Troubleshooting Common Spit Rotisserie Problems

Don’t let small problems ruin your cook-up

You’ve got the coals glowing, the meat turning, and your mates waiting but something’s not right. Maybe your spit roast is wobbling, the motor’s struggling, or your meat’s still raw after hours.

Don’t stress. These spit roast issues are common and easy to fix once you know how. Here’s your quick troubleshooting guide so you can get back to cooking like a legend.

1. Unbalanced Load

If your spit is bouncing or your motor sounds like it’s working overtime, your meat is probably off-centre. An unbalanced load can strain the motor and cause uneven cooking.

How to fix it:

• Make sure the meat is centred before tightening prongs. When cooking a roast without any bones or a whole chicken or gyros, it’s fairly simple to balance the load. Where it gets tricky is if you’re cooking a whole animal or you’re trying to pass the skewer through a piece of meat that has a bone right where you need the skewer to go!
• Use a counter balance weight for a rotisserie it attaches to the opposite side of the shaft and evens out the load.
• Check your shaft is locked into the motor and support brackets properly.

Pro tip: Our Flaming Coals Counter Balance Weights make balancing a spit roast simple and extend the life of your motor.

Check out our blog post The Essential Guide to Counterbalance Weights in Spit Roasting.

2. Overheating Motor

If your motor stops mid-cook or feels hot to touch, it may be overloaded or working too hard.

Causes:

• Meat load heavier than the motor’s rated capacity.
• Unbalanced load putting strain on the motor.
• Continuous use in extreme heat and the motor is too close to the fire. 

Fixes:

• Always check your motor’s weight rating before loading up.
• Use a counter balance weight to reduce strain.

Many of our Flaming Coals Motors have inbuilt cooling fans to prevent heating. Couple this with the metal gears, your motor won’t let you down.

The smaller, lighter weight motors that you typically buy from big box stores have nylon gears inside which may melt if it’s too close to the heat. The gears are also more likely to strip with an unbalanced load. 

3. Undercooking The Meat

You’ve been cooking for hours but the centre is still raw frustrating and risky.

Causes:

• Not enough heat/charcoal.
• Windy day and the heat is being blown away before it reaches your meat.
• Not checking internal temperature.
   

Fixes:

• Spread coals evenly for consistent heat. If you need to top up the charcoal during the cook, either pre-heat it with a charcoal chimney, or put the fresh charcoal at the back of the already lit charcoal (so not to smother the already burning coals). 
• Position your spit roast out of the wind, using the garage or house as a wind guard to protect the heat.
• Use a meat thermometer, don’t guess.

4. Not Enough Heat

If your coals die down too quickly or you have the meat too far away from the coals, cooking will drag on forever.

How to fix it:

• For charcoal: Start with more fuel than you think you’ll need, and top up gradually to maintain steady heat.
• All more charcoal before you need it.
• Add unlit charcoal at the back of the burning charcoal. The unlit charcoal will catch alight without smothering the burning charcoal.
• Lower your meat closer to the fire. Use our 7 second rule as a rule of thumb.

Download our free Spit Roast Beginner Video Series for hints and tips to manage your fire and nail your cook.

5. Meat Taking Too Long To Cook

How to speed things up:

• Take your meat out of the fridge and let it warm up to ambient temperature.
• Adjust your spit height to lower the meat closer to the heat source.
• If your spit has a hood, put the hood down.
• If it’s windy, move your spit out of the wind where it is protected.
   

Keep your spit roast running smoothly

Most spit roast issues come down to setup and balance. If your load is even, your motor is rated for the job, and your heat is steady, you’ll avoid 90% of common problems.

If you’re starting out or want to upgrade your kit, check out our rotisserie accessories from counter balance weights to high-capacity motors so you can cook with confidence.

You may also like to download our Free Spit Roasting for Beginners Video Series for great hints, tips and recipes.

Quick FAQs

Q: Do I always need a counter balance weight for a rotisserie?
A: Not always, but they’re a game changer for heavy or uneven cuts like whole lambs or pigs, or roasts with the bone in.

Q: How do I know if my motor is overheating?
A: If it’s too hot to touch or stops turning mid cook, turn it off and let it cool before resuming.

Q: How do I know if I have enough charcoal/heat?
A: We suggest using the 7 second rule as a guide. This means you should be able to hold your hand over the charcoal at the height of the meat for 7 seconds. If you can hold it there longer, you need more heat so add some extra charcoal and lower the meat closer to the fire temporarily until your charcoal catches alight. If you can’t hold your hand there for 7 seconds, raise the meat further away from the charcoal until the heat dies down.

Check out our range of Spit Rotsseries and Accessories.

by: Caleb Barker