stuffed the side gaps with alum foil (I also got some coiled alum from a hardware store which I intended to cut a sleeve but I had too much food prep). The lamb came out great by the way but any time the foil came or fell out, the temp spiked.

I also contacted Weber and asked if there were any cooking charts for times and cuts of food. Here's their answer:

"Thank you for your email. Unfortunately, we do not have any recipes for charcoal rotisserie. When using the Charcoal rotisserie you follow the same recipe cooking times as grill."

Nope, not even close. The price of this unit is almost as much as a kettle grill (discounted). The kettle rotisserie is a great idea but with this model you need to stuff the air gaps with alum foil, adapt your cooking times over trial and error, or you could check out these guys who seem to get it right:

C&C GRILLIN' COMPANY

Tight fit with a battery/AC motor and real nice guys to deal with.

I highly recommend them.
 
I'm with George I have never in three years had a problem with temps. using the Weber rotisserie. Even with the air gap everything always comes out great. I do kind of a minion method when I grill though. Maybe that is the secret.
 
yep, minion method. also i just about shut down the lower vents. experimenting is what its all about. suggest a bit more time on it till you find what works for you. if you still don't like it, i'll take it for free.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jake S:
Too bad it won't fit on my Cajun Bandit! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yea I emailed Chris and inquired about the new Roto Ring only to find out it does not fit the Cajun Bandit. I am shocked that they would not make it to fit their own creation. I would buy one today if it did.
 

 

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