How long does a Spit Roast take to cook?
A Spit Roast whether Lamb or Pork requires the Big Roast chef to arrive only four hours before the desired cooking time. A Spit Roast is a number of massive Pork or Lamb Loins cooked over an open charcoal spit.
Although massive the Loins only require two and a half hours to cook to perfection, giving loads of lovely crisp Crackling, just like a Whole Hog.
The other one and half hours is taken up with the chef setting up his cooking area and most importantly, lighting the fire.
The fire is of course key to everything but once lit usually needs about forty-five minutes to settle to the ideal temperature. While the fire is catching the chef needs to ‘ Spike’ the loins. This involves the chef running a metal pole through the centre of the meat, from end to end. It’s crucial that the spike runs straight through the centre so the meat turns and cooks evenly over the fire. Just like a Whole Hog, the chef will aim to have the loins ready thirty minutes before the serving time to allow for the removal of the Crackling, the carving and the presenting of the meat.