Thread: Spittin' chickens - What's your method ??

Hi folks! My gas grille has an independent rear IR heater for use with a spit. I can only recall using it once to spit a chicken and the result was most excellent! I use a fairly large bird of 6-8 lbs. (capon preferred) and cook it for 1.5 to 2 hours. The time is determined mostly by the size. I don't stuff the bird but I baste it frequently (inside with a baster and outside with a brush) with a mix of orange juice and "secret herbs & spices", my Dad's concoction. There's a tray under the rotating bird to catch the drippings and as it cooks that mixture accummulates a lot of the natural fats and juices along with the mix that I continue to use for basting right up to the end.

Next week I want to repeat this, but as it will be an after work effort I need to cut down the cooking time as much as possible. Would 2 smaller birds cook quicker? I would suspect as much but I wanted to get the opinion/experience of our extablished outdoor gourmet braintrust.

What other techniques do you use for chicken on a spit ??

Originally Posted by bhelms

Hi folks! My gas grille has an independent rear IR heater for use with a spit. I can only recall using it once to spit a chicken and the result was most excellent! I use a fairly large bird of 6-8 lbs. (capon preferred) and cook it for 1.5 to 2 hours. The time is determined mostly by the size. I don't stuff the bird but I baste it frequently (inside with a baster and outside with a brush) with a mix of orange juice and "secret herbs & spices", my Dad's concoction. There's a tray under the rotating bird to catch the drippings and as it cooks that mixture accummulates a lot of the natural fats and juices along with the mix that I continue to use for basting right up to the end.

Next week I want to repeat this, but as it will be an after work effort I need to cut down the cooking time as much as possible. Would 2 smaller birds cook quicker? I would suspect as much but I wanted to get the opinion/experience of our extablished outdoor gourmet braintrust.

What other techniques do you use for chicken on a spit ??

I don't have a IR heater on my Weber Genesis, but if I were to do a whole chicken on the grill, I'd cook it over indirect-medium heat for about 1 to 1-1/2 hours for a 3.5 to 5lb bird. If you're cooking to temperature, cook till 160-170ºF or until the juices run clear. Make sure to let rest for 10 minutes before slicing so the juices can redistribute. For such a long cook, I'd also try brining the bird before grilling to ensure moistness.