A friend on my competition team said he was going to sell his Weber kettle rotisserie on Craigslist, but he wanted to offer it to me first. Needless to say, I didn't turn it down for $50.
Over the years, I have tried to cook chicken rotisserie style on half a dozen different cookers, and they have always turned out very good. However, I have to say that the one that I first cooked on my new to me rotisserie is one of the best I have ever cooked.
I usually brine most poultry, but this one was a Kroger Value brand, "enhanced with up to a 15% solution of blah blah blah, so I just rubbed it inside & out with EVOO & seasoned with seasoned salt, poultry seasoning & cracked black pepper.
I fired up about 3/4 chimney of KBlue briquettes, put them into one wire basket on each side of my kettle, and added a chunk of apple wood. I forgot to buy more twine when I went to the store
, so this bird's legs were just dangling. Not pretty, but it still came out great. I tried to keep the temp around 325°~350°, but it ran up close to 400°, even with shutting down the bottom vents. The bird didn't seem to mind, though. I have since learned that pre-2012 Weber rotisserie rings have four tabs that sit on top of the kettle, and this creates an air gap that causes temps to rise. Newer models have a better sealing flared ring molded into the lip that help to seal up, kinda like the middle section of a WSM. Since I cook most things hot & fast, I don't think this will be a problem. Just another lesson learned in my quest to be a better cook that I wanted to share.
Took just over an hour and a half from starting the coals to reaching 175° in the thigh. This bird was very tender, so much so that I pulled off the leg quarters with very little effort, and the breasts came off with just one slice from my usually dull knife.
Here's some pics, since you folks seem to like purty food. I do too.
Rolling along, with legs a-flappin'. Those forks that hold the food in one place on the spit work exceptionally well.
Done & resting. Almost too purty to eat.... Almost.
I practically pulled the bird apart & told the fam to jump in & get what they wanted. Still, I wanted it to look good for the camera.
This is what passes for healthy food at our house. If you don't count SWMBO's awesome mashed potatoes, it might be close to healthy. Well, except for the country ham bone & a little fat trimming that I seasoned the beans with, but they tasted good too.
I am really looking forward to skewering more food and letting it go for a spin. As I said before, I was amazed by how good this bird came out. I have since injected a pork loin and spun it on the rotisserie too. It was equally as good. Can't wait to "rotisserize" more things in the near future!
