This is an attachment to my charcoal grill. It allows you to put on whole birds and big chunks of meat and roast them over coals. It is far superior to the kitchen rotisserie with one exception, this is not a set it and forget it device. It does require the user to monitor the food’s progress.

Why I got it
My wife bought me a generic electric rotisserie. She knew I liked to cook so she thought this would be a nice present (kind of like buying her a vacuum on mothers day.) From the beginning we had problems with the unit from excessive smoking in the kitchen, broken pieces, some features that did not work. Well the store had a no return policy (one of those "as seen on TV stores") so she couldn't return it. Well it eventually it got put in the trash and I bought this unit for my grill instead. And except for a little bit of work, it is a great accessory for my grill.

What it comes with
You have a wooden handle, a metal rod, two claws, and the motor unit. The claws slide on then screw on to the metal rod. The wooden handle also screws onto one of the sides.

How it works.
It basically has 5 pieces plus the hardware to keep it in place. The first part is the skewer and it is approximately 32 inches long. Attached on one end is a wooden handle. The lip of the wooden handle leans on the grill itself so that the skewer stays in place. The other end is a four-corner spear shaped object that is inserted into the mechanical drive that spins the food. The fit has to be tight otherwise it will come loose while it is spinning.
It is powered by a small AC run motor.

Food capacity and food preparation
You could fit a 20 pound turkey(approximately) in this accessory if you really wanted to. Just make sure you tie up the bird really well. Whole chicken is wonderful on this device. It just bastes in its own juices and the connective tissue just disappears when you do it low and slow. But any bird you use needs to be tied up. Tying up will make the bird more balanced (so the motor doesn’t choke up.) It also keeps the wings and legs from dragging across the coals, which is not good eats.

What have I done?
Whole chicken- First thing you do is tie the bird up so the wings and legs don’t flap around when it cooks. Just use butchers twine. This is my favorite way of cooking whole chicken, but you do need to monitor it as it cooks.
Large chunk of beef- I have done several types of beef and they all have come out well. But like the chicken it requires some monitoring.

My recommendations
This entirely depends on your environment and where you live. If you live in an apartment, live where you have cold weather, or just do not like going outside then get a George Foreman or other type of electric rotisserie is better suited for your needs. They are great and work well (my in-laws have a Foreman and love it), and if you want a smoke flavor you can do that with very small wood chips the same way that they do it on Iron Chef (just make sure you have it under the hood vent.) The advantage of the electric machine is the simplicity involved, a monkey could operate one. But what these machines fail to do is add that unique flavor that charcoal adds. And it is much easier (and safer) to add wood chips to this type of grill. Yes it is not a set it and forget it product but the food is better in the end.

Problems
There are problems with this design. First it can only be used on a limited number of grills. It isn’t universal. You have to place the screw holding in the handle so it is just the right length. If it isn’t then it will pop out of the motor very easily. If it pops out then it will not spin, and your food will only cook on one side. Definitely not good eats.
And as I said, you need to monitor it periodically.

Accessories
There is a basket you can use. So instead of using the sharp claw clamps, you put vegetables and other stuff in the basket. The food rotates in the basket having it cook on all sides. It is small enough that you can put a whole chicken and the basket on at the same time.

Some of my grilling tools.
Char-Griller Super Pro Charcoal Grill
Charcoal Starter Chimney
Kristline Skewers
Bamboo Skewers


Recommended: Yes