These simple kits allow you to spit-roast chicken, pork, lamb, and more on your kettle-style charcoal grill.
Published Sept. 10, 2021.
We tested three rotisserie kits for 22.5-inch kettle-style charcoal grills. Each kit was composed of a simple ring, a spit, and a motor that fit atop our winning and Best Buy charcoal kettle-style grills, both made by Weber. Our favorite kit, the Weber 2290 22-inch Charcoal Kettle Rotisserie, was the most reliable, easiest to use, and most powerful model we tested. It produced crispy-skinned, perfectly moist chicken as well as well-browned, juicy lamb.
Converting your charcoal grill into a rotisserie for spit-roasting meats is simple with a charcoal grill rotisserie kit. A metal ring (about 6 inches tall) that supports the spit sits on the rim of your kettle-style grill, while a small motor (which you plug into an electrical outlet) turns the spit continuously. You put the grill’s lid on top of the ring, forming an oven-like chamber, and your meat cooks. As the meat turns, juices and seasonings stay mostly inside it and on it, rather than dripping away, so the result is extra-juicy, crisp, well browned, slightly smoky, and flavorful.
We tested three models that are designed to fit kettle-style models with diameters of 22 to 22.5 inches, including our winning and Best Buy charcoal grills, the Weber Performer Deluxe Charcoal Grill and Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill, 22-Inch. One kit was made by Weber; the others were designed to fit any kettle-style model of 22 to 22.5 inches in diameter. While all three looked similar, we discovered that our winner has key engineering details that made it stand out.
The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing. We stand behind our winners so much that we even put our seal of approval on them.
Lisa is an executive editor for ATK Reviews, cohost of Gear Heads on YouTube, and gadget expert on TV's America's Test Kitchen.