The best way to cater and cook for a large party

Catering for large events such as milestone birthdays, engagements, weddings, christenings etc. can often appear to be a daunting task for the host of the party. Kitchen ovens and BBQs often aren't large enough, so it becomes a bit of a juggling act between moving food between ovens as well as cooking on the BBQ at the same time.

Cooking on a large spit roaster for a party is a convenient way to cook for a large number of people and it is quite economical too. Lighting the charcoal generally takes only 20 minutes if you're using a charcoal chimney fire starter so in essence, around the same time for your kitchen oven to get up to temperature.

Again, like cooking in a kitchen oven, the cooking time will vary depending on the type of meat and number of kilograms you're cooking, the benefit of cooking on a spit roaster however is that you have a much larger surface area to cook on. Try cooking 30kg+ meat in your kitchen oven!

How much meat to buy for your party

As a rule of thumb, on average the amount of meat you need to cook is around 300g per person of meat without bones such as gyros or 500g per person for an animal with bones and that's assuming you're just going with meat and a few light salads. If you're making a whole heap of side dishes to accompany your spit roasted meats, this amount can be reduced.

Gyros is a great way to cook for an 18th or 21st birthday party as this style of cooking requires the meat to be gradually carved over a number of hours rather than all being ready at the same time. As we all know, for an 18th and 21st birthdays, people never turn up at the specified start time and drop in all throughout the evening.  By cooking gyros on the spit, you'll always have fresh hot meat to be able to carve. Gyros is also so easy to prepare. You just need to purchase the meat, either chicken breast, thighs or lamb shoulder, trim out any large fatty bits, season it with Gyros Seasoning and skewer it only to your skewer. Holding gyros in place with gyros plates is recommended and makes carving the meat into your carving shovel an easier process. For a birthday you generally don't need a full-size spit and a Cyprus Grill is generally enough. 

If you're planning on cooking a spit roast for an engagement party or a wedding, I'd recommend cooking roasts or whole animals as this style of cooking needs to be cooked all the way through prior to being taken off the spit roaster and the meat is carved all at once. This option is best for when you have a designated eating time for more formal events. If you have never cooked on a spit before I have gone through some helpful tips below.

Tips to help with cooking a spit roast for a wedding or large party. 

If you have never cooked on a spit roaster before and you are about you take up the challenge of cooking for a large event then below I have listed some tips that may be logical but so often overlooked:

• Practice- If you have never cooked on a spit before then practice on some chickens or even a turkey leading up to the event. The technique for spit-roasting chickens is the same as spit roasting any type of meat. It will teach you the basics of fire control, height adjustments, how and when to add more charcoal while cooking and finally how to carve the meat.
• Ordering- These days when you wish to cook a whole animal you need to order it first. You can't just rock up and expect to purchase a lamb over the counter. Call up your local butcher at least 2 weeks prior and order your meat of choice. While ordering, also ask them if they can season it and put the animal on the skewer for you if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself.
• Accessories- At the same title you order your meat, go through your spit roaster accessories and make sure you have all the parts needed to cook a whole animal. Have a look at our blog on how to attach a pig to a rotisserie for more information on these accessories. 
• Balancing- Whether you ask your butcher to skewer the animal for you or you want to do this yourself, always make sure the animal is balanced prior to putting it on your rotisserie. Even if a "professional" trusses your animal, at the end of the day it is you that is going to need to rectify any issue that may occur. I can't stress the importance of a balanced load while spit roasting. Always use a counter balance weight when cooking anything that isn't symmetrical. Please go have a read through our blog on How to balance a lamb on a spit for more helpful hints. 
• Precheck- Before you light up your spit, and preferably a day or 2 before your big event, go over your spit roaster and check everything works. Check all the clips and screws and the grub screw that attaches the bush to the rotisserie motor to confirm they are tight and don't come loose during the cook. Check your extension cord to make sure it works. Also, make sure you are not draining too much power from the same electrical circuit that may cause your circuit breaker to trip. Rotisserie motors do not use a lot of power however if you also have lights, DJ equipment, a kettle and a microwave running on the same circuit then you are going to have issues. 
• Carving- While carving, make sure you have a carving tray that is big enough to fit the whole animal after it's cooked. This makes the task so much easier and less messy. Also, make sure you have a pair of liner gloves to insulate your hand from the heat of the meat and nitrile gloves over the top of them.

DIY spit roasting rather than getting a spit roast catering company to cook for you is a great way to save some money. At the time of writing this in 2018, chicken breasts for cooking gyros will cost around $9 per kilo or around $3 per head. Whole chickens cost around $12 depending on the size and based on a quarter chicken per person, that'll cost you $3 per head. Lamb/beef/pork will range between $10-$20 per kilo depending on the cut, so at $2.50-$5 per person, it's certainly well worth doing it yourself.

A whole lamb weighing 17kgs costs around $200 ($12 per kilo). This is the most common size lamb you'll find at the local butcher and is referred to as a spring lamb. If you know a farmer, you'll be able to get a sheep up to 30kgs for around $11 per kilo. Whole pigs from the butcher cost around $250 - $300. Strangely, in my experience, it makes no difference in price if you buy a 15kg pig or a 30kg pig. The price is the same. Maybe check with your local butcher as they are all different. If you want an even larger pig, it's most likely going to be a special order so be sure to give plenty of warning.

If you're on a tight budget, I’d strongly recommend giving a spit roast party a go. Not only is it an economical and stress-free way to cook, but it'll also be a focal point for everyone to gather around and mingle. You can either hire a spit roaster for a one-time event or buy a spit roaster that can be used year after year. 

by: Rhiannon Peterson