The Spinner Learning Curve

[sawhorseray]

you got that dialed in quick! the last two cooks look fantastic!

Thanks Dave! I found the lower temp not only gave the look I was after but also imparted a better smoke flavor! Thanks for the Like Dave, I do appreciate it. RAY

sawhorseray

Ray

In my opinion looks are only for the fancy hi-end restaurants so they can charge a fortune for a thimble full of food.

If it tastes great then you have achieved the important final end result. There have been many dishes I have had that looked fabulous but tasted like they should have been road kill.

Looks count to a degree but how it tastes is the measuring stick.

There is a story behind this but this guy I called "The Firewalker." Looked like a Ho Bo with tattered clothing but was the best turkey I ever tasted.

It does seem that you are achieving both taste and looks though,

Have fun,

John

I agree 100%, it's all about the flavor of the finished product. When serving company I do feel it's somewhat important to have an appearance that's more appetizing than the first two cooks, especially the first one, I was very close to just making chicken salad out of that. Was happy I didn't, live and learn, the skin was delicious! RAY

 

[OldSmoke]

Certainly looks delicious!

A winner never quits and a quitter never wins.

I’ve never considered myself to be the smartest guy on the block, but I am persistent as hell, and that usually gets me over the finish line!

 

[Sven Svensson]

My last bird fell off and landed in the fire. So I’ll be watching and learning from you before I make another attempt.

 

[sawhorseray]

Certainly looks delicious!


I’ve never considered myself to be the smartest guy on the block, but I am persistent as hell, and that usually gets me over the finish line!

If you never quit you never fail, persistence always pays off in the long run, at least it does for guys like us. Thanks for the Like OS, much appreciated! RAY

My last bird fell off and landed in the fire. So I’ll be watching and learning from you before I make another attempt.

Keep at it Sven! Make sure to tie the wings with cooking twine, then put it on the skewer and stab the prongs in tight, then apply the rub. Doing a whole yardbird tomorrow tho this post seems to have run it's course. Feel free to PM me anytime, I'm always around. Thanks for the Like Sven, I do appreciate it! RAY

 

[Steve H]

If you want the rotisserie and pizza option I got this for my 22 - $79.99 and also works great. Not sure why it says $99.99 below when I click on it it is $79.99

I got that one for 79.00 as well. Then painted it to match my kettle. I really like it. And I'm hoping to use it again soon.

 

[Steve H]

You're really getting the hang of it Ray! Looks great!

 

[tx smoker]

Most excellent my friend!! Was so cool to see the progression going through your pics and processes. I was heartbroken when you finished the first cook and were going to toss the whole setup. I've done enough cooks on a rotisserie to know that some amazing food can be done that way. The fact that you stuck with it and got it figured out is going to be a huge benefit to your future cooking endeavors. You've opened a new door that will provide endless possibilities for amazing food. Congrats Ray!!

Robert

 

[sawhorseray]

You're really getting the hang of it Ray! Looks great!

Thank you Steve! After a rocky start i'm now beginning to love the spinner, doing a big yardbird on it later today. Thanks for the Like amigo, much appreciated! RAY

Most excellent my friend!! Was so cool to see the progression going through your pics and processes. I was heartbroken when you finished the first cook and were going to toss the whole setup. I've done enough cooks on a rotisserie to know that some amazing food can be done that way. The fact that you stuck with it and got it figured out is going to be a huge benefit to your future cooking endeavors. You've opened a new door that will provide endless possibilities for amazing food. Congrats Ray!!

Robert

Thank you Robert! Pretty much like when I got my offset smoker it was all a question of learning heat control. Trial and error, the chain method for charcoal it what works for me, getting some nice smoke flavor and a juicy attractive finished product, can't ask for more than that. Thank you for the Like my friend, I do appreciate it! RAY

 

[tander28]

It is always fun to try out new toys, looks like you've got this one figured out!

 

[schlotz]

Way to tuff it out RAY! I agree with you, we first start to eat with our eyes so the mood is set before the mouth locks onto the first bite. I'll be watching for the next spinner episode. BTW one of our fav's is a pork loin.

 

[xray]

It’s great to see you got the spinner dialed in Ray! I’d be happy with a plate from any of the previous attempts. Excellent job!

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

Damn Ray looks like you got the hang of it in a hurry! Everything looks delicious! Keep spinnin!

 

[sawhorseray]

It is always fun to try out new toys, looks like you've got this one figured out!

Thanks John! After a few cooks it's now a piece of cake, just had to get the heat source dialed in, snake method works for me. Thanks for the Like John, I do appreciate it. RAY

Way to tuff it out RAY! I agree with you, we first start to eat with our eyes so the mood is set before the mouth locks onto the first bite. I'll be watching for the next spinner episode. BTW one of our fav's is a pork loin.

Thanks Scholtz! I hadn't even thought of spinning a pork loin until now, thanks, that's on the docket! Been chowing down on yardbird and lamb for what seems like forever, time for a steak!

It’s great to see you got the spinner dialed in Ray! I’d be happy with a plate from any of the previous attempts. Excellent job!

Thanks Joe! That's one of the great aspects of this hobby, even when things don't turn out exactly as expected there's still a nice dinner to be had, ate every bite of every cook. Spun another bird last night that was the juiciest I've ever smoked, came out pretty too, time to take a little break from the spinner. Thanks for the Like amigo, I appreciate it! RAY

 

[schlotz]

Thanks Scholtz! I hadn't even thought of spinning a pork loin until now, thanks, that's on the docket! Been chowing down on yardbird and lamb for what seems like forever, time for a steak!

When you're ready, take a look at the spinning pork loin recipe in the sig below.

 

[mneeley490]

Thanks for the report, Ray. I've noticed on mine that it is somewhat harder to keep the temp down using the rotisserie and baskets, as there are more gaps for oxygen to enter. Do you have any idea what the temps were running on those first two cooks?

 

[sawhorseray]

Thanks for that Scholtz! I don't have or use any gas equipment, just coals and wood chunks on either a 22" or 26" Weber kettle, only setup to spin on the 22. I'm really liking the look of that recipe and will tweak just a little to fit what I want to do. RAY

 

[sawhorseray]

Thanks for the report, Ray. I've noticed on mine that it is somewhat harder to keep the temp down using the rotisserie and baskets, as there are more gaps for oxygen to enter. Do you have any idea what the temps were running on those first two cooks?

All I really know is that using the baskets or SnS were too hot a fire on my first two cooks Mike. Both those cooks took a hair more than one hour, not great smoke flavor or penetration cooking that fast, tho nice skin and still juicy. I really think the charcoal chain method with wood chunks is the way to go, that's what I did on yesterday's smoked yardbird, took 2 hours and 45 minutes. It was the juiciest bird ever with great smoke flavor, tho the trade-off is that the skin does not have the ideal texture, a bit rubbery, didn't eat it. I reckon you can't have it both ways so if I want a nice smoke flavored juicy bird I'll go with the spinner, legs and wings go with the Vortex for crispy skin, still nice and juicy. I never look at the thermometer on the Weber anymore, they are junk and tell lies. RAY

 

[clifish]

All I really know is that using the baskets or SnS were too hot a fire on my first two cooks Mike. Both those cooks took a hair more than one hour, not great smoke flavor or penetration cooking that fast, tho nice skin and still juicy. I really think the charcoal chain method with wood chunks is the way to go, that's what I did on yesterday's smoked yardbird, took 2 hours and 45 minutes. It was the juiciest bird ever with great smoke flavor, tho the trade-off is that the skin does not have the ideal texture, a bit rubbery, didn't eat it. I reckon you can't have it both ways so if I want a nice smoke flavored juicy bird I'll go with the spinner, legs and wings go with the Vortex for crispy skin, still nice and juicy. I never look at the thermometer on the Weber anymore, they are junk and tell lies. RAY

Agree on this Ray, snake method for whole birds and vortex for pieces. My thermometer on my new performer is accurate....so far.

 

[sawhorseray]

Yeah, I was thinking of replacing the POS that came with the ring with a Tel-Tru and decided it'd be a waste of money. My TP-20 works great for meat on the grill, used a Meater on the first two cooks, didn't work, that's gone already. RAY

 

[bauchjw]

Sorry Ray! Late response! Really cool thread, it was awesome seeing the progress and you really got it dialed in. I was just debating on marinating a whole bird, this may be a nudge I needed to get that 22 attachment! Locked in cook with amazing results and a tutorial as a bonus! Points for sure!