Last summer while visiting my in-laws, I had my first experience with a home rotisserie. Upon our arrival, I noticed, and smelled, a beautiful pork roast going round and round all by itself, outside on the patio. No one paid much attention to it, other than to remark about the delicious aroma that floated through the neighborhood on that warm summer afternoon. As the afternoon progressed, the roast continued to rotate until it achieved a rich brown even color. Although the rotisserie and the roast did not spark much attention from the rest of the family, I was amazed. I had to have one. My mind was racing to think of all the incredible things I could cook with absolutely no effort at all! Roasts! Chicken! Turkey!

And then for the moment of proof…..We sat down, carved the roast and took our first bite. It was superb. Moist on the inside, browned and bursting with flavor on the outside. Yes, I had to have one.

If I had to give this machine a score, it would look like this: Results= 10, Effort= 0-1. With a score like that, I figure it’s the perfect kitchen gadget for someone struggling with Celiac or with a wheat or gluten intolerance. Little or no effort and tastes incredible. Yes, this is for us. This evens out some of the injustices we endure every day. No McDonald’s hamburgers? Who cares, I can rotisserie a roast that will knock your socks off without missing a beat in conversation. No beer? So what, I can rotisserie a bird that will make your mouth water as you before you get to my front steps.

And guess what I got for Christmas? A rotisserie!

The hardest part about cooking on a rotisserie is getting the roast or chicken on the spit. It only took me a few tries at impaling my dinner before I got the hang of it. Be sure to tie the meat you will be cooking securely with string. You can buy cooking string at the grocery store or request some from your butcher. Use as much string as you need to secure wings, legs and pieces that may come lose while rotating. A little seasoning, plug it in and forget about it. It really is that easy. It’s wonderful for summer entertaining because there is absolutely no fussing so you can enjoy your guests.

Rotisseries come with a drip pan positioned below the heating element that will catch the drippings for gravy if you desire. Follow the cooking instructions that come with your rotisserie for cooking times and proper distance from the heating element.

I have cooked beef and pork roasts and chicken indoors, by setting the rotisserie on a counter, with very little smoke and splattering. Larger meats, such as turkey, should be cooked outdoors due to the length of cooking time. Longer cooking times will produce more drippings which can produce smoke.

If you don’t have a rotisserie, buy one. The open variety, not the closed in ‘Ronco’ kind, runs about $75-$100 and is well worth every penny. Of course if you can get one for Christmas that’s even better!

I hope you will enjoy this month’s rotisserie recipes as much as we did:

Rotisserie Pork Roast

Rotisserie Chicken

Rotisserie Turkey