How to Assemble the La Caja China Rotisserie Kit

otisserie cooking suspends food over hot coals on slowly rotating rod, which allows meat to cook evenly and self-baste, which means that the meat is constantly coating itself with its own juice. Of course, some drips but that fat hitting the hot coals below adds a ton of flavor to your chickens. Rotisserie cooking has been used for everything from small birds to whole cows, since medieval times and probably longer.

I have several La Caja China and Caja Asadora roasters, and have used them for years for pig roasts, whole lamb, briskets, even turkeys, but this is the first time I've used the rotisserie attachment.

Simple to set up, simple to load...the La Caja China Rotisserie kit does all the work! The self-basting nature of this method, combined with the perfectly even searing creates a super crispy skin and some of the juiciest, most flavorful white meat I've ever had.

The results are really impossible to replicate with any other cooking method.

The Rotisserie Kit is very easy to assemble. If you have a screwdriver and about 15 minutes, you’ll be ready to cook!

First, open up the packaging and make sure all of the parts are included and in working order.

Follow the directions to measure and mark the location of the support pole brackets. Next, use a metal punch to make holes for the support pole bracket screws. You’ll only need to do this on the diamond plate models. The wood-sided models can go right to the next step.

Mount the support pole brackets, horizontally, on each side of the box.

Next, take each of the 26 in. vertical support poles, and place a collar lock on each, tightening to position approximately 15 inches down from the top of the poles. Run the support poles down through the brackets on either side of the box, with the circular ends up. The collar locks will keep the poles at the desired height.

Mount the gear reduction motor on the support pole that has the accompanying mounting bracket, with the battery case door facing away from the box. Next, run the pointed end of the cross bar through the top of the far support pole, and insert the square end into the motor.

Note: I have a spit fork on the pole in this picture, but you don’t actually need to add those to the pole until you’re skewering the food for roasting.

Insert 2 D-cell batteries (not included) into the motor and close the casing door. The motor should run approximately 20 hours on each set of batteries.

Note: If you plan to do two chickens, as I did here, I would definitely recommend a second set of spit forks as the birds shrink during roasting and you have to make a lot of adjustments doing two chickens with just one set.

Be sure to check out our next post, “Cooking the Perfect Rotisserie Chicken!”

Enjoy!

Chef Perry

Chef Perry P. Perkins comes from a long line of professional cooks.

As a third generation chef, he focuses his love of cooking on barbeque, traditional southern fare, and fresh Northwest cuisine.

Perry runs a non-profit organization. MY KITCHEN Outreach Program, which teaches nutrition, shopping, and hands on cooking classes or at risk youth.

His cookbooks include La Caja China Cooking, La Caja China World, and La Caja China Party.