Roto-Broil Connoisseurs

[cadman]

Gents,

Just picked up a small chicken to try out my Roto-Broil 400 that's been taunting me the last year or so. Any recipe or machine suggestions to get that perfect bird?I know we have a few experts out there! -Cory

 

[turquoisedude]

I wish I had the recipe/instruction guide... Alas, I don't.  

 

I let the chicken rotate under medium-low heat (325 if you have the temperature control) for about 25 minutes a pound. 

 

Time estimates can vary though - using the Roto-Broil in my old house with questionable-at-best wiring, it took nearly 40 minutes a pound!

 

Good luck and happy roasting!

 

[gansky1]

Remove the feathers....

I think Terry just rubbed some olive oil and salt and pepper into the hide before roasting in our Sunbeam rotisserie.  Delicious results with a minimum of prep.

 

[tlee618]

Corey, Greg is right, a light coat of olive oil, salt, and pepper, or lemon pepper, you just can't beat it.  Very easy and so good.  Let us know how it turns out.

 

 

 

[polkanut]

I found a Roto-Broil cook book on Ebay.  Mine is the 4th printing from Feb. 1956.

 

[customline]

Customline sez...........

Tie the bird up real good with thick cooking twine and use a good skewer. The bird shrinks and will fall apart if you don't bind it and skewer it well.

 

[rp2813]

Per the "Mr & Mrs Roto-Broil Cookbook"

Once you have the bird trussed and properly positioned on the spit (balancing it can be a challenge),  mix some (olive) oil and garlic and brush the bird. 

 

Roast on "Medium" for 30 minutes, bump it up to "High" for 30 more minutes, then back down to "Medium" for 20 minutes or until done (usually 20 minutes will do it).  The book advises to brush the bird again at each temperature change, but I have found that to cause flare-ups and the bird bastes itself fine anyway.

 

I usually select a 5-pound chicken to roast on mine and they turn out fine with the above recipe.  If you use a smaller bird, keep an eye on it during the final segment.  I wouldn't do it for longer than 20 minutes.

 

I follow the roasted capon recipe out of the above referenced cook book.  The books turn up fairly regularly on eBay.

 

We were just out at the "Electronic Goodwill" in Tucson yesterday and they have a Roto-Broil Riviera 400 there complete with literature, but it had no spit.  An interesting looking model, but apparently bottom of the RB line.

 

[cadman]

Thanks for the tips guys!

Well, it was very exciting- The motor quit 10 minutes into the ordeal, but pulling the thing apart and oiling the mechanism got us up and running again. The spit with this machine was actually a "double-grate on a stick" affair, perhaps for broiling steaks. I should have noticed this BEFORE trussing the chicken. Luckily, I had a BBQ spit that fit the motor with only minor alterations to the rod end....of course it only captured the chicken on one end! Ka-thunk, ka-thunk, ka-thunk!

But in the end it all turned out great. What a delicious bird for not a lot of work!

 

[jetcone]

Yes mine came out deelishious too

but I also got the ka-thunk...ka-thunk half way through. I think I did 3 birds before it made its way back in the cupboard, now I'm back to throwing them in the oven. The motor was also grindy. Maybe you've got me to drag mine out again and give it another whirl this winter.