Traditional Spits

The rotisserie accessories you need in order to start cooking on a spit depend on what you are planning to cook. For full animals like lambs or pigs, we recommend two large prongs, a back brace, a set of leg braces and a rotisserie counterbalance weight. However, for smaller cuts of meat and chickens, a set of chicken prongs will suffice. If you want to make gyros, we highly recommend gyros discs as this will be much easier to carve against and you won't damage your knife if you use the correct technique. Rotisserie Baskets are also another hugely important accessory that really opens up a lot of possibilities. They allow you to spit roast anything that can’t be put on a skewer, like fish, vegetables, pork belly etc.

We always recommend quality hardwood lump charcoal. Specifically mallee root charcoal. However, mallee root has become more and more difficult to source in recent years so this has brought other amazing flavoured charcoal to the market such as Flaming Coals Lump Charcoal, Gidgee charcoal and the all-natural Flaming Coals HotRod briquettes. If you can, try to stay away from mangrove charcoal as this can let off a swampy odour.

A dual fuel large spit is a great unit if you need the ability to cook on total fire ban days when charcoal or wood is not allowed. Also, if you plan on cooking indoors or in an area where ventilation isn't that great, then a gas rotisserie will not smoke out your kitchen. This is perfect for caters. However, it is also great for people who are more comfortable working with a gas BBQ. Gas is easier to manage, quick and cleaner however you do sacrifice the smokey charcoal flavour that you get from using lump charcoal. Meat always tastes better when cooked over fire. That's why BBQ smokers have taken off in Australia.

How strong should your rotisserie motor be? Most of our large spits come standard with our 30kg motor, which in most cases will be 100% sufficient. However, if you are looking to spit roast really large animals we also have options for 60 or 100kg motors. The choice is totally up to you.
One thing to consider when selecting a motor and its turning capacity is the reputation of the manufacturer and reseller. Some companies just buy whatever they get at a good price and resell it with unrealistic ratings to make more profit. Companies that specialise in BBQ have their reputation on the line and always have realistic ratings on their motors. The last thing we want is an angry customer calling up on Monday morning because their motor failed during their daughters wedding. Flaming coals motors were all thoroughly tested and are underrated. This ensures that the motor is capable of performing and rotating the load that its meant to. As long as you have a basic understanding of balancing and force then you won't have any problems.

Having a hood offers fantastic benefits like wind protection and a reduction in fuel usage. However, it is not necessary to have a hood on a charcoal spit roaster as lump charcoal produces extremely high radiant cooking temperatures. On the other hand, if you are cooking with gas then a hood will greatly improve its cooking performance.

After the unit cools, remove any excess charcoal and dispose of it properly. Never put out the charcoal by pouring water onto it. This will damage your spit body or charcoal pan. Next clean all of your stainless steel accessories in the sink with detergent. If you cooked on the grill then a high quality BBQ grill brush will scrape that clean with ease. You can wipe out the body of the spit with a mild soapy sponge and allow it to dry. To protect the exterior of the spit (nothing that comes into contact with food) you can wipe it down every now and then with WD-40. This is particularly important if you live close to the beach.

It really depends where the spit rotisserie will be kept. If you are planning on keeping the rotisserie out in the elements we definitely recommend the purchase of a cover, however, if you are leaving it under cover or storing it in the garage it's up to you. If you don’t opt for a cover you could just put a sheet over the unit to ensure dust doesn’t build up when not in use. Remember to always allow the BBQ spit roaster to completely cool before putting the cover on. If you live close to the beach, even if you have a cover, we highly recommend wiping it down with a rag and some WD40 before storage.

The Flaming Coals large spit rotisseries have a 12-month warranty while the motors come with a 2-year warranty.

While it’s not essential to use a counterbalance weight, we HIGHLY recommend you do. Consider it an insurance policy on the health and longevity of your motor. A counterbalance weight will stop the ‘flopping’ of the heavy side of the animal when spit roasting to ensure you have evenly cooked meat.