Main photo by Julia Laxer
With one simple trick and the right seasoning you can make an excellent beef roast using a rotisserie, be it one built into an oven or a stand alone unit. One of the great advantages of a rotisserie is that it cooks very evenly and your roast should be basically the same "doneness" throughout.
This type of rotisserie roast cooking only really works for beef roasts like a sirloin tip or blade roast. Tougher cuts like like a round roast tend to be quite dry when done rotisserie style.
To prepare a roast for the rotisserie it is essential to take it out at least 30 minutes before cooking. I like to take it out an hour before.
Take your roast and pour olive oil over it rubbing it in evenly all around. This step will ensure that the roast has both a pleasing texture and is very moist even if you like your roast medium.
Then season the roast very liberally (or to taste) with all of the following:
Kosher or sea salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
garlic powder
onion powder
Make sure to season the roast evenly on all sides.
After it has sat at room temperature for at least 30 minutes (and preferably an hour), place your roast onto the rotisserie spit and set it to cook for the length of time needed for it to be done.
Rotisserie cooking times vary considerably. If you have a stand alone rotisserie its instruction booklet should provide a guide. But with rotisserie cooking, until you have some practice, you should likely use an instant meat thermometer.
You can find any number of "doneness" charts out there, but most of them agree that a roast is done to rare at around 125 F., medium rare at 130-135, and medium at 140-145. You can go up from there until the roast is medium well or inedible. For the record Health Canada recommends cooking to 145. Remember that your roast will sit for 5 to 10 minutes after cooking and will continue to cook as it sits.
On my Sunbeam Carousel Rotisserie unit I get medium rare by cooking for around 23 minutes a pound prior to sitting.
After cooking depending on its size let your roast sit for around 5 to 10 minutes prior to carving. During this time you can check the temperature again to see how it is progressing.
When ready carve as you enjoy it. I prefer thinner cuts of roast and I like to carve at an angle using a sharp knife that is not serrated.
Serve with all the things you like roast with such as mashed potato, rice, gravy and red wine. Lately I have enjoyed having roast with French fries.
Here we had it with a side of chopped radicchio, spinach, red pepper and mushrooms sautéed in olive oil and then topped with grated parmesan.
Enjoy.