Hi again from the desk of the team at Draai-Vleis, one of the largest suppliers of rotisserie geared motors in Southern Africa.
Weather….or not!
Spring is here and although it may still be cool, in certain parts of the country, the movement towards getting the braai dusted off and placed in that favourite place in the garden has started. We can see this through our sales movement.
On the other hand we can tell that winter is coming to the Northern hemisphere by the discounting of charcoal in all the major retailers.
Some serious Turning
Draai-Vleis has a range of geared motors for use with the smallest Braai to large catering Braais for big parties.
The light weight battery and the 220V rotisserie both rated for 10kg are just great for throwing into your backpack on camping trips ready for that chicken or pork roll.
For that larger family gathering with a larger Braai and a good meat-load to turn, one can choose the 25 kg 220V heavy duty unit. This can either be supplied lose for you to adapt to your Braai or supplied with a full stainless steel casing complete with 15amp plug connector, on/off switch, cooling fan and fuse
Now if however you are a caterer, restaurant or need to feed a small army then the 220v 85kg Super Heavy Duty rotisserie geared motor is recommended.
This can also be supplied as a lose unit or mounted with a full stainless steel casing complete with 15amp plug connector, on/off switch, integral cooling fan and fuse cell.
Do not cut into the skin. This can cause all the fat to split and you will not achieve a good crackling. If you penetrate down to the meat it will dry out during cooking.
Using a good quality flake salt rub into the skin liberally then allow to rest for minimum 3 hours. Do not use any oil when applying the salt.
Rub the skin dry of any moisture the salt has drawn out and then apply a second rubbing of salt.
Start the roast off cooking on a high heat to get the crackling to start to form then turn down the heat, or lower the fire on the braai to cook the meat through. If this is done on a spit then great, if lying flat in the oven then remember to dab the extruded moisture that gathers on top of the crackling every now and then.
Voilà the best crackling ever.
The Best Crunch
Whether you are roasting a whole pig, neck, belly or shoulder everyone wants good crunchy crackling so here are some tips on how to achieve the crunch.
Pour rapidly boiling water over the skin of the cut of meat preferred. The skin will become soft and pliable easy to work with.
Using the tip of a sharp knife or skewer pierce the skin but only going in slightly so as not to puncture the meat or fat. As a guide pierce the skin 20 to 30 times in an area of 100mm square. Time consuming but well worth it.
Until next time