rotessarie

[dgarret2]

can I use a rotessarie with the smokenator

[bigsteve]

Aug 3, 2009 12:33:20 GMT -5 dgarret2 said:

can I use a rotessarie with the smokenator

Been a little curious about that myself. For one thing, I don't think you're going to be able to control the temperature very much, the rotisserie ring has openings in it, and the ring is not a tight fit.

When I rotiss, I set the spit straight across from left to right, and use a charcoal basket behind the meat at the rear of the kettle.

If you try it, let us know how it goes.

[dgarret2]

thought i read some where that u can use fiberglass tape to seal openings and leaks, with good results

[ecripps]

We have had several people ask this question.

I have not tried it yet. You will need to make sure the bottom of the rotisserie is sealed tightly on the top of the weber or air will leak in and you'll have a hard time controlling the temperature. You could try using the aluminum tape that is used to seal air ducts.

If you try it, please let us know how it goes.

All the best,

Ed Cripps

[jonathan]

I'm going to try it this weekend, to smoke a turkey.

If I get organized, I'll take pictures, but we'll see.

I'm figuring on maybe making an aluminum foil gasket between the kettle
and the rotisserie ring, and address any other holes in similar fashion as required.

jeq

[jonathan]

Well, here's the early results.

I made a gasket of sorts from aluminum foil, between the rotisserie ring and the kettle.

I also made a few small seals from aluminum flashing, to seal around the spit.

So far, it doesn't seem any more difficult to control than the basic setup. I started with the vent openings a bit smaller than normal.

I'm curious whether the temperature difference between the dome and the grill area is
greater because of the additional height. But so far, the turkey is looking good...

I got started late, so will probably finish up in the oven.

[jonathan]

Well, good news/bad news.

Good news, the Smokenator/rotisserie combination worked.

Bad news, since we were eating the legs and wings (the breast was sliced up for a week of sandwiches), the bird was over-smoked. I used 6 to 8 oz of hickory; I had mostly large chunks left in the bag, so I split them down to smaller pieces, 1/2 thick or so. Got a lot of smoke early, and when that stopped short of 2 hours, added a few more hickory chips. And eating the legs with the skin on, the smoke flavor was overpowering. I hate to say it, but it was much too much of a good thing.

Rather than finishing in the oven, when I got an hour or so away from our intended meal time, and the meat temperature was still below 130, I removed the water pan, and converted to more conventional rotisserie operation. I had a quick spike of about 450 degrees, before I got that configuration under control. Something to consider for future attempts.

With the top and bottom vents closed a bit tighter than normal, and the gasket and seals described above, temperature control was pretty good. I was able to make small adjustments and get a response in the usual 15-20 minutes. I also had the side benefit that my drip pan fit quite well with the Smokenator, which is not the case with the Weber "indirect" fuel baskets. I didn't keep accurate notes, but the configuration appears to burn fuel faster - given that it was a cool, overcast day, and the rotisserie ring adds surface area, this wasn't a big surprise. But by the end of hour 3, I had added additional briquets.

My overall conclusion: If you want to just smoke the turkey, and you don't want to get a uniform crisp outer layer, the rotisserie isn't worth the bother. Follow Don's instructions for smoking a turkey, and plan on turning it from time to time. With the low temperature in smoking mode, it simply isn't necessary to keep the bird turning constantly.

If, on the other hand, you want to do a combination of smoking and rotisserie roasting, this configuration works well. If I try it again, I will cut the hickory in half, or try a different wood (my experience is all hickory), and probably cut the smoking time to two hours, convert to rotisserie, and monitor temperature very closely for the first hour after the conversion.

Oh, the other thing I did not mention - the turkey was a store-bought frozen "Jenny-O", injected with whatever they put in self-basting birds. The rub was a decent poultry rub my kids gave me for Father's day - didn't make much difference - with all the smoke, I couldn't taste the rub.

I hope to post some photos in a week or two, along with detailed notes on the seals I made for the spit.

Switched back to backyard grill mode for Labor Day, with cheap pre-made burgers and a variety of cheeses. Nothing tricky, nothing gourmet, but for a holiday with friends, nice all the same. (Pity we forgot the beer!)

jeq