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 BeefEater 101 >
Operating Your BBQ >
USING THE ROTISSERIE
Using The Rotisserie
The Basics
Rotisserie cooking is one of the most exciting ways to cook on
your BeefEater. Not only is the rotisserie easy to use, but it
cooks beef, lamb, veal, pork, poultry or fish to perfection,
basting and browning the meat evenly on all sides, leaving it
tender and moist. |
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You have the choice of leaving the hood up, or down when using
the rotisserie. The option is really governed by the flavor you
are trying to produce. Foods cooked on the rotisserie with the
lid down, are in fact also being cooked by the convection
method, so they tend to be more tender, and have a more
traditional smoky BBQ flavor. It's really a matter of personal
taste. As you would expect, rotisserie cooking with the hood in
the up position takes a lot longer as much of the heat is lost
to the atmosphere.
The standard BeefEater rotisserie can be used for cooking whole
roasts and poultry. However to cook fish, poultry and meat
pieces, or certain vegetables - a flat rotisserie spit basket
will be needed. This handy item attaches to the rotisserie
holding the food flat in place.
Rotisserie cooking is simple and fun and produces results that
will make your mouth water. So take the time and patience to
experiment and learn how to cook various cuts of meat, fish and
poultry. We promise, your taste buds won't know what hit them!
The following articles detail how to place food onto the
rotisserie in an easy, stepby-step fashion, and also how to use
the rotisserie for best results.
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Setting Up
Here we detail how to place the food onto the rotisserie and
ensure that it is balanced. You complete these steps before you
turn the barbecue on. |
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Unlike other barbecues, you do not have to remove the cast iron grills immediately below the rotisserie cooking area when using the BeefEater rotisserie. However, depending upon the size of the poultry or joint you are cooking, you may have to remove the warming rack to ensure that the rotisserie has sufficient room to turn.
Secure meat to the rotisserie:- Loosen the thumbscrews of the right and left hand forks.
- Remove the left-hand fork from the centre skewer of the rotisserie.
- Take your uncooked, prepared roast or poultry and run the skewer directly through its centre.
- Replace the left-hand fork and push it and the right hand fork directly into the food so that the prongs are completely secured inside the meat.
- Then tighten the thumbscrews so that the meat remains in the correct position on the spit.
Balance the meat on the rotisserie
You now need to ensure that the food is evenly weighted on the rotisserie so that it revolves smoothly, otherwise excessive strain will be placed on the motor, causing damage.
Place the rotisserie in the slots provided and turn on the motor. If the food is unevenly balanced, the rotisserie will tend to turn in a jerking fashion, as opposed to a smooth revolution. If this occurs, it can be treated in one of two ways:
- If your rotisserie is mains (electric) powered, it will have a counter balance affixed to the central skewer outside of the hood. Simply loosen the handle and adjust the balance by varying the position of the weight directly opposite the over- weight of the food, until the rotisserie revolves in a smooth fashion. If you are using the spit basket on the rotisserie, the counter balance should be positioned directly opposite the basket.
- If your rotisserie is battery powered, it will not have a counter balance unit, so you must re-position the actual food on the rotisserie skewer until the correct balance is achieved.
It may be necessary with some cuts of meat or poultry, to use twine in conjunction with the rotisserie forks to secure the meat on the shaft.
Lastly, close the hood with the rotisserie in place just to make sure that it closes without obstructing the turning food.
When this has been completed remove the rotisserie from the BBQ. You are now ready to begin preheating and cooking. |
Cooking With A Rotisserie
In the previous article, you positioned the food on the
rotisserie. You are now ready to start cooking. |
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Just follow this sequence:
- Preheat: As always, we start with preheating. This should be done with the hood down (if you have one) , but without the rotisserie or food in place.
- Set Burners: Once the barbecue is preheated, raise the hood and adjust the outside burners to the desired settings according to the size of your barbecue.
- Place a drip tray, or pan on the unlit grill directly under where the food will hang on the rotisserie. Make sure that the tray is large enough to cover the whole area of the food you are cooking. To help keep the food moist, the tray should contain a small covering of liquid, either water, a mixture of water and red wine, or beer. The drip tray also helps to reduce flare-ups and keep the hood and cooking area clean.
- Position the rotisserie: insert the fork of the rotisserie unit complete with food into the motor unit, making sure that the shaft sits in the slots provided within the roasting hood. Then position the stainless steel collar on the right hand side next to the handle and tighten. This will prevent the rotisserie shaft slipping out of the motor unit during operation.
- Start cooking: All that remains is to start the motor and close the hood. Care should be taken as the roasting hood will be hot, or warm to touch. As such, we suggest you use mitts to protect your hands.
For best results:
Rotisserie foods should always be cooked slowly on low to medium heat. This will help keep the food moist and tender. Because the thermometer in the roasting hood should be used as a guide only - it's advisable to use a meat thermometer to test that the meat has been cooked to your liking.
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BeefEater 101 >
Operating Your BBQ >
USING THE ROTISSERIE
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