If you have the chrome model, spray it with vegetable (non-stick) spray before mounting the poultry. Even better is that we have now developed black non-stick models for all our roaster sizes. They are easier to clean and they look sharp.
Preheat the oven at 450°, then turn down the temperature to 400°. A little water (1/8" to 1/4"), broth or wine/broth combination in the roasting pan reduces splatter. Fat won't hit the open pan and sizzle up. For duck, degrease the pan 1/2 way through and add water again.
Most ovens produce more heat in the upper area. If this is the case; 1/2 way through cooking use some aluminum foil to cover wings and top of bird. (Leave the hole open though.) Some paprika on the bird will attract heat and add to browning color.
For a taste variation, try adding ingredients under the outer skin. This can be done by carefully separating skin from body. Use your fingers to loosen skin from breast area, moving gently down to the thigh. This will create a pocket. Now you may incorporate favorite ingredients to enhance flavor. You don't want to pack too tightly, and take care not to puncture skin. Be creative! There are many possibilities.
YES!!! The turkey roaster is only 10" high. Most ovens have 12-16" between lower grill and upper part of oven. Don’t cook turkeys over 18 lbs. Cut off tail of the bird and press the carcass down firmly on the roaster. Make sure that the upper ringer post goes to the back of the neck area. In some ovens you can even cook two 16 lb. turkeys facing each other to accommodate large dinner parties or buffets. Be careful, as turkeys cook in virtually half the normal time. Allow bird to sit 20-30 minutes before carving. Slide your stuffing under the breast skin.
Yes! What you need to order is our conversion kit. It allows you to cook shish-kabobs, steaks, lamb chops and cheese blocks. By cooking these items vertically you eliminate the need for cooking oil and fat drips off the meat for healthier eating.
Simply remove the grill. Place 2 or 3 clay bricks where charcoal used to go. Place the normal amount of coals around the bricks. Bricks will create a nice platform for your aluminum pan or cookie sheet. Once coals heat up, sit your poultry in there and don’t keep lifting up the hood and lose heat! Soak smoking chips in different fruit juices rather than plain water. Remember too, barbecues take a little more time.
The Vertichoke holds the artichoke in an upside down position. This allows the flavored stock in the pan to steam upwards, gently steaming the inner portions of the choke. They never touch the water. It also makes for a pretty presentation at the table.
Don’t let the marvelous broth that Spanek is famous for go to waste. We now produce a carving board specifically designed for use with the Spanek collection. It has rings cut into it to hold all of our racks from moving around while you carve. It also has juice grooves and a unique pouring spout to help collect the juices without any mess. The reverse side is for carving roasts and similarly helps to collect their juices.
While you may find our full line in a lot of stores, most will only buy items they believe will move quickly out of their inventory. It's hard for many merchants to carry the full extent of any company's line. You can explore our products here.
It is said that imitation is the highest form of flattery. Our Spanek roasters are made here in the United States of the very finest materials. The cheaper imports cut corners in their manufacturing and as a result they simply don’t cook as well.
Any oven or covered grill that will retain heat at about 400° will do a wonderful job on poultry using one of our racks. However, we have found that the most consistent quality in the shortest amount of time comes when you cook in a convection oven. We've included our favorite, the MAXIM, as a listing in our new catalog.