Rotisserie Cooking

[TMarie]

Does anyone have any information on Countertop Rotisserie Cooking appliances. Like Ronco's? TMarie

[n00bchef]

I recently purchased a counter top rotisserie... I did alot of research and even looked at the Ronco product line... While the Ronco got great reviews because it seems to have the most space inside, and also does a great job evenly cooking, it got the one knock that is very important to me... it is VERY difficult to clean. (not alot of parts to dismantle and wash individually... so you will find yourself tilting the whole unit over a sink to clean... cumbersome.

I went with the George Foreman Jr. rotisserie... the reflector panels slide out and the entire rotation mechanism comes out... its EASY to clean and works great. (I cooked a 10lb turkey in mine... it BARELY fit, but it did, and it came out great.) It can also do 2 whole chickens at once. I am very pleased with it, and from what I have read am happy I got that rather than the Ronco. (Although I must say the Ronco CAN do a 14lb turkey... but the cleaning nightmare isn't worth the tradeoff to me.)

Good luck! if you need a source or a link to the George Foreman Jr., drop me a note and I will see if I can dig it up.

-Jason

[chefwannabee]

Hi TMarie and Jason, I will echo Jasons comments regarding the George Forman Jr. I've had mine for about three years now and it does work nice. And as Jason stated, it's easy to clean. It took me about two years to discover that I could line the drip-pan with foil and simply discard the foil after each use. Thereby saving additional clean-up. I also discovered that the door/window can also be easily removed and placed in the dishwasher! When I first compared the two different brands, I came to the same conclusion as Jason, the Ronco is a great product and provided more inside space, but it would be a "bear" to clean. A question for Jason: what size chickens to you cook in yours? And how do you place them on the rotisserie "bracket". Do you place them so the legs are facing towards the front/back or side/side? I must be cooking larger chickens in mine because I have only been able to cook one at a time, and it is placed so the legs are facing the side. Thanks for the feedback. Hope this has been helpful to TMarie! Good luck and enjoy!
Steve

[n00bchef]

Hey chef... With regards to the chickens... I have only done the two chicken thing once... It was with two smaller chickens, and I skewered each through the side (near the crook of the wing) and put them side by side (similar to the picture you would see).

The tricky part is to make sure you skewer them in the right place... if you are a little too far back, you run the risk of one of the legs brushing against the burner and causing a bad burned smell.

Typically I only do one at a time, and when I do one bird I skewer it sideways through the neck and out the rear (like you would do to a turkey). This way is more forgiving since the chicken is "sideways".

If you want to try doing two, make sure they are smaller chickens (4-5lbs each?) take ONE of them, skewer it, and put it in the oven to make sure you have all the clearance you need for rotation, then when that is perfect, skewer the other one in the same place. (when putting the skewer through the side of the chicken, its a little difficult if you have to do it a second time 1 inch away)

[chefwannabee]

Thanks Jason! I'll give it a try with some smaller chickens soon. I've cooked steaks and halibat in the rotisserie (inside the basket) as well as a roast and all turn out great. Have fun, thanks again.

Steve

[n00bchef]

Hey Steve, one more thing to try if you haven't yet is to brine the chicken or turkey before you rotisserie it... brining the bird adds so much flavor. I typically use 1/4 cup sea salt per quart of water... if its a chicken let brine for about 4 hours, if doing a turkey, let brine for about 8 hours. *** Make sure there is plenty of ice to keep the water REAL cold when brining. (I usually use a medium sized cooler that fits a 14lb turkey well.)

-Jason

[chefwannabee]

Good idea Jason! I'll give that a try very soon as well. Thanks again!
Steve

[n00bchef]

It occurred to me that if I am going to suggest that you brine your birds, I should tell you how I do it Brining is an excellent way to increase flavor in poultry, but it must be done right. I know this is sort of branching off topic from the original post, but I would hate for you to brine your bird without instructions if you have never done it before.

Use 1/4 cup sea salt (or kosher salt) per 1 quart water. (If you want to use chicken broth instead of water, you can, just use a little less salt) make sure there is plenty of ice in the cooler.

Use a cooler that is just big enough to fit the bird. (you don't want to be mixing gallons and gallons of brine just to cover the bird in a large cooler)

I will usually add a variety of seasonings to taste into the brine solution. (Thyme, Rosemary, crushed black pepper, and sometimes a little white vinegar)

If it is a chicken, leave in the solution for 4 hours. (always cover the cooler)

If it is a turkey, leave in the solution for 8 hours. (always cover the cooler)

After taking the bird out of the brine solution, thouroughly rinse with cold water. After rinsing, pat dry with a paper towel and dress the bird however you like.

Not only do I do this with birds I rotisserie, but I also do it for birds that I grill. (beer can chicken works great with this!)

Anyway, let me know how it turns out!

-Jason

[chefwannabee]

Thanks again Jason! Great information. I've never "brinned" before so this will be interesting. I'll give it a try soon and let you know the results. Here's a question: Can you freeze the bird after brining? Or is that not good?? I ask because I thought that I could do two chickens at once and freeze one of them. Thanks again. Have a great weekend!

Steve

[n00bchef]

Steve... I am not sure if you can brine and then freeze a bird.. I imagine you can, however I would urge caution because I could see how the bird might get extremely dry and tough from the freezing process after brining.

Brining as a process dehydrates as well, so if you were to brine a bird and then freeze it (which causes further dehydration) you might end up with a dry bird.

-Jason

[Metrakay]

Just for another opinion, I've got a Ronco "Professional" model -- ul rated for outdoor use, came with heavy duty blanky, etc.

I've never had any problem cleaning it -- I just pull the reflector off the back and soak it. The drip tray catches everything that drips, the glass door cleans easily enough with soap & water and application of the occasional scruffy/brillopad. Cleaning the skewers is the hardest part, and I usually end up using easy-off on the gear parts.

It can do 4 chickens sideways or three lengthways. I don't like them done sideways. I purchased this one because it can do small-med. turkeys and legs of lamb.

It also makes a great furnace.

As long as you empty it before you turn it on, it makes a good bread keeper.

As far as brine goes, I like to use some lapsang souchang tea in the brine -- it imparts a smoky flavor without having to smoke the bird.