Except.... The basket is too small for a turkey or a large leg of lamb. A whole turkey would require a spit, and indeed, Weber sells one (the 9890). You would think Weber would package just the spit and clamps without the motor, so that a customer could own a system with two options - a basket and a spit. However, Weber does not package Rotisseries this way and will not sell the spit and attachments without the motor. (I asked, they refused.) You have to buy two motors if you want to use both a basket and a spit.

Weber would do well to take advantage of the great marketing opportunity afforded by packaging a basket and a spit with one motor, instead of blocking customers from acquiring such a desirable combination.

47 of 47 found the following review helpful:

Best chicken I've ever made  Oct 13, 2002
By Bruce
I love it. All the complaints here have some validity but are not serious:

- It's hard to tighten the screws enough for the baskets to hold the chickens in place. But I secure each chicken with one piece of twine as well. This is easy and does the trick. The manual says that as meat cooks and shrinks, you may need to tighten the baskets, but with twine I haven't needed to.

- The shaft sometimes comes loose from the basket which causes it to slip while turning. I now know to tighten the shaft with a wrench and check for slipping when I start cooking. If it does slip, it can be tightened without removing it from the grill.

- Cleaning takes a little effort but you don't need to disassemble it. Just make sure the screws are tight enough that they won't fall out in the dishwasher! I spray mine with water and let it sit wet at least a few minutes, then rub it quickly with an abrasive plastic sponge to remove or at least loosen any baked-on chunks; then I wash it on the heavy-duty cycle. If I remove the handle (easy) I can fit the rest of the assembly diagonally in my dishwasher. (It does barely fit so there is no guarantee it will fit another model of dishwasher.) I'm not sure any of these steps are necessary, but with them, it comes out spotless, and nothing else in the dishwasher gets dirty. This does take a little work to clean, but then again, roasting chickens in the oven leaves a mess too.

- Of course you need to bring the motor in after using it (or at least before it rains). But it easily slips out of the holder (which is screwed onto the grill).

The chickens I've made have been incredible. (With any cooking method, I also recommend brining -- soak 2 birds in 6 quarts water with 1.5 cups kosher salt (or 3/4 cup table salt) and 3/4 cup sugar for 4 hours, then rinse and dry before cooking).

34 of 36 found the following review helpful:

Redundant Failures  Jun 15, 2002
By Robert Grossman
We barbeque often, 12 months per year, using rotisserie 4 to 5 times a month. Despite the Weber name, the accessory rotisserie was obviously an import with a very cheaply designed gear motor. The first one lasted about three months. The first replacement ran for about 15 months before you could hear the bearing rattling and the gears starting to whine before it died. The final replacement has lasted about two years. The instructions on the third one advised that the unit be brought indoors when not in use. We did that with the first two as well, though we weren't informed it would be advisable to do so.

Our final word is that Weber should make quality control a top priority on source out products bearing their name...

25 of 26 found the following review helpful:

I use mine AT LEAST twice a week.  May 25, 2004
By W. Paddison "kogda"
Just so everyone knows, this product isn't actually manufactured by Weber. It is made by a company that has been custom designing this cradle rotisserie for commercial kitchens for over 20 years. They also make large catering equipment. They make this rotisserie for other grill companies like Viking, and Ducane. I bought mine directly from the company - EZ-Que, Inc. in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They are very popular where we live because they started marketing here first. I've been using mine at least 10 years - before Weber started carrying them a couple of years ago. The one I have is the exact same product. I give at least 2 or 3 of these a year as gifts - along with other cradle rotisserie products that EZ-Que, Inc. puts out- a campfire version called The Hobo, and a kettle ring rotisserie that fits Weber kettle grills. Mine still looks brand new, and I have NEVER encountered ANY of the problems that people mention in these reviews. I cook with it AT LEAST 2 times a week.

Some important things:

1. The 6" inch cradle is meant for cooking meats like chickens and small roasts. The 8" cradle is meant for cooking items like turkey and leg of lamb. The ones sold directly by EZ-Que come with a brochure that shows how to place different meats in the cradle. I don't think Weber packages this brochure with the product.

2. I have always cleaned mine in the dishwasher, and have never lost a part. If you soak the parts for 15 minutes they come out sparkling clean.

3. I have NEVER had meat fall out of the cradle. If someone is having a problem with that it must be because they have not read the instructions on how to place the meat. I have cooked things as small as . Ribs lie flat. You have to make sure to tighten down the clamps and finger screws.

4. EZ-Que, Inc. has a lifetime gaurantee on the cradle and parts. The motor that comes with the one marketed for Weber is not the motor that the company that manufactures the rotisserie sells with the cradle. The chrome plated motor that comes from EZ- Que is designed for the cradle.

I have done a lot of business with the owner of the company over the years, and I know he takes a great deal of pride in his products. He loves to hear comments about what people think about his products. I just saw him at a barbecue industry show in California where the company took the product of the year award for his design. His name is John, and the company phone number is 248-373-0666.

My reccomendation is to buy it straight from the manufacturer - the company always gives great service, can answer any questions about how to use the rotisserie, offers a life time warranty, and it comes with a much better motor.

16 of 16 found the following review helpful:

Stop and Save Your Money!!  Jan 16, 2004

First, you need to know that I am a Weber fan from my first kettle to my current Gensis A. I bought this rotisserie because (1) I thought it was a new and improved model and (2) it was the only one carried by Amazon for my model grill when I bought my Genesis. Since I saved so much money on my Genesis, I thought I would treat myself and my guests to some great rotisserie recipes.

My rotisserie arrived the day before I was to host my first barbeque dinner of the spring/summer. I eagerly assembled it, tested it, and heaved a great sigh of relief--it was working. (The Genesis A requires that ALL grills and the warming tray be removed to allow the food to turn--and I did all this.) However, my planned dinner, two whole small fryers, was NOT fitting AND staying inside the half-grill basket. That was the only time I referred to it as a half-grill for it soon became evident that it was a "horse" of a different color! It was now some 45 minutes before my family was to arrive. My chickens had spent more time on the flavor deflectors than in the "basket." One chicken had lost over 50% of it's skin, the bunches of fresh herbs I had inserted into the cavity of each chicken looked like they had been run over by a lawn mower. It was time to swallow my pride: I called the Weber Hot Line.

I spent the next 15 minutes with a very nice person; she was very sympathetic and did her best to help, but we couldn't get those chickens to stay on the rotisserie. So, I disassambled the whole thing, put my grids back in place and finished off my sorry-looking, but great-tasting chickens on top of the grill.

A few days later, when I was calmer, I again called Weber and related my tale of woe. I asked if I could return the rotisserie--no. I asked if I could get a refund or credit--no. You see this rotisserie is NOT manufactured by Weber but by a contract supplier. However, Weber did send me a kit to refurbish (read "replace") my "basket" into the original Chef's rotisserie which made it identical to my old one and more useable.

As I pointed out to Weber, the basket would work if they had created a whole basket; that is, two halves that could be locked together. So good luck to you if this item is on your purchase list. Get a good pair of fire proof gloves because you will have to remove your meat periodically to readjust the locking pins--they are very short pins--as your meat cooks and shrinks, well.... Or you could just let it fall out onto your flavor deflectors; it just will be very crispy!

See all 40 customer reviews on Amazon.com