Spit Roasting: Bringing People Together

Spit Roasting: Bringing People Together Medieval style

To the modern observer, the sight of a whole carcass impaled upon the horizontal bar of a contemporary spit roaster, slowly turning over the coals as the meat bastes in its own redolent juices, appears positively medieval. In fact, it is. 

Above: 22kg pig on a spit

This method of cooking certainly dates farther back into human history, but the height of roasting meat on a spit for large crowds was indeed the Middle Ages. At that time, lodgings were equipped with large spit roasters housed in great hearths. A servant called a spit jack was employed for the sole purpose of turning the crank of the spit roaster all day long.

As technology improved, mechanical spits came into fashion, and with them came one fascinating design improvement. These giant rotisseries were powered by dogs. Indeed, a specific variant of man’s best friend was bred for the sole purpose of turning the spit for man’s best meal. These terrier-like turnspit dogs, prized for their courage to work near the fire and their loyal restraint in not eating the roast, took turns running in an apparatus similar to a hamster wheel. When the wheel turned, so did the spit roaster with its bounty of succulent meat.

Above: Lamb and beef on a spit

Modern spit roasters come in a variety of designs suited for a variety of hosts. This medieval cooking method, which yields meat celebrated for the tenderness that only comes with slow cooking and steady natural basting, allows contemporary hosts to cook for large groups with a dramatic flare. Even better, while the meat turns, the spit roaster itself becomes a center point of conversation, transforming the cooking of a meal into a festive occasion itself. Around this functional centerpiece, family and friends gather to share the experience of roasting meat in a manner certain to inspire jovial tales of adventure, conquest, and turn spit dogs.

Above: Beef and pork on a spit

Fire pits are back

The Return of the Fire Pit

 Few things in modern life carry the rustic appeal of the fire pit. Sitting around a raging fire, hands wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee, or perhaps a chilled cocktail or trendy microbrew, lends a sense of intimacy to a gathering of friends and hearkens back to simpler, even primitive, times.

It is no surprise that contemporary folk are drawn to modern recreations of the traditional fire pit. Indeed, humans can be thought of as carrying this drive to build fire within their very bones. Fire is not only a powerful tool for survival; it may be the very thing that civilized early humans. In ancient Greek mythology, the Titan god Prometheus, upon observing the suffering of the humans he had painstakingly molded out of clay, defied Zeus’ will to bring his creation something that would civilize humanity: fire. This gift allowed primitive humans to cook food, keep warm, and provided a hearth around which they could draw near and form community.

From that point forward, fire and the hearth became a central organizing principle for humanity. Indeed, the early fire pit was so unilaterally important in ancient tribes that modern archaeologists use carbon dating to determine when particular regions became populated or died out based on the charcoal still remaining in a primitive fire pit.

Certainly today’s fire pit is a far cry from the first campfire lighted by an ancestral human. Savvy hosts can now entertain around a wide range of fire pits suited for the simplest or most sophisticated sensibilities. However, the underlying principles remain the same. Fire pits are back, not only because they are trendy, but because they also allow people to gather, no matter the weather, and enjoy the company of friends and family in an atmosphere that can be described as magical.

So, strike a match. Kindle a flame. Slide a skewer through a succulent piece of bacon, an apple dredged in butter and brown sugar, or even the traditional marshmallow, and enjoy this postmodern spin on a timeless practice.

Charcoal or Gas?

Charcoal or gas?

I am often asked by customers whether they should buy a  charcoal or gas spit roaster. While it is tempting to recommend using gas because it is much cleaner to use than charcoal, and it takes less time to set up, I recommend charcoal EVERY SINGE TIME. 

Why you may ask? I’m a big believer that if you’re going to do something, you may as well do it properly. If you’re going to go to the trouble of sitting around watching your spit roasted meat cook for 3-5 hours, you may as well get the best flavour possible out of it.

Not only does charcoal cook your meat by the heat it emits, it also smokes the meat as it cooks; adding a rich and unique flavour. As your food cooks, the fire and smoke is absorbed by your food which add a smoky authentic flavour to any dish.

Despite what many people think, charcoal is also fairly easy to use. You simply place it into the charcoal starter or directly on the base of your spit roaster and light it to get a hot flame going. While it isn’t quite as easy to moderate the temperature as you can with gas, you can add more charcoal to the fire throughout the cooking process to increase the temperature, and also move your charcoal away from the food using a shovel or wood poker to reduce the temperature.

If safety is your concern, just keep a hose or a bucket of water in close proximity so you can quickly dampen the fire if needed. After all, gas certainly isn’t immune from causing its fair share of fires.

My final argument is usually if you’re going to cook a roast an outdoor gas spit roast, you may as well just use the ordinary oven in your kitchen!

Case dismissed!  

Spit roasted meat

Everybody loves succulent spit roasted meat cooked slowly over several hours. So what is the secret to cooking that perfect spit roasted meat?

There are a couple of essential steps to follow to guarantee your spit roasted meat remains the topic of conversation for weeks to come!

Purchasing your spit roasted meat:

Lambs and pigs will need to be ordered 1 week in advance, however other cuts of meat will be readily available from the supermarket or butcher. If you are pressed for time, you can purchase pre-marinated meat, otherwise you can do it yourself. 

Allow 1 kg of meat per person if you are spit roasting a whole lamb or pig, otherwise 300g per person should suffice.

Preparing your spit roasted meat: 

There are hundreds of recipes for spit roast marinades and spice rubs, but I believe it is best to keep it simple. The last thing you want is to add so many flavours over powers the taste of your spit roasted meat. Mix together salt, pepper and oregano and rub around your meat. Make small incisions using a knife and insert slithers of garlic. Allow the meat to sit at least an hour beforehand.

Prepare a basting mixture of salt, olive oil and lemon juice for basting your spit meat while cooking.

Remember if you're cooking a whole animal, it's good to give it a bit of a wash beforehand! 

Our new years day lunch taking its final bath!

Lighting your Charcoal

To give your spit roasted meat that authentic smokey flavour, I recommend using charcoal rather than other fuels such gas or heat beads. While it is possible to cook spit roasted meat using gas or heat beads, I have found that you simply cannot compare the flavour.  

The amount of charcoal you will need will vary depending on the amount of meat you are cooking. Charcoal is generally sold in 5, 10 or 20kg bags. As an approximate guide, allow 1 kg of charcoal for each kg of spit roasted meat.

Do not add all the charcoal in at once, as you will need to top up the charcoal throughout the cooking process. Start off by lighting approximately two-thirds of the charcoal and leave the remaining third for ‘top ups’. For example, if spit roasting a 20kg lamb, you will start out adding approximately 13kgs when you initially light your fire, and save the remaining 7kgs to ‘top up’ when your fire starts to dwindle as required.

Place charcoal in the middle of the tray and spread out to the approximate length of your spit roasted meat. Your line of charcoal should be as long as your spit roasted meat, approximately 10cm in width and 10cm in height. Once you have determined how much charcoal you require, push the charcoal into the middle of the tray and light at least 45 minutes prior to putting your spit roasted meat over the fire. Fire lighters will assist in getting the charcoal to ignite. A charcoal fire starter will also assist you in lighting your fire. Fill the fire starter with charcoal, light 3 fire starters in your spit close together and place the fire starter over the ignited fire starter

 

Once the charcoal is well lit and you are almost ready to place your spit roasted meat over the fire, spread out of charcoal to the length of your spit roasted meat You will need to place more charcoal around the most ‘meaty’ part of your animal i.e. more charcoal is required around the front/back legs compared to the stomach. It is important that the charcoal is not sitting directly under your spit roasted meat because as it cooks, you do not want the juice and fat dripping onto the charcoal. Should the juice or fat drip onto the charcoal, the charcoal may catch fire which may result in part of your spit roasted meat burning. 

Securing your spit roasted meat to the spit

If cooking pieces of spit roasted meat such as gyros, chickens, roasts etc rather than a whole animal, push the spit roasted meat through the pointy end of the skewer and hold into place with a fork/prong on either side. Try to push the spit roasted meat evenly onto the skewer so the weight of the meat is evenly distributed.

If spit roasting a whole animal, insert 1 prong/fork through the back legs and 1 prong/fork through the shoulders and insert a back brace through the spine of the animal and onto the skewer. Legs can either be secured using leg brackets, or stainless steel wire. Once you have seasoned the inside of your animal, use either wire or a thick needle and butchers string to stitch up the cavity.

It is imperative that you balance your spit meat correctly otherwise you will damage your spit roaster motor. To check that your spit roasted meat is balanced correctly, you should be able to put your skewer on the spit (without the motor) and slowly turn the skewer by hand without the load swinging down and dropping to the heavier size. If you are having difficulties balancing your load, a counter balance weight will assist.

Make sure you check the spit roasted at various times during the cooking process. Sometimes the thumbscrews can loosen, or the spit roasted meat may shrink and the forks may need to be adjusted, so keep a clean pair of pliers handy just in case. Always ensure you first switch the motor off at the power source and pull the motor’s plug out of the socket prior to fixing/re-adjusting the load!

Cooking temperature

Your spit roasted meat should be placed approximately 15cm from the coals while cooking and you should be able to hold your hand just under the spit roasted meat for approximately 10 seconds. If you cannot withstand the heat, the spit roasted meat will burn and you need to increase the distance between the charcoal and the meat. Alternatively, if you can hold your hand beyond 10 seconds, your meat will take too long to cook so you need to put your meat closer to the charcoal and add additional charcoal. Note: once you add additional charcoal, the temperature of the fire will decrease until the newly added charcoal is well ignited. It is therefore prudent to add more charcoal immediately once you notice that the charcoal is cooling down.

Basting your spit roast

Basting is an important part of the cooking process to ensure your meat doesn’t dry out while cooking.  Every half and hour is a good guide, however anytime you happen to be walking past should be fine. A typical basting mixture for spit roasted meat is 1 part lemon juice to 1 part olive oil mixed with a tablespoon of salt. This mixture is ideally applied with a sprig of fresh rosemary, however a basting brush will also do the job. Garlic lovers may also wish to add crushed garlic to the mixture

Knowing when your spit roast is ready

Cooking time will vary depending on the diameter and weight of your spit roasted meat, however as a guide: 

• Small roast 15cm diameter - 2.5 hours
• 2kg chicken – 2.5 hours
• Roast 25cm diameter – 4 hours
• 10kg lamb/pig- 4 hours
• 15kg lamb/pig- 5 hours
• 20kg lamb/pig- 6 hours
• 2kg chicken- 1.5hours

Cooking on a spit roast is not an exact science. There are several variables which impact on the cooking times. The best was to ensure you don’t over or undercook your meat is to test the internal temperature of the meat with a cooking thermometer.

Beef and Lamb	Pork	Chicken
Rare  60°C (140°F)	Medium 65°C (149°F)	Minimum    75°C (167°F)
Medium 65°C (149°F)	Well Done 75°C (167°F)
Well Done 70-75°C (158-167°F)

If you don’t have a thermometer, pierce the thickest part of the beast with a skewer or knife. The juices should run clear, without any trace of pink

Happy spit roasting! 

Introduction to outdoor cooking

Hi Everyone,

We are excited to announce the launch of our outdoor cooking blog!

As designers and manufacturers of spit roasts, pizza ovens, charcoal BBQs and fire pits, we have a range of hints and recipes we'd like to share with you all.

Upcoming posts:

• Tips to consider before purchasing a spit roast
• How to make your own spit
• Perfecting your spit roasted meat
• Turning your gas BBQ into a spit roaster
• Meat recipes - chicken, pork, lamb and beef
• Pizza recipes
• Cooking with wood fired pizza ovens

.......and many many more

In the meantime, we'd like to leave you with the thought of mouth-watering roast pork cooking on a spit for 4 hours......this was our new years day lunch!