Suggestions for first rotisserie?


 
D

Daum

TVWBB Super Fan
Just got a rotisserie and plan on doing some chickens tomorrow with it! Am quite excited as everyone says it is a game changer when you start to use one. Any suggestions on a specific recipe? Was thinking of doing two chickens, each with a different brine/recipe.

Otherwise am going to be doing this on my performer, so will use a charcoal basket on each side. From looking around I should aim for around ~350-375 for temp, and maybe boost it at the end to get some crispiness. I've seen before people put foil/foil pan in the middle do you suggest that?

Otherwise and suggestions on brines and or recipes to follow are appreciated!

Daum
 
Daum;
It's been a long time since I used a rotisserie. However, I CAN remember quite clearly. Many years ago, right after I got married (1958) I got a cheap grill and later added a rotisserie. Almost no one had air conditioners, my wife really suffered from the heat. That year I grilled every supper we had outside on the patio. Chicken on the rotisserie can be fantastic and it is relatively easy.

Use your planned set up and put a foil pan between the baskets to catch the excess grease. A simple salt brine will suffice. I like to oil the chicken lightly and apply the rub (the oil helps browning and also helps to retain the rub. Use any of the recipes that are offered for whole chickens on a grill that strike your fancy.

It is VERY helpful to use a good digital thermometer so as not to overcook the chicken. You won't have to worry about the crisp skin if you cook at 350-375 degrees. Stop by your local Costco and ask about temps of THEIR rotisserie chicken. They do theirs inside but the principles are the same. I try to hit 160-165 on the breast and 180 on the thighs (internal temp).

You might add a chunk or two of apple wood on the charcoal but don't overdo the wood. Chicken can easily be "over smoked". Most will just use plain charcoal.

However, I have had excellent results using Apple wood on my WSM as well as Pecan wood. Just go lightly.

Good luck and share pictures of your cook.

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
Daum....I'm no expert at this but I have done quite a few birds on the spinner. I feel that brinning the birds will help and I have used oil on the skin to make it look crisp, but no matter how crisp it looks it still feels like rubber. I would use a drip pan to prevent a real messy clean up. I would also truss (tie) the birds and I have read that it's best for the roti that you put the chickens on butt to butt with one breast side up and the other breast side down....this helps distribute the weight.
 
James Lake said:
Daum....I'm no expert at this but I have done quite a few birds on the spinner. I feel that brinning the birds will help and I have used oil on the skin to make it look crisp, but no matter how crisp it looks it still feels like rubber. I would use a drip pan to prevent a real messy clean up. I would also truss (tie) the birds and I have read that it's best for the roti that you put the chickens on butt to butt with one breast side up and the other breast side down....this helps distribute the weight.
Click to expand...

I second the drip pan - makes great gravy/jus too...
Or you can put veg/potatoes in the pan as well
 
James Lake said:
... I feel that brinning the birds will help and I have used oil on the skin to make it look crisp, but no matter how crisp it looks it still feels like rubber.
Click to expand...

Are you saying that they always come out with a rubbery skin?
 
Daum,

Roti-bird is rapidly becoming a go-to meal for me. This recipe works very well. I also posted a roti-cook I did last week in the Photo gallery. I usually use a basic brine containing equal parts salt and brown sugar with bay leaf and black peppercorns thrown in too. The Apple-Maple Brine is also very good. I use a variety of different rubs. Garlic salt and lemon pepper is very good. I love the Scarborough Fair rub as well. I have pretty good success with the skin by ramping up the temp near the end of the cook. I hope these help.

Regards,

John
 
John-

Thanks! I right now have two marinading. One is the roadside chicken recipe and then the other is Peruvian rub I found that has some good reviews. Hopefully they'll come out well, and I'll be sure to ramp up the temp near the end.

Definitely will try your recipe next time. Will post back with what I ended up with!

Daum
 
Sorry for the slow update here, but just got a little free time to post the pics from it. It turned out really well, the skin wasn't bad at all, I think I would have let them go a little bit longer next time on high to get more crisp, but they were really good and juicy! The roadside chicken was the favorite of the two. The photos:

The two guys tied up, Moroccan on left, roadside on right:
IMG_20140508_183920.jpg


Nearing the end on the rotisserie.
IMG_20140508_192858.jpg


Finished:
IMG_20140508_200805.jpg


All in all was really good, definitely will be doing this again. The meat was really tender and flavorful. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Daum
 
Fantastic looking birds!! I'll add a half chimney of lit briquettes at the end of the cook for another 10 to 15 minutes and that really crisps up the skin. Maybe give the skin a bit of basting from the juices below as well. A bit more work, but the results are great.
 
We do a rotissabird every Friday night, although we do ours on a Genesis E330 gasser. Still, the principle's the same. Indirect heat (da boid goes over top of the shut off middle burner), and a typical four pounder takes around an hour, to an hour and 10 minutes. We do a simple salt and brown sugar brine for about 6-8 hours, tie it up with butcher's twine, impale the sucker and go. No oil, salt, sugar or anything else. Left and right burners at 75-80% of full and the built-in thermometer's needle at about the 11:00 position. The result is pure perfection every time. As was said, 165 in the breast and 180 in the thigh = perfect.

I'm not really a fan of smoked chicken, nor of using any barbecue sauce on birdybits. Crisp skin and perfectly cooked meat speak for themselves.
 
I use a drip pan but not the charcoal baskets. That way you can your charcoal can be spread out a bit more. Also to minimize the fat burning I put some liquid in my drip pan ahead of time.
 
If you want awesome skin, rub some softened butter on the bird after you've got it trussed up and on the spit. I do that when I rotisserie my Thanksgiving turkey. Turns out great. Chicken is generally not going to get dark golden brown like a turkey because it's just on the heat long enough. I'd really fill up the baskets and roast it at pretty high temps.
 
I have a bird in the fridge, and I plan to buy another today. Firing up the rotiss tonight.

I generally just hit them with S&P, or sometimes Tony Chachere's. Brining would be great. I do it with parts, like wings or drumsticks, but don't have the space to brine 2 whole chickens.

I usually stuff a lemon or onion or something inside. Not sure if it makes a difference.

They are always good. Hard to mess up.
 
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