IN Lately people often spend time outdoors, taking a break from the bustle of big cities. In addition to admiring nature, every self-respecting person cannot do without kebabs on skewers, for the preparation of which it is recommended to use a grill with a spit for comfortable cooking and uniform heating of the meat.
There are many types of such devices on the market, among which the most popular is the electric spit, which allows you to rotate the skewers automatically. But most simple options is to create a product with your own hands, which gives you confidence in the quality of the selected materials, and if you follow all the rules and recommendations, it will delight you with its functionality for several decades.
A mechanical barbecue spit requires the following materials:
- Metal rods;
- Actually a barbecue for carrying out basic measurements;
- Handle for rotating the spit;
- Metal bayonet;
- Welding machine;
- Pliers;
- Meter or tape measure;
- Bulgarian.
Making a spit with your own hands is quite simple and the process does not require special knowledge in this area.
The main condition when choosing a bayonet is to take into account the material from which it is made. It must be a difficult-to-melt product, since otherwise there is a risk that it will melt, thereby ruining the quality of the meat carcass. It is also important to choose stainless steel.
For convenient fastening Meat on a skewer for a barbecue requires 4 rods, which are welded crosswise, and each of them must be the same size, otherwise it is impossible to achieve a uniform load.
Stages of creating a spit at home
Many people are interested in how to make a spit with their own hands. First you need to decide on the length of the skewer, as well as its diameter. An ordinary kebab requires a regular rod with a diameter of less than 1 cm, but to fry a pig you will need a rod with a diameter of 1 to 1.6 cm.
After welding the rods in a cross-shaped position, it is necessary to create a handle, which can be made either stationary or removable if desired. You can even take a regular door handle.
The rods can be round, square or flat - it all depends on the preferences of the master. Round view is not an ideal option, since there is a risk that the carcass will slide, and turning it to the other side will become a difficult process, but from the physical side it is much simpler.
Although the square shape of the spit guarantees uniform roasting of the meat, it is physically difficult to turn.
Each form has its own advantages and disadvantages, so everyone chooses what they can do.
The final stage is attaching the teeth to the spit with the blunt side or the handle side, which can also be removable. But this is not a required element.
After finishing this stage we can say that the spit is completely ready for use, all that remains is to purchase your favorite type of meat and cook it.
To create the perfect skewer for the grill, you need to adhere to the following some nuances:
- To ensure level placement of the supports, they must be installed on flat surface, as this helps to achieve a horizontal position of the spit while frying meat.
- It is better to make the skewer as short as possible to minimize additional effort during its movement, and the handle should, on the contrary, form a large lever. This way you can make turning the product as comfortable and easy as possible.
Making an Electrical Device
Creating an electric spit requires a little more effort and some knowledge. Creation stages:
- For the drive, 2 small pieces of plastic should be cut from a metal sheet.
- Then a hole should be cut on the resulting plates.
- For the gearbox, you need to attach the sprocket from the bicycle to the motor shaft, and then the gear. This structure should be secured to the plate and then mounted on the shaft.
- On the opposite edge, a second gear is installed through a bearing.
- After this, you need to attach the gears to the skewer a little further than the handle.
- Now you can install the motor on one of the legs of the grill and pull the chain to the body.
- The final step is to weld the support on the other side of the grill.
As you can see, creating a spit is a fairly simple process, the main thing is desire. If you follow all the steps, you can get a device that will become indispensable assistant in creating shish kebab. And the additional bonus in the form of money saved on the purchase will not leave anyone indifferent.
Outdoor cooking is becoming increasingly popular. Almost everyone has a grill or barbecue summer cottage. And if kebabs are already a fairly traditional method of cooking meat, then the use of a spit remains a rarity. This part allows you to fry large pieces of meat and even whole carcasses. It’s not at all difficult to build such a device for a barbecue with your own hands.
Choosing the right rod is half the success
Before making a spit and all the accessories for it, you need to prepare the material for work and decide on its length and shape.
Mostly flat, square and round shapes are used. It all depends on what products. Boneless meat or minced meat will be difficult to roast on a round spit because it will slip off. It is more convenient to fry shish kebab and small pieces on a flat rod. In order to cook a whole carcass without any problems, it is best to take a square shape. The meat will not slide off such a spit and will be able to cook evenly on all sides.
The base of the skewer is a metal bayonet, and right choice material for it is a guarantee of successful use. For a bayonet, you should not choose low-melting alloys or use an old rod from scrap metal. The best decision — stainless steel. In addition, to create a spit you will need:
- Handle for spit.
- Roulette.
- Bulgarian.
- Metal rods.
- Pliers.
- Welding machine.
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Making a spit
Before you make a spit with your own hands, you need to decide on its length and diameter. For cooking small pieces of meat, a 7 mm thick rod is suitable. To fry the carcass of a small animal, a device made of a rod from 9 to 11 mm is suitable. If you plan to cook large pieces of meat, you should prepare a rod with a diameter of 12 to 16 mm. As for the length, the spit for the grill is made the same length as the grill itself.
If there is no barbecue, then you should build a kind of stand that will be installed above the fire. A spit with a carcass is placed on it. For this purpose, the metal rods must have the same length, so that the load is distributed evenly. 4 prepared rods should be welded 2 crosswise. You will get grooves that will allow you to conveniently and firmly install the spit over the fire.
Drawing of a spit for a barbecue: minimum dimensions.
There is one important detail What distinguishes a spit from a regular skewer is the handle. It helps turn the meat over for even cooking. It can be made from any available material. You can use a regular door or bicycle handle, or a piece of pipe that can be shaped into a convenient shape for use.
The handle should be welded to the main structure of the spit. If there is nothing suitable at hand, then the bent end of the rod can become a handle. The main thing is to create leverage. Thanks to this, the cook will be able to easily twist a rod of any shape, and the cooking process will take place without additional physical effort. You should carefully consider the size of this rod. The cook's hands should be at a safe distance from the hot flame. Therefore, the piece of rod that will protrude beyond the limiters must be at least 1 m in length.
The final stage in the construction of the spit is equipping it with teeth that will hold the meat. On industrially manufactured skewers, these teeth are made with a clamp and are removable to make it convenient to mount the carcass. For a structure that is built with your own hands, one pair of teeth is made from metal rods. They should be bent with an arc and welded to the base. The teeth are firmly secured at the “blunt” end at a distance of 1/3 of the length. The skewer is ready. Now at the dacha there will be not only a barbecue built with your own hands, but also accessories for it.
After a hard day spent at their summer cottage, people want to please themselves and their loved ones with quick “snacks”. By building an electric grill at the dacha with his own hands, the owner will have this opportunity. Equipped with a mechanism for automatically turning the skewers, the fryer will not need constant attention.
Design features
The main disadvantage of traditional barbecues is that an experienced cook must be nearby at all times to ensure that the meat does not burn during the cooking process, because fire is the enemy of barbecue. The observer has to sit at the grill all the time, soaking in the smoke and inhaling fragments of soot.
Automatic adaptation solves many issues at once:
- This frees up time that can be spent on other household chores.
- The kebab is fried much more evenly than under human supervision, without charring, the meat turns out juicier and softer.
- By purchasing an additional grill with a spit, you can cook several dishes on the device at the same time, saving time.
- The grill with all the accessories has compact dimensions, is easy to disassemble, and does not take up much space during storage.
- The device cleans quickly.
This is interesting:how to make a spit for a barbecue with your own hands.
The only serious drawback is that there must be a power source nearby. It turns out that cooking can only be done near a residential building, from where it is easy to reach the carrying cord. But on a picnic in the forest or on a river bank, it will be useless unless you get an additional battery.
In addition, you will have to take into account energy costs.
It is also worth mentioning the fact that, according to gourmets, kebab prepared in this way differs in taste from that grilled on a regular grill. But this, it seems to us, is a controversial issue.
Video “Do-it-yourself electric grill”
From this video you will learn how you can upgrade your grill and add an electric drive for skewers:
Purchased electric drive
For those who are not comfortable with technology, it will be easier to purchase a ready-made drive in a store. This approach eliminates difficulties; moreover, a purchased electric drive is often equipped with a proprietary battery.
Structurally, the magazine drive is an ordinary attachment that can be easily attached to any flat surface. The drive can be powered by batteries, however, the rotation speed will be minimal. Devices are available equipped with a speed controller.
There are ready-made grills with electric drive available for sale. The meat is fried from a filament on vertically positioned skewers, the juice and fat flow into the provided recesses. The taste of shish kebab fried from a heating element is really different from meat cooked over a fire, but you can use such a device even in a city apartment.
How to do it yourself
If you need a stationary grill, it’s easier to make it yourself. In this case, the device can turn out to be massive. A solid foundation is provided for it.
The simplest device should include two main elements:
- Engine. Can be removed from any unnecessary electrical appliance, a microwave or an electric toy will do. It would be good if the engine is equipped with a gearbox that allows you to regulate the speed of rotation of the skewers.
- Rotation mechanism. Good decision will use an ordinary bicycle chain and several sprocket gears. The gears can be turned, but it’s easier to buy them, preferably with a coating that prevents rust.
The prepared materials will need to be secured on a metal plate equipped with a shaft with bearings. The plate will be mounted outside the fryer; for this purpose, bolts are provided in it.
Principle of operation homemade apparatus: the switched on motor will begin to rotate the gears, which will gradually transmit torque to all parts in turn, causing the skewers fixed in the holes to rotate.
To create such a device you will need a drill and a grinder.
Don't forget about 2 main elements
Making a box
Those who do not have a barbecue itself will have to make a brazier as well. Needed for installation metal sheets approximately 3 mm thick. They are cut, then cut with a grinder to create the bottom of the roasting pan and four sides in the form of a rectangle.
Manufacturing proceeds as follows:
- Each plate is fixed in turn in a vice, then holes with a diameter of 1 cm begin to be drilled.
- In the walls they are placed at the bottom in increments of 3 cm. The heat from the coals will be drawn through them.
- Holes in the bottom are made with a smaller distance. They are needed for ash disposal.
- All parts are welded into a box - the body of the future barbecue.
- In the upper part of the long sides, recesses are drilled into which the skewers will be inserted. The distance between the notches is equal to the width of the gear with a minimum tolerance of 0.5 cm.
Now all that remains is to “plant” the roasting pan on its legs.
Engine selection
It is advisable to select a 12 W motor. You can borrow it from:
- window regulator;
- car wiper;
- microwaves;
- battery-powered screwdriver;
- replaceable timing phase;
- outdated electric stove with grill function.
More on initial stage It’s worth deciding whether your motor will be powered by electricity, batteries or a battery. However, one does not interfere with the other. By making the power supply universal, you can be powered from an outlet while staying with your family at the dacha, or from a battery when the whole group is going on a picnic.
Assembling skewers
To rotate, the ends of the skewers are inserted into the centers of rotation gears connected together in common system. Two types of torque transmission from electric motor shafts to gears are used:
- Serrated. The mechanism is compact. Forms an overly hard transmission and makes a lot of noise. The transmission constantly has to be lubricated during operation.
- Using flexible elements. A bicycle chain, belt, thick tape or cord are suitable for this purpose. Unfortunately, soft parts (belt, tape) can slip from time to time, and such a mechanism cannot be called durable. The device will work bigger size, you will have to take into account the increased load on the shafts and supports.
You can start rotating from the central gear, which will begin to move its neighbors on both sides. Another option is to turn one of the outermost ones, which transmits the moment to the one adjacent to it, etc. This mechanism forces the skewers to rotate in one direction, so that the skewered meat will not cling. The juice is also distributed more evenly, falling on neighboring pieces, making their surface more juicy.
When rotating in different directions, the friction force of the skewers against each other increases, which is why they can even fall out of their sockets, i.e. the presence of a person will not be superfluous. The gears are installed strictly perpendicular; even a slight misalignment can jam the mechanism.
Experienced cooks have noticed that the meat should receive the main portion of heat in the initial 2-3 minutes of cooking. To achieve this, it is advisable to heat it manually - first on one side, then on the other. As a result, a crust is formed that will not allow the juice to flow out. Only after this the skewers are connected to rotary mechanism electric grill and begin automatic uniform roasting.
Many of us are accustomed to cooking meat using skewers. But for cooking large pieces of lamb, pork or chicken, it is recommended to use a spit. It is a long rod with a handle and clamps for fillets or small animal carcasses.
For this we need a barbecue, round steel and necessary tools. Experts recommend using profile rods to eliminate the risk of the carcass slipping. you can do it yourself without much effort.
A manual structure can be built in a few minutes. And if you have certain experience and skills, you can implement a device with an electric drive. Let's look at several options for making the device.
DIY hand spit
For the simplest design we won't need complex drawings. Determine the length taking into account the width of the grill and add about 15 cm. The materials used must be hard and heat-resistant. The best option is stainless steel, which can last a long period of time.
Manufacturing instructions:
- We weld plates with slots and holes along the edges of the grill, as shown in the diagram above.
- We prepare a rod with a thickness of 10-12 mm.
- We weld two rods to the base to secure the meat.
- We fix the handle.
This model will be noisy and will not last long. If you can find rotation units with bearings, then use the drawing below.
In this case, you need to initially decide on the height of the spit so that the meat is well fried and does not burn.
Automatic spit with electric drive
If you want to completely relax in nature, then it is better to make an electric version of the device. A regular motor from a car windshield wiper is suitable for this.
To manufacture the gearbox, we perform the following steps:
- We attach the sprocket from the bicycle to the motor shaft.
- We weld a small gear on top and fix the structure to the body of our engine.
- On the other side of the base we also attach the gear through the bearing.
- We attach the motor to one of the legs of the barbecue and pull the bicycle part between the small and large sprocket.
If such a task is difficult for you, then buy it already finished device with a motor in a specialized store. The assembly process takes a few minutes. You can watch one example in the video clip:
Modern manufacturers offer various models, so you can choose one based on your barbecue or oven.
Hiking option
If a spit is only in your plans, but you need to cook meat, then you can use the means at hand.
To cook a rabbit carcass, you can use an ordinary thick branch that does not bend, so trees coniferous won't fit. We clear a suitable branch of bark and sharpen the end on one side for easy stringing of meat.
Place the carcass along the spine. It will take about 3 hours to prepare.
If you like your kebabs cooked on skewers, try using a homemade skewer as an alternative. The whole process will take you a little time.
A reliable option that will serve for many years is a spit made of steel rods. Making it will require more effort, but will pay off with interest. It is important to choose the right metal - it should be high-density stainless steel. You should not use rods made of light alloy materials, which contain lead, zinc, tin, and bismuth.
For greater strength, it is better to use not one, but several rods, welding or twisting them together. In this case, at least one of them must be long enough to lie on the racks of the fryer supports. The overall thickness of the metal may vary depending on the weight of the meat. For ordinary kebabs of 100-200 g, a skewer 0.7 cm thick is suitable, a rabbit or chicken carcass can withstand a rod 0.9-1.7 cm thick, cooking lamb or pig requires more robust construction- at least 1.2-1.5 cm.
It is important to choose the right trochanter section. If it is round, frying boneless meat may be a challenge, even with the extra serrations. A flat skewer will most likely not be strong enough and will bend under the weight of the carcass. Perfect option- triangular or square section, the meat will not turn or slide off.
Be sure to weld onto the spit at least one pair of prongs to hold the meat and a long, curved handle to rotate it. It is convenient if any position of rotation on the fryer can be fixed.
Wooden spit
In the field, in a forest or field, it is quite possible to fry the carcass of a small animal using a wooden skewer. It is better to use fresh alder, walnut or maple wood; they have the required strength and do not burn so quickly.
To do this, you need to select a strong, even branch with several forks and clear it of bark. One of the forks will become a handle for rotation, the next one will become teeth for holding the meat. The end of the branch must be sharpened well so that the carcass can be easily strung on it. On the other hand, it is convenient if the end of the skewer is slightly bent or has a different method of fastening, so as not to fly out beyond the support.
Next, on both sides of the fire you need to install supports - strong branches forked upward. A wooden spit with an animal carcass is placed in these forks. You can use any other support options: bricks stacked on top of each other, metal barrels.
