Rotisserie Mod for MES 30/40 with Diagram

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netbbq

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Oct 28, 2012
103
11
Northeast TN
I've been thinking about a mod for a MES 30/40 that would involve a standard rotisserie.  Seems simple enough.  Drill holes on either side ensuring that they are effectively level or can be made level with leg adjustments, etc.  Install some sort of threaded insert that could be RTV'd on either side and tightened down for an appropriate seal.  The hole would be large enough for that and then the interior of the insert wide enough to handle the spindle of the rotisserie.  

Insert the spindle of the rotisserie through the exterior hole into the interior and then slide on the "holders" then slide the spindle through the opposite side.  

With the MES 30 the insulated sides and the small holes with the spindle should not have a significant impact on the temperature control (no more than wood chip loader).   

I don't have the cajones to do this on my new MES, but curious whether someone else has tried something like this.  Sounds like a match made in heaven.  Could be used for turkey, chicken, large pork loin, etc.

Very rough diagram below....what do you think????  Note the AMZNPS in the lower left!

 
That sounds really Cool! I have no tools to do a job like that but if you or any one else works out the details I would love to see the plans. This sounds like a new project for Dave Omak...
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...JJ
 
I did this to my 30" mes . I kind of gave up on it . It worked but the "skewer" of my unit was pretty long so you had to have the food way over to one end of the skewer to slide it thru the hole in the smoker and then slide the food towards the other end as you pushed the skewer thru that side of the smoker far enough so you can slide the other end of the skewer thru the other side of the smoker and as you do that you are then centering the food on the skewer . I have an idea none of that makes sense ?? I ghuess it would be easier for me to say it worked but I need to shorten the skewer , because it's made to just set it on top of a grill into it's brackets which are maybe 2 or 3 feet apart as opposed to installation on a smoker where you have to poke one end thru a hole in the side of the smoker and poke it thru far enough so you can poke the other end thru the hole in the other side of the smoker and while you're doing it you are also sliding the food along the skewer . I did a chicken on mine and didn't really notice any difference . I came to the conclusion of shortening the skewer but never bothered to do it .
 
Interesting. While pondering this idea, that came to mind. I've seen skewers that adjust down the length. I guess I was just thinking that the rotisserie action might make for a more even cook and that smokey goodness to meat (ha!) More of the chicken.
 
for me I tried it because when I just put a chicken in there on the rack when it's done the cavity has some liquid in it and I thought on a rotisserie the liquid would be constantly making contact with the entire interior surface as opposed to just creating a puddle , so I thought it would be like basting it on the inside constantly , but I didn't really notice any difference . I think I did a turkey breast that way also , but with that there's no interior cavity so I didn't really note any difference in that either . At the time I was working with it I was thinking of a way to hold a rack of ribs but I gave up . I guess I don't feel there is a need to rotate the food because the heat is pretty even all around the food ( within 20 degrees , say ) as opposed to sitting on top of a pile of charcoal where so much more heat is underneath but  on top of the food maybe it's 200 degrees cooler ( just a number , I don't know the actual temp. difference ) With a charcoal setup I do see where rotating the food would be beneficial.
 
I saw this thread right after it was posted.....  I tightly closed my eye lids to a squint.... put my index fingers in my ears and shouted NEENER NEENER NEENER and closed the thread.....  In the 10 seconds I viewed the thread, I said to myself..... WOW, that is a cool idea and then went bonkers......  

Thank you all for thinking of me...... Bride would kick my butt......   
 
I think this would be a better Idea, if you could not drill holes in the cabinet and mount your motor, a shorter pole all inside the unit.  Doing that would not mean trying to mount the meat in an already heated smoker as jsdspif said was a problem in an earlier post.  I would basically be set it on mounts type of install.

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I've been thinking about a mod for a MES 30/40 that would involve a standard rotisserie.  Seems simple enough.  Drill holes on either side ensuring that they are effectively level or can be made level with leg adjustments, etc.  Install some sort of threaded insert that could be RTV'd on either side and tightened down for an appropriate seal.  The hole would be large enough for that and then the interior of the insert wide enough to handle the spindle of the rotisserie.  

Insert the spindle of the rotisserie through the exterior hole into the interior and then slide on the "holders" then slide the spindle through the opposite side.  

With the MES 30 the insulated sides and the small holes with the spindle should not have a significant impact on the temperature control (no more than wood chip loader).   

I don't have the cajones to do this on my new MES, but curious whether someone else has tried something like this.  Sounds like a match made in heaven.  Could be used for turkey, chicken, large pork loin, etc.

Very rough diagram below....what do you think????  Note the AMZNPS in the lower left!

I like if someone did this mod they'd have to really be good about foiling over all surfaces underneath the rotisserie because I think liquid fat mixed in with rub and sauce would drip everywhere. I agree with what Bear has said elsewhere that due to the design of the MES heat rises and surrounds the meat being smoked so a rotisserie isn't really needed. At the most someone might want to turn a chicken or small turkey over once during a smoke.
 
I thought about this years ago, and I find no reason to put one in for any of my Smokes.

I can't think of any of my smokes being wet on the outside, so there wouldn't be any juices to run around the meat as it turns.

Might help those who do a lot of Chickens, but I never baste anything in my MES.

When I do Thighs or Drums, I don't even flip them one time any more, because it's not necessary. They get heat & smoke on ALL sides, just laying there.

My MES is made to heat the whole cabinet so the heat & smoke completely surround everything I put in there.

Seems like a waste of time & energy, and it would be in my way 100% of the time.

Not to say that somebody else might think it's a good thing.

Bear
 
 
I thought about this years ago, and I find no reason to put one in for any of my Smokes.

I can't think of any of my smokes being wet on the outside, so there wouldn't be any juices to run around the meat as it turns.

Might help those who do a lot of Chickens, but I never baste anything in my MES.

When I do Thighs or Drums, I don't even flip them one time any more, because it's not necessary. They get heat & smoke on ALL sides, just laying there.

My MES is made to heat the whole cabinet so the heat & smoke completely surround everything I put in there.

Seems like a waste of time & energy, and it would be in my way 100% of the time.

Not to say that somebody else might think it's a good thing.

Bear
I think the first clue that heat and smoke surround anything inside the smoker is that when you open the door THE SMOKER IS FILLED WITH SMOKE! And although I'm responding to you, Bear, I open up this question to everyone else in this thread: Isn't the meat you cook on the smoker racks fully cooked on both sides when you take it out of the smoker? Of course it is. And the air inside a smoker is so moist and smoky to begin with there's no need for a water-filled pan or a motorized rotisserie. For me it would be a waste of electrical energy to keep the thing running when it wasn't necessary in the first place.

The one area I differ from you, Bear, is that I do baste ribs and beef brisket at times. But that's only in the last 30-40 minutes of smoking when I've removed the foil and I'm just layering on more flavor by brushing on some BBQ sauce to also help firm up the bark.
 
 
I think the first clue that heat and smoke surround anything inside the smoker is that when you open the door THE SMOKER IS FILLED WITH SMOKE! And although I'm responding to you, Bear, I open up this question to everyone else in this thread: Isn't the meat you cook on the smoker racks fully cooked on both sides when you take it out of the smoker? Of course it is. And the air inside a smoker is so moist and smoky to begin with there's no need for a water-filled pan or a motorized rotisserie. For me it would be a waste of electrical energy to keep the thing running when it wasn't necessary in the first place.

The one area I differ from you, Bear, is that I do baste ribs and beef brisket at times. But that's only in the last 30-40 minutes of smoking when I've removed the foil and I'm just layering on more flavor by brushing on some BBQ sauce to also help firm up the bark.
Exactly---I've done that a few times too, as do many others. They're good that way!!

LOL---But like you said we don't need a Rotisserie to sauce it up near the end, and I wouldn't want to put my Ribs on a Rotisserie.
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I have in the past, put sauce on near the end & move the ribs to the Gas Grill, but that's a PITA if some of it is FOTB by then.

Bear
 
 
Exactly---I've done that a few times too, as do many others. They're good that way!!

LOL---But like you said we don't need a Rotisserie to sauce it up near the end, and I wouldn't want to put my Ribs on a Rotisserie.
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I have in the past, put sauce on near the end & move the ribs to the Gas Grill, but that's a PITA if some of it is FOTB by then.

Bear
Last Daddy's Day I started some bone-in ribeye steaks in my MES 30 and moved them to my Weber One Touch Silver kettle grill to reverse sear them. Too much work. From now on I'll use a pellet smoker in my kettle grill for the smoky flavor but cook the steaks over charcoal briquettes.

Showed my wife the photo of that smoked rotisserie chicken. As I figured, she didn't think it looked good either. You need to roast a chicken at a temp a lot higher than 275 degrees max to put out a decent product. You want that skin brown and crispy and the meat moist and tender inside. You know what does that as well as a rotisserie? Beer can chicken on a charcoal grill (I WILL NOT cook on a propane grill. I consider it an abomination and a sacrilege.
 
True on paper & in cookbooks, but I've made a couple Prime Ribs in my Showtime (years ago), and a whole lot of them in my MES.

Even without thinking of the Smoke, the ones I made in my MES (Laying still in or out of a Pan) are Far better than the couple I made in the Showtime Rotisserie.

And as for the juice being distributed, I never need Au Jus with the Prime Ribs I make in my MES, because they don't drip during the Smoking process. All of the juices are still in the Prime Rib, and it is in every fork-full. Spinning those Prime Ribs could not have possibly distributed the internal juices any better. And since there are no drippings to speak of, there are no juices on the surface to be doing any basting with.

I would imagine if I used higher smoking temps, I could get more juices dripping for basting, but then I wouldn't be getting the wall to wall perfect Pink, Med-Rare Prime Ribs like I get at my lower temps.

The proof is in the Prime Ribs.  None of these were made on a Rotisserie:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/138992/prime-rib-calendar-my-favorite-smokes

BTW: I'm betting you haven't been in a 'Vette in years, Jimmy. I used to ride around in 'Vettes back in the 60s & 70s all the time, and it was fun. However I rode in my Son's 2008 'Vette one time---NEVER AGAIN !!!  I'd rather try to fold myself into a Sardine Can---My Bones don't bend into those positions easily!!! My Back hurt for days!!

Bear
 
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I would think the meat would cook more evenly with a rotisserie, but only marginally.  The smoker is really and oven vs a grill.  A rotisserie is perfect for a grill.  Also, doing something like a butt, wouldnt it just fall apart?  You would probably be limited in what you can cook on there (160F etc).

All in all a huge TUs for the idea and effort, but Im not sure its practical.  However, we need test results and Qview!  Who's got a rotisserie mod already?
 
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How did I get involved in this thread? It was started THREE years ago. I think I confused it with the other thread where a guy was proudly showing off the rotisserie he installed in his MES. I'll find that one and comment there.
 
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