Rotisserie

History

In medieval and early modern kitchens, the spit was the primary way to cook meat in large households. A servant, often a boy called a spit boy or spit jack, sat near the fire turning the rod. Mechanical turnspits, or roasting jacks, later emerged, powered first by dogs on treadmills, then by steam or clockwork mechanisms, and sometimes by a chimney-mounted turbine with a worm transmission.

Today, spits are usually driven by electric motors. The word rotisserie first appeared in Paris shops around 1450. In restaurants using the Escoffierian brigade de cuisine, the rotisseur handles spit-roasted, oven-roasted, grilled, and sometimes fried foods.

Horizontal rotisserie

This style mounts the spit horizontally and is often used for whole chickens or roasts of beef and pork. Designs include a single spit over an open broiler or grill, a single spit inside a conventional oven, or multiple spits in a large industrial oven for mass-producing roasted meats. Balance is critical; an unbalanced load can strain the drive mechanism or stop rotation, and loose chicken legs or wings may cause jamming, requiring some skewering skill.

High-end consumer ovens often include or allow installation of a rotisserie, with the motor concealed and normal racks removed; a special carrier may provide bearing points. For whole animals, faster rotation early helps raise interior temperature without burning the exterior; once the exterior crusts, slower rotation minimizes dripping to retain flavor, especially over coals or open fire where drippings cannot be salvaged. It is also preferable to keep the roast farther from the heat source initially to emphasize convection heating, then bring it closer for combined convection and radiation.

Supermarkets mass-produce rotisserie chickens using a horizontal rotisserie with metal bars that hold the chicken through the weakest part of the breast and the densest part below the drumstick.

Vertical rotisserie

In this style, heat is applied directly from the side or, less commonly, convected upward from below. Balance is less critical than with horizontal rotisseries, which is useful since meat is typically shaved off gradually. Vertical roasting became popular in Istanbul in the 19th century, possibly to save space and allow self-basting as fat flows downward. Dishes commonly cooked this way include döner kebab from Turkey, gyros from Greece, shawarma from the Middle East and Arab World, and taco al pastor from Mexico.