Conference turris::cooks

        I just received a stand alone rotiserie and was wondering if
    someone could give me some hints on how to do a beef roast. I have
    questions of how long, what cut of roast would be the best and any
    hints that others have found out from experience. How about other
    items to cook on it too like chicken, ect..
    
    
                                                  Thanks in advance
                        
                                                     Mike

  Lucky you. The only drawback to this method of cooking is that cleanup
  can be a lot of work. But it's the very best way to roast meats.
  Everything comes out crispy on the outside and moist and tender on the
  inside, and the flavors are the best possible. Beef is probably the
  least interesting thing to make. Lamb (leg) and poultry (especially
  duck) are the best. I've never tried fish or seafood, but don't know
  that they would work that well.

  As far as preparing: any preparation you would use for grilling or
  broiling will work (salting, marinading, etc). Make sure to tie up
  loose parts, or they'll flop around and get too close to the fire. In
  general, everything will take longer, and until you get the hang of
  it, a meat thermometer will help a lot. It probably comes with
  directions which will help, too.

         Since I have got the rotiserie (a liitle over a week) I have got 
    to use it twice. I have cooked a tied beef roast, as in Re. 1 this is
    the answer and also a roasting chicken which came out real juicy
    and tender. The rotiserie seems to slowly cook the outside sealing 
    in all the juices and flavor. I have got ahold of a moose roast which
    I'll have on Sunday for the football game. I would say its worth the $$
    to buy one but I was lucky enough to have one given to me!!

  A 3 to 3.5 pound unstuffed chicken will probably take about 1.5 hours
  or more (depending on height above rocks and temp of grill). And yes,
  there will be a lot of flame for at least the first half hour, but the
  bird will most likely be far enough above the rocks not to be burned
  to a cinder.

  I don't know how your gas grill is set up, but on many charcoal grills
  such as Weber kettles, you can put a pan under the bird to catch the
  drippings, and surround it with the charcoal which cooks the bird.
  That way, most of the fat doesn't end up in flames.

 The way to solve the dripping fat causing flames problem is to fashion a
tray out of aluminum foil to catch the drippings. Empty it every half hour
or so. And keep an eye on the chicken. I can't tell you how many chickens
I burnt to a crisp because I failed to pay attention. :-) 

 It's actually quite easy once you learn the foil tray trick. No more burnt
chickens.

 I don't know what temp Mike is assuming you will be cooking at, but my 
experience is that it will take between an hour and an hour and a quarter
to cook an unstuffed chicken of that size. (I may use a higher setting on my
gas grill or something.)

 The Doctah

I also vote for an hour cooking time for a chicken that size.  Things like 
roasts and chickens generally take slightly less time on the grill.  I also 
fashion aluminum foil drip pans, and you can also use the throw-away baking 
pans you buy in the grocery store.

    I just cooked two 3-1/3 Lb. chickens on the gas grill w/rotissary and
    it took 1-1/2 hours at medium heat.  I fashioned a drip tray out of
    heavy duty alunimum moved the rocks so they surround the tray, and then
    fill the tray with water.  This way you don't have to worry about a
    flare-up that may burn the chicken.  Just check the pan every 15
    minutes of so, adding H2O when necessary.  Works just great!

    Thanks folks, everything went well.  I did not put a drip pan and it
    still was fine.  Chicken probably wasn't too fatty.
    
    Loraine

  Re .4 (drip pan on gas grill), how'd you manage to place the pan so
  that it wasn't directly heated by one of the gas burners? That would
  seem to me to be the main problem with using a pan on a gas grill.

    What a great way to cook! And the meat (especially chicken, turkey,
    etc., come out so extra moist.) As was said earlier, keep an eye on
    things so that the flare-up is under control. 
    
    Another technique is to
    "cheat a little" by "zapping" the small bird in the microwave for about
    15 minutes beforehand (or boiling). This gets some of the fat out to
    reduce the flare-ups. Disadvantage - it's tough to handle (sloppy) to
    get on the spit. And you now have an extra pan to wash.
    
    If you use the drip pan method, you may want to put some wet wood chips
    on the rocks as you get going to give a smoke flavor.
    
    This weekend I'm doing a 10-11 lb turkey . . . Going to try Peking Duck
    soon. (From Joyce Chen's cookbook - she recommends cooking the duck
    this way.)
    

	Rep .6

.6>>> (drip pan on gas grill), how'd you manage to place the pan so
  that it wasn't directly heated by one of the gas burners? 



	That's why there is two burners!!! You slide the chicken/roast/... to
	one end of the spit and postion it there and remove the cooking grille
	and place the drip pan under the meat. Then you light the other burner
	and away you go. I do it all the time.



	-mike

    rep .6
    
    	When using my version of cooking whole chickens on a gas grill, it
    really doesn't matter if the pan is directly over the burners.  The
    water will boil, of course, but the cover is shut during the cooking
    process, and I have the reflective side of the alunimum foil pan facing
    out, so it does reflect the heat towardss the sides of the grill.  The
    lava rocks also support the sides of the pan so they won't sag and let
    the water spill out if you fold the sides uneven.
    	I hope this helps.

    I read this note with interest since I just got a new gas grill with
    a rotisserie included.  So far I have cooked a chicken and a pork
    roast on it.  They came out just heavenly!!!!
    
    Sooooo.... does anyone else have some more recipes or ideas on 
    different things that one would cook on a rotisserie?  It's just
    amazing how wonderful food tastes cooked that way and I would
    love to do lots of different meats on it.
    
    Thanks for your help,
    Judie                                   

    Get a leg of lamb, have it boned and butterflied.  Trim off as much
    excess fat as you possibly can.  Marinate it overnight in:
    
    Wine
    Garlic
    Lemon Juice (fresh)
    Oregano
    Black Pepper
    Olive Oil
    
    I never really measure quantities, you can add other herbs and spices
    that you like.
    
    Reroll it and tie it.  Cook it on your rotisserie.  Even lamb haters
    will love it.

    Re. 11
    
    Thanks for the lamb tip.  I will certainly try it soon!  So far I
    have cooked cornish hens and an eye of the round roast.  Both were
    delicious!!  
    
    Tommorrow night I am going to attempt to cook a 7 lb turkey.  Does
    anyone have any ideas on how long that would take?  I figure it 
    would be about 2 hours or a little more....
    
    Judie