November 24, 2015
If you plan on rotisserie roasting your turkey this Thanksgiving, knowing how to truss the bird properly will go a long way in yielding an evenly cooked, golden brown turkey. At Kalamazoo we’re big fans of rotisserie roasting over a live wood fire. The fire imparts an incredible smoky flavor, and the turkey skin browns beautifully as it bastes in its own juices. However, if the bird isn’t trussed correctly you will end up with burnt wings and less than impressive results. Which is why we’re here to help! Check out our step-by-step guide to trussing a rotisserie turkey.
Step 1
Lay the turkey on a flat surface, breast side up. Take a long piece kitchen string (better to have too much than too little, as you can always trim off the excess when you’re finished) and securely tie it around one of the turkey legs.
Step 2
Tie the other leg so that the legs are tied together, one above the other. Both legs should sit above the cavity opening.
Step 3
Take the top part of the right wing (the part that is not attached to the body) and tuck it up and into the side of the body so that it’s nestled next to the base of the leg. Take the string from the end of the legs, run it along the top right side of the turkey, then wrap it around the middle of the turkey wing to secure it. Then, bring the string back up over the top right side of the turkey and secure it around the end of the legs. Repeat this process on the left side. This will prevent the wings from flapping around and burning as the turkey rotates on the rotisserie.
Tuck the turkey wings underneath the body of the turkey, just beneath the base of the leg.
Wrap the string around the turkey wing to secure it to the body, then tie the string to the turkey legs.
Step 4
Wrap another piece of string around middle of the turkey, making sure to further secure the wings to the body. Tie the string and trim off any excess.
Wrap another piece of string securely around the body of the turkey, taking care to secure the wings.
The finished product should look like this.
Step 6
Insert the rotisserie spit into the cavity and push it until it pierces the other end of the bird. Center the mass of the bird on the spit as best you can. Insert the prongs on both ends and tightly secure the screws.
Thread the turkey on the spit and fasten the prongs once the bird is centered on the shaft.
Step 7
Roast your turkey using your preferred grill and fuel source. We cooked our turkey on our Gaucho Grill because we just can’t get enough of our newest toy! The Gaucho is a powerful wood-fired Argentinian-style grill with a motorized rotisserie. A gas starter gets the wood fire going quickly, and the grill grates and rotisserie can be raised and lowered above the fire to control the intensity of the cooking heat.
The finished product. Delicious!
Step 8
Enjoy!
The finished product. Delicious!