Spit roastingis an excitingway to prepare meat and foodsthat need very littleattention whilethey are cooking.
The followingare guidelinesfor usingthe rotisserie:
•Themeat mustbe well balancedand centeredonthe spit. Spearmeat, thenseoure it with the two meat holders. Check the balance by holdingthe spit across your palms. (See page 5, Fig. H). If the spitand meat do not rotate easily and evenly, removethe meat holdersand meat on spit and try again.
•Poultryshouldbetrussedwiththelegsandwingsheldclosetothebody(nottucked behindas onewouldusuallydo for oven roasting). Tie the birdat intervalsto make sure it stays in a compactbundle.
•Rolled roasts and other large pieces of boneless meat should be tied firmly at intervalswith heavy string.
•Don'tcrowdthe spit. There should be a few inchesfree at each end to allowroom forthe meat holdersand also becausethe heatingelement does not runthe entire lengthof the spit.
•The mostaccurateway to determinewhen the meat is cookedas desiredis to use a meat thermometer. Turn off heat and the rotisseriemotor;insert thermometer intothe thickestpart of the meat. Be certafnthat the thermometerbulb does not touch bone, fat, or the spit itself.
•Sincethe meat willcontinueto cook after it has been removed from the heat, it is advisableto take meat that is to be served rare or mediumoff the rotisseriewhen the meat thermometerregisters5 degrees belowthe temperaturespecified.
•Letthe meat stand 10 to 15 minutesbefore carving. Meat will be easier to carve and less juices will be lost if meat is alrowedto rest before being carved.
•Forbest results,buy top grademeat. There are many meat marinades whichwilt help tenderizelass expensivecutsof meat.
•To help retainmeat juices,salt after cookingis completed.
•Differencesin voltagein differentareas may affectthe time needed to roast meat.
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