Rotisserie Chicken Question...

KiterTodd

...I've done a forum search and there are several discussions.  Want to see if I have distilled this down to the basics;

• 350 degrees, direct, for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• I'll buy a 3-4 lbs. chicken (same size I usually spatch)
• People seem to recommend pushing most of your lump to the back to avoid chicken fat smoke flare ups.

That about it or am I missing anything? 

I do like a true "set it and forget it" cook, rather than constantly checking on things. I found with Spatch I got the time and temp down pretty good and could just let it ride. (I would do spatch at 375 for an hour)

Thanks!

SonVolt

You'll definitely want a drip pan underneath with small yukon potatoes in it. Take full advantage of that rendered chicken fat, it's liquid gold. 

Half of the fun of cooking on a spit is watching it turn as the skin bubbles under it's own self-basting juices. Leave set-it-and-forget it to the briskets and butts and peak as much as you can.  

baychilla

I'll admit it, I was lazy.  I didn't relocate the fuel under the birds.  I did two 5lb+ critters.

Eggcelsior

KiterTodd

Thanks for the response @baychilla and @SonVolt. 

So, are my time and temps good?  Should I go 375?

Can you leave taters under there for the full cook?  Won’t the pan block some of that radiant heat off the coals?

Heck, I don’t want to move coals if I don’t have to! Maybe i’ll Just push most to the front and back and keep the center lump under the spit as thin as possible. 

SonVolt

I’ve never Tissed on my egg before so not sure about that. Good point. I was speaking from experience of using my gasser which had the Roti burner positioned vertically on the side. 

Carolina Q

Eggcelsior said:

Had to look up ol' Ron. Just to see if he was still with us. Haven't seen him in years. He's 83 now.

nolaegghead

I usually pick up a rotisserie chicken when I go to Sam's Club or Costco.  Hard to cook one as good at home, in my opinion for the time and money.

It's like what they say about the modern industrial farm complex with pigs and cow - no part goes to waste.   We make something with the meat and broth with everything else.  If we had a dog, it would probably be eating the bones.

baychilla

I usually use ~375 for my target temp.  I haven't tried to cook anything under the birds.

Re the dog/bones: https://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/evr_dg_raw_bones_or_cooked_bones

nolaegghead

Ok, maybe the bones would go to waste after reading that.  Good thing I don't have a dog.

SGH

@KiterTodd
350 degrees is kind of the universal or all around roasting/ baking temp for just about everything. With that said, it won’t hurt a thing if you are 50 degrees above or below this. The end result will be nearly identical. The biggest difference you will see will be the cooking time. 

smokin1979

The next time I do one I'm going to put a pan in the middle with potatoes raised on a brick with the coals around the outside I'll let you know how it turns out.

KiterTodd

Well it’s on! That JoeTisserie is nice and quiet.  Not like those big clunky mechanical sounding ones I remember as a kid (you know the ones, looked like Dad had an alternator attached to the grill). 

Temp control is way different.  It’s not a flush fit with my Rutland so I end up with the top vent cracked like a low and slow just to keep things around 350.  i.e. it lets a lot of air in.  But it smells great and appears to be progressing as expected. 

I’ll let you know how it turns out.  Thanks for the tips. 

Killit_and_Grillit

Good luck! Post pics.

@nolaegghead my wife calls me from Costco every time she is in there. "While I'm here do you want me to get a rotisserie chicken?"

We've been married almost a decade. You know damn good and well I want a Costco chicken. 

I miss when cell phone calls were charged by the minute. 

WesJohnson

KiterTodd said:

Temp control is way different.  It’s not a flush fit with my Rutland

I coulda told ya that. 

KiterTodd

It was very good.  And considering it was my first one and with very little prep...  no long marinades, dries or whatnot.  This was an hour from food store to grill and it was probably the 2nd best chicken I've ever made.  Better than food store rotisserie (with the exception that they inject theirs which is why I think the breast is always moist even though they cook to a hot temp).

I didn't add wood (wife not a huge fan) but the chicken got much more of a lump flavor than any spatchcock I've ever made. Great charcoal flavor well into the meat and the skin was great.  Really just impressed with the thing and look forward to making the next one.

I cooked at around 360, 4.1 lbs., took 1 1/2 hours.  I checked temps at 1 1/4 and the thighs still had some spots under 150.  Let it roll another 15 minutes and everything was kosher.  The flavor was phenominal.  Very moist.  I think next time I may untruss the wings for the last 15 minutes of the cook to crisp them up on the inside, though.

Pics...

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baychilla

Nice looking bird.  If you have a pressure cooker/insta pot you can make a quick stock with the bones and perhaps some aromatics.

SonVolt

KiterTodd said:

It was very good.  And considering it was my first one and with very little prep...  no long marinades, dries or whatnot.  This was an hour from food store to grill and it was probably the 2nd best chicken I've ever made.  Better than food store rotisserie (with the exception that they inject theirs which is why I think the breast is always moist even though they cook to a hot temp).

I didn't add wood (wife not a huge fan) but the chicken got much more of a lump flavor than any spatchcock I've ever made. Great charcoal flavor well into the meat and the skin was great.  Really just impressed with the thing and look forward to making the next one.

I cooked at around 360, 4.1 lbs., took 1 1/2 hours.  I checked temps at 1 1/4 and the thighs still had some spots under 150.  Let it roll another 15 minutes and everything was kosher.  The flavor was phenominal.  Very moist.  I think next time I may untruss the wings for the last 15 minutes of the cook to crisp them up on the inside, though.

Pics...

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That looks amazing. Personally I think Rotisserie chicken is one of the best things you can cook at home. Way, way better than any supermarket variety.  

nolaegghead

SonVolt said:

KiterTodd said:

It was very good.  And considering it was my first one and with very little prep...  no long marinades, dries or whatnot.  This was an hour from food store to grill and it was probably the 2nd best chicken I've ever made.  Better than food store rotisserie (with the exception that they inject theirs which is why I think the breast is always moist even though they cook to a hot temp).

I didn't add wood (wife not a huge fan) but the chicken got much more of a lump flavor than any spatchcock I've ever made. Great charcoal flavor well into the meat and the skin was great.  Really just impressed with the thing and look forward to making the next one.

I cooked at around 360, 4.1 lbs., took 1 1/2 hours.  I checked temps at 1 1/4 and the thighs still had some spots under 150.  Let it roll another 15 minutes and everything was kosher.  The flavor was phenominal.  Very moist.  I think next time I may untruss the wings for the last 15 minutes of the cook to crisp them up on the inside, though.

Pics...

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That looks amazing. Personally I think Rotisserie chicken is one of the best things you can cook at home. Way, way better than any supermarket variety.  

That does look amazing. 

You probably make a great rotisserie chicken, way better than what they make in supermarkets. 

Jonnysouth

I’ve been getting mine at Sams Club cooked for $4.99. We recently just purchased 25 chickens from there. Told them what day and time we wanted to pick them up. They had them ready, brought them home and pulled all the meat while they were hot. Lots of pulled/cubed chicken sealed and ready when needed. Only negative is that I’m not able to eat all the skin!!

nolaegghead

I find the Costco and Sam's club rotisserie chicken to be perfectly acceptable for us, and for under 5 bucks, worth it for my time.  Pretty much the price of a raw whole chicken of comparable size sans work and time.

We don't sit down and decide we're going to have rotisserie chicken for dinner, we use it as an ingredient (after eating the skin off it, of course) in other dishes.  Then make broth.

When we want to eat a chicken as just chicken, yeah, I'll cook it.

This is, of course, our personal opinion:  Can we or you or anyone make a better rotisserie chicken, yeah, sure.  I burned out on cooking them some years back.  Still have the rotisserie hardware under my gasser.

The Sam's and Costco works fine for chicken dishes where we typically pull the meat off and then use it as an ingredient.  You're right, most supermaket rotisserie chicken sucks, I don't buy it. 

Insofar as how it is cooked, for broth and gravy, we don't like it smoked, not to say you can't make a great rotisserie chicken without smoke. 

SGH

nolaegghead said:

 most supermaket rotisserie chicken sucks, 

I have found an exception to this. Right up the road is a old, ratty looking Piggly Wiggly that has rotisserie chicken that is honestly second to none. They have fried chicken that is as good or better than Popeyes. 
There is a real old, fat, black lady that does all of their chickens. I’m sure that when she is gone and one of the younger crowd takes her spot the quality will diminish greatly. However right now it is top notch. 

BGEChicago

SonVolt said:

KiterTodd said:

It was very good.  And considering it was my first one and with very little prep...  no long marinades, dries or whatnot.  This was an hour from food store to grill and it was probably the 2nd best chicken I've ever made.  Better than food store rotisserie (with the exception that they inject theirs which is why I think the breast is always moist even though they cook to a hot temp).

I didn't add wood (wife not a huge fan) but the chicken got much more of a lump flavor than any spatchcock I've ever made. Great charcoal flavor well into the meat and the skin was great.  Really just impressed with the thing and look forward to making the next one.

I cooked at around 360, 4.1 lbs., took 1 1/2 hours.  I checked temps at 1 1/4 and the thighs still had some spots under 150.  Let it roll another 15 minutes and everything was kosher.  The flavor was phenominal.  Very moist.  I think next time I may untruss the wings for the last 15 minutes of the cook to crisp them up on the inside, though.

Pics...

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That looks amazing. Personally I think Rotisserie chicken is one of the best things you can cook at home. Way, way better than any supermarket variety.  

I see you have the Big Joetisserie, it fits good on the BGE XL? I want one of those but wanted to ask if it works good as far as fit? Thanks in advance!

bucky925

SGH said:

nolaegghead said:

 most supermaket rotisserie chicken sucks, 

I have found an exception to this. Right up the road is a old, ratty looking Piggly Wiggly that has rotisserie chicken that is honestly second to none. They have fried chicken that is as good or better than Popeyes. 
There is a real old, fat, black lady that does all of their chickens. I’m sure that when she is gone and one of the younger crowd takes her spot the quality will diminish greatly. However right now it is top notch. 

Oh my gosh! I had or never would have thought about Piggly Wiggly again in my lifetime.  In my youth going to Myrtle Beach we would hit the PW to buy drinking water account in the 60's local water was rancid.  You sir have brought back childhood memories .  Many thanks 

baychilla

Thank you @KiterTodd its nice to see cooks again.

booksw

If we need a cooked chicken in a hurry- Publix rotisserie chicken beats Costco or Piggly Wiggly in my opinion.  Great looking cook @KiterTodd- thanks for sharing

SonVolt

BGEChicago said:

SonVolt said:

KiterTodd said:

It was very good.  And considering it was my first one and with very little prep...  no long marinades, dries or whatnot.  This was an hour from food store to grill and it was probably the 2nd best chicken I've ever made.  Better than food store rotisserie (with the exception that they inject theirs which is why I think the breast is always moist even though they cook to a hot temp).

I didn't add wood (wife not a huge fan) but the chicken got much more of a lump flavor than any spatchcock I've ever made. Great charcoal flavor well into the meat and the skin was great.  Really just impressed with the thing and look forward to making the next one.

I cooked at around 360, 4.1 lbs., took 1 1/2 hours.  I checked temps at 1 1/4 and the thighs still had some spots under 150.  Let it roll another 15 minutes and everything was kosher.  The flavor was phenominal.  Very moist.  I think next time I may untruss the wings for the last 15 minutes of the cook to crisp them up on the inside, though.

Pics...

.

.

.

That looks amazing. Personally I think Rotisserie chicken is one of the best things you can cook at home. Way, way better than any supermarket variety.  

I see you have the Big Joetisserie, it fits good on the BGE XL? I want one of those but wanted to ask if it works good as far as fit? Thanks in advance!

I actually don't have one for my egg. Mine's built into my gas grill with one of those vertical ceramic infrared burners. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6Z-vDd6mvU

EggbertGreenII

BGEChicago said:

SonVolt said:

KiterTodd said:

It was very good.  And considering it was my first one and with very little prep...  no long marinades, dries or whatnot.  This was an hour from food store to grill and it was probably the 2nd best chicken I've ever made.  Better than food store rotisserie (with the exception that they inject theirs which is why I think the breast is always moist even though they cook to a hot temp).

I didn't add wood (wife not a huge fan) but the chicken got much more of a lump flavor than any spatchcock I've ever made. Great charcoal flavor well into the meat and the skin was great.  Really just impressed with the thing and look forward to making the next one.

I cooked at around 360, 4.1 lbs., took 1 1/2 hours.  I checked temps at 1 1/4 and the thighs still had some spots under 150.  Let it roll another 15 minutes and everything was kosher.  The flavor was phenominal.  Very moist.  I think next time I may untruss the wings for the last 15 minutes of the cook to crisp them up on the inside, though.

Pics...

.

.

.

That looks amazing. Personally I think Rotisserie chicken is one of the best things you can cook at home. Way, way better than any supermarket variety.  

I see you have the Big Joetisserie, it fits good on the BGE XL? I want one of those but wanted to ask if it works good as far as fit? Thanks in advance!

I did 2 chickens on my XL Joetisserie yesterday. The fit is good, it's  not perfect as lots of smoke comes out everywhere around the lid. But in all fairness, I was using a CyberQ to keep the firebox temperature at 350, so the fan was running a lot and that accounted for a lot of extra smoke escaping under the lid. It is a well made product and it produced some fine rotisserie chicken. I used cherry wood for smoke and had most of the charcoal pushed to the back of the egg. Entire cook took about 90 minutes.

KiterTodd

EggbertGreenII said:

I did 2 chickens on my XL Joetisserie yesterday. The fit is good, it's  not perfect as lots of smoke comes out everywhere around the lid. But in all fairness, I was using a CyberQ to keep the firebox temperature at 350, so the fan was running a lot and that accounted for a lot of extra smoke escaping under the lid. It is a well made product and it produced some fine rotisserie chicken. I used cherry wood for smoke and had most of the charcoal pushed to the back of the egg. Entire cook took about 90 minutes.

How'd you like the cherry wood?  Light or strong smoke flavor?

I'm going to roast another one today.  Wife doesn't like things too smoky but I figure a little bit may be okay. 

EggbertGreenII

KT, cherry wood seems milder to me as I prefer to smoke most meats with hickory or oak wood. The cherry wood does seem to give poultry a nice bronze color and a very pleasant taste IMO.

KiterTodd

Made another one last night.  It was even juicier than the last one.  Slightly different rub this time (used some Mole paste I had from the rub/sauce exchange).

Now I'm looking for some other things to spin on this.

What kind of beef would be good with minimal prep?

Last night's chicken...