Baby George Foreman Rotisserie ovens lock in the juices of meat while allowing unhealthy fat to drip into collection pans. Learn properly prepare the oven and balance the meat to get the most from the rotisserie. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Meat and Oven Preparation
Chicken, beef, pork and lamb make excellent meats for the rotisserie. Applying dry-rub spices, brine, sauces or meat marinades--in grilling fashion--adds delicious flavors, but some people prefer to allow the meat to cook solely in its own juices. For chicken, consider special flavor injectors that look like over-sized hypodermic needles. Combine mixtures of favorite oils, melted butter, beer, wine and seasonings and inject the flavor solutions under chicken's skin in generous amounts for full flavor.
Prior to cooking the meat, prepare the Baby George oven. The Baby George drip pan catches fat falling from meat during cooking. Left to its own devices, a drip pan will rise to the internal temperature of the oven and burn the fat into black, smelly clouds of smoke. To avoid this, cover the drip pan in foil for easy cleanup and add 1 to 2 cups of water to quell hot drippings. Thoroughly clean and rinse the inside of the oven with light, soapy water before firing it up.
Balancing and Skewering Techniques
Regardless of the type of meat, the cooking spit must be balanced; center chickens and roasts as much as possible.
For chicken, place the prepped bird on a clean plate or cookie sheet, rounded side up, and slide the pointed end of the center spit bar (which is attached to the geared end wheel) through the body cavity until the bird is centered and skewered on the end-wheel meat tines. On the drumstick side, slide the other end wheel onto the center spit bar and down until the meat tines sink into the flesh. Tighten the thumb screw. Tie the bird up tightly with butcher's twine--especially around the legs and wings; loose chicken appendages can burn by catching on heating rods. An unbalanced bird may also overheat the rotisserie motor. Follow the owner's manual for properly seating the spit bar assembly in the roaster.
For beef, pork and lamb, lay the roast on a clean plate and spear the spit bar through the meat so it runs through the center and parallel with the longest side. Ensure the two meat tines of the geared end wheel sink completely into the roast before repeating this step with the second end wheel and tightening the thump screw. Tightly wrap and tie off several passes of butcher string to balance and pull in the sides of the roast.
Cooking Strategies
Follow cooking time instructions--typically based on meat type and size--listed in the Baby George manual. A 5 lb. rib-eye roast properly trimmed and tied takes about 2 1/2 hours to reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F for medium rare to medium meat. A 5 lb. chicken takes about two hours.
Periodically basting with barbecue sauce or the meat's own juices during cooking can add to the flavor. Be sure to use protective gloves and the Baby George extraction handle when removing meat or poultry to avoid burns.
Tags: Baby George, meat tines, about hours, beef pork, beef pork lamb, center spit, clean plate