Poppycock!
""You become a cook but you are born a roaster"" is without doubt the most famous gastronomical piece of poppycock!
Despite our high regard for Brillat-Savarin, he has been putting amateur roasters off for nearly 200 years with that statement.
Are a special gift and exceptional faculties required to dare roast on a spit?
In fact, the risk of burns, of dry or undercooked meat is lower when cooking on a spit than when cooking over a barbecue...
Poppycock!
""You become a cook but you are born a roaster"" is without doubt the most famous gastronomical piece of poppycock!
Despite our high regard for Brillat-Savarin, he has been putting amateur roasters off for nearly 200 years with that statement.
Are a special gift and exceptional faculties required to dare roast on a spit?
In fact, the risk of burns, of dry or undercooked meat is lower when cooking on a spit than when cooking over a barbecue...
Whether outdoors or in a fireplace, roasting on a spit means cooking using the heat from a fire.
It is a sequential, progressive and very safe way of cooking.
When you place the roast before the fire (not above), the exposed area heats quickly, but when that surface is no longer facing the fire, it cools down. And so, the heat penetrates to the heart of the meat progressively.
The melted fats do not risk igniting when they fall onto the ember and burn your meat.
You can easily control the progress of the cooking because you can see your meat turning brown, so you can move it further away from or nearer to the fire to adjust the heating.
There´s no need to be a ""born roaster"", especially if you have a thermometer. Stick it into your meat to find out if it is cooked through.
On a spit, you do not cook in hot air as you would in an oven. You do not have to control the temperature. It´s much simpler!
Your fire can make flames but you will not get burnt. You can always add a log over the course of the cooking if the embers are dying down.
To keep the meat hot, move the spit away and leave it turning. Your meat will not dry out and it will leave you time to get everyone to the table.
Although, most people are usually in a hurry to eat once the meat is cooked..
Happy roasting… on a spit!
Useful advice Collagen: Roasting on a spit is a relatively long cooking method. Collagen is why makes muscular fibre tough and this gives it time to dissolve: your meat is more tender and soft.
To roast in a homogenous way, protect the most exposed parts or the thinnest parts (the belly of a rabbit for example) with string and take it away 5-10 minutes before cooking ends to turn golden brown.
Dietary information: A roast on a spit does not marinate when hot in its fat and does not ""soak up"". There is not need to add cooking fat.
Healthy cooking: The French sanitary safety agency (A.F.S.A.A.) warns us that cooking directly over a flame can lead to the formation of chemical composites that are carcinogenic. This is not the case when cooking on a spit.
For flat pieces and fish: It may seem logical to use the grill. With a spit/grill, present one side and then the other without cooking over a flame.
Balance your skewers: If the weight is well balanced, your skewer will turn easily and regularly. Use weights to keep it balanced. It is better to have a skewer that is heavy and well centered than one that is off its axis that will lead the spit to turn irregularly in a jumpy way.
For TomPress, cooking on a spit is a real pleasure and we offer more than 70 items that are specially designed for this method of cooking. A unique selection! Please don´t hesitate to call us to find out more.
