Last spring there was a very damaging hail storm in our area that not only polka dotted our cars but put an end to the barbeque that I had been lovingly using for close to ten years. Granted, it was a cheap BBQ to begin with and the flames were huge due to the gas pipes corroding and the entire thing was probably an accident waiting to happen, but I LOVED dancing with those flames in an intricate dance of trying to cook and not char our dinner.
So it was with some sadness and trepidation that we set out in search of the replacement grill. We found the grill of our dreams at a reasonable price and dear hubby spend the better part of the afternoon assembling it.
Sure, there are 12 million different barbeques out there but I wanted one with a rotisserie burner and that SIGNIFICANTLY lowered the playing field. We went from hundreds of options down to perhaps a fifth.
Can I just say that I LOVE my rotisserie? We had to buy the long metal rotisserie shaft and a separate engine to turn the shaft, but that was a minor inconvenience in order to take full advantage of the rotisserie burner that was alongside the back of the BBQ.
Rotissering is foolproof, and a shame that more home cooks don’t use this technique. It’s all about the marinade. Remember there are a few essential components to a good marinade and they are as follows:
- fat, like olive oil or butter or some other liquid to disperse the marinade to cover the meat
- acid, good choices are wine, balsamic vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice, other flavored vinegars
- aromatics, like garlic, onion, fennel, carrot, celery etc
- spices, dried or fresh
Some great marinade ideas are:
- Oriental – olive oil, soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger, onion and cilantro
- Southwestern – olive oil, garlic, chipotle, cilantro, onion, lime juice, cumin
- Continental – olive oil, fines herbes, shallots, white wine, garlic
- German – olive oil, fennel, garlic, onion, red wine
It is a common misconception that marinades need to have salt in them. In fact, the marinades you buy from the supermarket are loaded with that EVIL sodium nonsense. Make your own, it’s so much healthier.
So then, with marinade in hand, you just need meat. Beef, chicken, pork, whole fish…something substantial that will hold up on the rotisserie skewer. So now just marinade your protein, let it sit in the fridge for 4 hours or better yet, overnight, then skewer it and let it cook, baby!
Mmm, I’m hungry already!
