While we were testing charcoal grill rotisserie kits, we gathered some useful tips that can make the whole process of rotisserie grilling go more smoothly—especially if you’ve never attempted it before. Don’t worry; after the first time, it’s pretty simple.
Before you light the grill, there are a few things you’ll want on hand.
Charcoal Grill Rotisseries
These simple kits allow you to spit-roast chicken, pork, lamb, and more on your kettle-style charcoal grill.
What’s the best way to prep food for a rotisserie?
Prepping food and fastening it to the spit is easy to do with a little practice.
- Oil and season first: Before you put food on the spit, oil and season it. For chicken, we added oil, salt, pepper, and herbs inside and out and even tossed a few lemon halves in the cavity. With lamb, we tucked sliced garlic and fresh rosemary sprigs into slashes all over the meat and covered the surface with salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice. An olive-oil mister/sprayer is useful.
- Truss it up: Tie up any dangling bits on the food with kitchen twine to keep them from burning and to create a compact, uniform shape that will spin and cook more evenly.
- Balance it out: After trussing the food, lightly tighten the first fork on the spit (with the prongs facing in), slide the food onto the spit, and spear it firmly onto the tines. (This is easy with a hollow whole chicken but a bit trickier with a bone-in leg of lamb. Don’t be afraid to pull the food off the spit and try again, because getting the weight distributed as evenly as possible really helps with uniform cooking.) Then add the second fork and spear the food. Slide the food and forks to the center of the spit before using the screws to secure both forks in place. Remember that the food should not spin around on the spit but stay anchored so that it turns with the spit on the grill.
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