Anyone who is used to rotisserie cooking will appreciate the splendid results that can be achieved.  However, some people who are new to rotisseries can struggle.  Here are a few tips that can save a lot of grief.

If you are having a special event, please do a dry run.  If you're going to make mistakes, make them in private anad not in front of your expectant guests!

The most common mistakes are overloading and balancing.

Overloading is where the motor is being asked to do more than it can deliver. There are a lot of motors on the market and they all have a stated load limit.  That load limit does not mean the same as weight.  The more powerful motors do cost a lot more, but it is well worth the investment.  Cypriot style rotisserie bbq's are primarily designed for lighter loads.  They cook lamb chops (Souvla) and tend to cut up joints, rather tha cook the whole joint.  As a result, motors supplied as standard with this type of rotisserie, tend to be fairly light duty.  Stepping up fro those motors, there are 12 volt motors that also come with a mains transformer. Having the transformer also gives a variable speed. However, a note of caution.  The speed variation is managed by reducing the voltage.  Reduce the voltage and you als reduce the amount of weight the motor will turn.

The other types of motor that are available are those with a double slot on the back for fixing.  These come in many shapes and sizes and most are produced in China.  Manufacturers make some exagerated claims about how much their motors can handle.  We test all motors and generally find that the load limit is roughly two thirds of that claimed by the manufacturer.

Balancing is absolutely vital when cooking on a rotisserie.  Unbalanced meat can exact a tremendous additional loading on a motor.  Difficult joints such as a leg of lamb, will probably have to be skewered 5 or 6 times before balance is achieved.  Boned joints are much easier to manage.  Failure to balanace meat on the skewer will damage your motor.  It's well worth the time to get it right.  Also, you must secure the meat to the skewer by using meat retaining forks.  If, after these have been put in place, the meat still moves, wire it up.  Meat should be solid on the skewer.  Diring cooking meat shrinks, so the meat forks will have to be adjusted during cooking.  Don't do this while the meat is turning.  Take the skewer off and do it - using oven gloves as the skewer will be hot.  If you have one, use a counterbalance for larger pieces of meat.

So - Don't push the boundaries with your motor.  Treat it with respect and work well within its limits.  Take care to balance and stabilise the meat on the skewer(s).  Do these two things and you will have traouble free rotisserie cooking events.

If you are planning an event and woould like some advice, please call us on 01494 511368