Setting Up A Gas Grill Rotisserie & Grill Rotisserie Parts Guide

Not much compares to the mouthwatering sizzle you hear when you first put something on the grill—except perhaps the promise of something tasty slowly spit-roasting on a rotisserie.

Unlike other forms of grilling, which are largely a matter of placing prepared food on a preheated grill, rotisserie grilling (which is technically “roasting”) takes a bit of extra prep, as well as some extra tools and accessories. Thankfully, a gas grill rotisserie only takes a few moments to set up, and your reward will be a succulent grilled meal that’s guaranteed to impress.

In this post, we’ll describe the most important grill rotisserie parts and explain how to set up a gas grill rotisserie. But before we dig into these topics, let’s take a look at what rotisserie cooking actually is.

What is Rotisserie Cooking?

A rotisserie is a cooking appliance that uses a rotating spit to slowly roast and barbecue food over indirect heat. Because the spit rotates at a consistent speed, rotisserie cooking essentially allows meat to slowly roast and baste in its own fat and juices, resulting in extremely tender and juicy meat.

Rotisserie cooking can be done over an open fire, but you can also set up your gas or charcoal grill for rotisserie cooking. Some gas barbecue models even come with a specialized rotisserie burner, typically an infrared burner mounted to the back of the grill. If your grill doesn’t have a rotisserie burner, don’t panic—most grills can be set up to handle grill rotisserie parts with ease.

Rotisserie cooking is typically used for larger cuts of meat such as legs of lamb, whole chickens or turkeys, and roasts, but rotisseries can also be used for vegetables and other foods too.

5 Important Grill Rotisserie Parts

Before we explain how to set up your gas grill rotisserie, it helps to understand the most important grill rotisserie parts. Here are 5 parts you need to know about:

• The spit: The spit is the long rod upon which you skewer your meat or other food. Once loaded with whatever you’re grilling, the spit is placed on brackets that are mounted to the sides of your grill. This allows the food to be suspended above or in front of the heat source.
• Spit forks: Spit forks hold your food in place while it cooks. They are typically 2- or 4-pronged forks and attach to the spit using screws.
• Motor: The motor is the electric mechanism that turns the spit at a consistent speed throughout the cooking process.
• Motor mount: The motor mount is the point at which your rotisserie mounts to the body of your grill.
• Counterweight: An additional weight that can be mounted to the spit to ensure it is able rotate evenly, ensuring even cooking without prematurely wearing out the motor. Many new rotisserie kits are strong enough to rotate the spit without a counterweight, but you may need one for particularly large or irregularly shaped cuts of meat.
• Rear burner: Some grills have a dedicated rear rotisserie burner, but this burner is not necessary for rotisserie grilling—you can set up a rotisserie kit using just your grill’s standard burners.

Rotisserie kits are available at different price points to suit your grilling needs and budget, and will include all the important parts you need to set up your gas grill rotisserie, including mounting brackets and hardware, spit and spit forks, counterbalance weights, and an electric motor.

Weight limits are an important factor when selecting a rotisserie kit. Different kits are suited to different grilling styles, with options designed for cooking meat around 10 lbs all the way up to 55 lbs. More expensive kits tend to be made from more durable materials and can handle heavier roasts and meats. If you only plan to rotisserie smaller cuts like a whole chicken or smaller roasts, a rotisserie designed to handle about 10-20 lbs should work just fine. If you plan to rotisserie larger cuts or whole animals over an open fire or BBQ pit, look for something rated for up to 55 lbs or more.