Cooking with a Barbecue Rotisserie Offers Healthy Benefits
For individuals who enjoy cooking outdoors, consider a barbecue rotisserie instead of grilling or deep frying. While these methods result in tasty meats and veggies, they are not the healthiest methods to prepare food. Rotisserie cooking, alternatively, is the greatest of both worlds. Not only does it result in great-tasting meals, but it’s far healthier than grilling or frying.
Barbecuing burgers, hot dogs, steaks, shish kabobs and more gives meals a great smoky flavor and also a distinctive texture that just isn’t the same when cooked over the stove. Similarly, deep-fried foods possess a flavor and character of their own. Neither of these methods, however, is very healthy. Deep frying is obvious – submerging foods into a vat of oil greatly increases fat and cholesterol content. With grilling, the risks are less immediate. Research has shown that particles found in the charred surface of grilled foods – referred to as benzapyrenes – are actually carcinogens which could eventually lead to cancer.
Some other potential risks stem from the use of lighter fluid or additive-laden charcoal. While chemicals help with fire starting, they could end up in the food, which is not healthy. Not only that, but dripping grease causes flare-ups which could burn food and an inattentive cook.
BBQ rotisserie cooking, by contrast, is a considerably healthier method to prepare food and can be done on either a gas or charcoal grill. How it works is simple. First, a skewer or spit is inserted through a piece of meat, whole chicken, etc. The loaded spit is then placed on support legs that allow it to rotate freely, powered with a motor. Once activated, the spit slowly rotates, exposing all sides of the meat equally to the heat.
Since this method allows for the food to be held higher off the flame, cooking is less direct. Although this process takes longer than grilling or frying, there’s no charring and no hot spots. Barbecue rotisserie cooking leads to self-basted foods, as juices effectively cover every part of the meat while it rotates. A drip pan placed beneath the spit collects extra fat and grease. This results in less fatty, healthier food while preventing flare-ups from grease dripping into a fire.
A rotisserie is great for preparing virtually all meats, from steaks to chicken and pork ribs. Small items like vegetables, fruits, cubes of meat or seafood like shrimp and scallops can also be skewered and placed on a rotisserie for slow cooking.
Required rotisserie accessories include the spit, support legs and motor. Extra choices include multi-pronged spits to better support larger foods like a full turkey. Recently, progressive barbecue aficionados have come up with new styles of rotisserie cooking that utilizes several flat trays that rotate round the spit, giving the cook ways to barbecue several foods simultaneously. The food does not need to be skewered, but could just lay in the basket, with grease dripping away from the food into a catch pan. The capability of cooking several kinds of meats and vegetables at once helps blend flavors, and increases fuel efficiency while ultimately reducing cook time.
BBQ rotisseries created for use on present gas or charcoal grills can be purchased in multiple sizes. As with slow roasting, the rotation of the skewer or basket ensures the smoke penetrates all of the meat. With all of these developments, there’s no end to the delicious possibilities close at hand.
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For an award-winning BBQ rotisserie, internet marketing specialist Stephen Daniels recommends BBQ Innovations. This company invented the Rib-O-Lator rotisserie and sells an variety of accessories including sauces and smoky wood chips, guaranteeing big flavor for your barbecues year-round.
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