As has become our annual tradition, hubby cooked our 18-pound turkey on his Weber Charcoal Grill. It was one of the most delicious birds I’ve ever enjoyed. The best part was that it was cooked 100% “off the grid.”
The charcoal is a no-brainer. Lots of people know how to use charcoal to cook their meat.
But the secret of a well-cooked bird is the rotisserie attachment which spins the meat at a slow speed. This year, the small but powerful rotisserie motor was powered by our new “Solar System,” three 15-watt solar panels which we recently installed at The Ringer Ranch.
These three photovoltaic panels convert the sun’s rays into electricity, which is stored in a 12-volt deep-cycle marine battery. The inverter (shown below) converts the 12-volt system into 120 volts, suitable for household use.
To learn more about how we installed these solar panels, click here.
Hubby proudly points out his delicious turkey spinning on the grill.
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Our three 15-watt solar panels are on top of the shed roof.
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The electrical items (inverter, solar controller and battery) are inside the shed. Notice the orange extension cord coming out of the inverter? That is powering the rotisserie.
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The most amazing part is that the solar panels were charging the battery *faster* than the rotisserie motor was drawing off power. And this was at 8:00 am.
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Safety first. Hubby uses the five-gallon bucket to keep the cords out of the wet dew.
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It was indeed a most splendiferous bird!
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Want a “solar system” of your own? We did it for $351 (total cost). To buy your own, click here.
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To learn more about Sears Homes, click here.
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To read about a very happy Thanksgiving in 1918, click here.
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Ham Radio and Solar Panels and I recall you once stayed at a retreat in Idaho where you lived in an 8 x 10 tarpaper shack writing your Sears Manifesto. I think you’re watching too many of those “Survivalist” shows on TV.
@Dale Wolicki
LOL. A lot.
And all that you say is true.
I have nothing that I can possibly add. 🙂
I grill a turkey all the time on my Weber kettle. Now I don’t have that fancy spinning rotisserie set up to solar panels, so I am a bit envious. I do agree that it turns out a splendid, tasty turkey and it frees my oven up for other goodies to cook inside. I swear by the cooking ability of those Weber kettles.