How many out there use a Showtime Rotisserie?
Is there a separate Forum for that specific cooking method?
Should there be?
I have the Showtime Pro (huge, black, supposedly the professional model). I got a great deal on it (and no, I don't work for Ron Popiel! LOL!) and it is fantastic! I've had it for a couple of years. Primarily I use it for roasting whole chickens. It comes out better, fresher and cheaper than any grocery store or even Boston Market.
I have also used it several times for Prime Rib (standing rib roasts). Last Christmas, I cooked a 7 lb. (6 rib) roast. I used the rock salt crust method and that thing came out better than any Prime Rib I've ever had in any restaurant. Nothing, IMHO, works better than cooking some meat or poultry and baste it in it's own juices.
But now I have a dilema... it's just my wife and I and we don't eat huge meals. But today I found a really good looking Prime Rib roast, on sale for $4.99 lb. And so as not to have a lot of leftovers or waste, I picked out a 3 lb. (2 rib) hunk. But I am worried about how to properly cook this. With a bigger roast you simply use a thermometer to determine doneness (is that a word?). But with a dratically smaller roast, I am worried that if I try to get the center medium rare, I will basically have 1/2 or more of the roast medium well, since it cooks from the outside.
Opinions please... for those who use this appliance, do I put it on the "close" position, where it will get right up next to the heating element? Or should I move it away one notch?
My thinking is that my best result would likely coe from keeping it close. That will "sear" the outside and provide more heat to bring the inside temp up. But this method is likely to be dicey, in terms of timing. If I get medium rare after, let's say, 1 hour, even a 5 minute change will likely move it to medium if longer, and too rare if 5 minutes shorter.
Moving it away from the element will give me a slightly slower cooking temp on the outside, and will probably then give me more room for error.
So, does anyone have experience cooking smaller cuts of meat in the Showtime? Any tips or tricks?
Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Moovyz
P.S. This is my first time to this site but I will be coming here often. I consider myself an "at home Chef". I've had many peple heap praise on them and ask for the recipe details. I've been cooking since I turned 16 (now 53) and I think I do a pretty decent job. I'm not a "fancy" epicure. I'm not really that worried about presentation. But I work hard on getting the flavors right, the right side dishes, a solid ability to get the entrees at the exact temp needed and my best skill is making it all come together at the finish, at the same time. To me, that's the most important aspect. I've been with other people who could make a mean steak, etc. but you'd get undercooked potatoes with it, or dried out veggies.
Anyway, enough rambling (and patting myself on the back, I've got a cramp now... sorry all). I'd love to hear from anyone about anything. I always love neew recipes and would love to share some of my better ones as well. Feel free!
Is there a separate Forum for that specific cooking method?
Should there be?
I have the Showtime Pro (huge, black, supposedly the professional model). I got a great deal on it (and no, I don't work for Ron Popiel! LOL!) and it is fantastic! I've had it for a couple of years. Primarily I use it for roasting whole chickens. It comes out better, fresher and cheaper than any grocery store or even Boston Market.
I have also used it several times for Prime Rib (standing rib roasts). Last Christmas, I cooked a 7 lb. (6 rib) roast. I used the rock salt crust method and that thing came out better than any Prime Rib I've ever had in any restaurant. Nothing, IMHO, works better than cooking some meat or poultry and baste it in it's own juices.
But now I have a dilema... it's just my wife and I and we don't eat huge meals. But today I found a really good looking Prime Rib roast, on sale for $4.99 lb. And so as not to have a lot of leftovers or waste, I picked out a 3 lb. (2 rib) hunk. But I am worried about how to properly cook this. With a bigger roast you simply use a thermometer to determine doneness (is that a word?). But with a dratically smaller roast, I am worried that if I try to get the center medium rare, I will basically have 1/2 or more of the roast medium well, since it cooks from the outside.
Opinions please... for those who use this appliance, do I put it on the "close" position, where it will get right up next to the heating element? Or should I move it away one notch?
My thinking is that my best result would likely coe from keeping it close. That will "sear" the outside and provide more heat to bring the inside temp up. But this method is likely to be dicey, in terms of timing. If I get medium rare after, let's say, 1 hour, even a 5 minute change will likely move it to medium if longer, and too rare if 5 minutes shorter.
Moving it away from the element will give me a slightly slower cooking temp on the outside, and will probably then give me more room for error.
So, does anyone have experience cooking smaller cuts of meat in the Showtime? Any tips or tricks?
Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Moovyz
P.S. This is my first time to this site but I will be coming here often. I consider myself an "at home Chef". I've had many peple heap praise on them and ask for the recipe details. I've been cooking since I turned 16 (now 53) and I think I do a pretty decent job. I'm not a "fancy" epicure. I'm not really that worried about presentation. But I work hard on getting the flavors right, the right side dishes, a solid ability to get the entrees at the exact temp needed and my best skill is making it all come together at the finish, at the same time. To me, that's the most important aspect. I've been with other people who could make a mean steak, etc. but you'd get undercooked potatoes with it, or dried out veggies.
Anyway, enough rambling (and patting myself on the back, I've got a cramp now... sorry all). I'd love to hear from anyone about anything. I always love neew recipes and would love to share some of my better ones as well. Feel free!