Comparison
Skewer grill or spit roaster: which one you actually need
They look related and they are sold side by side, but they solve opposite problems. Buying the wrong one is the most expensive mistake in this category.
The short answer
A spit roaster cooks one big thing slowly. A skewer grill cooks many small things quickly. Almost everything else follows from that.
| Spit roaster | Skewer grill | |
|---|---|---|
| What goes on it | A whole lamb, pork shoulder, several chickens | Cubed or minced meat, vegetables, halloumi, seafood |
| Cook time | Two to six hours | Three to fifteen minutes |
| Heat | Low and indirect, coals banked to the side | High and direct, coals underneath |
| Turning | Continuous, usually by motor | Every minute or two, by hand |
| Attention needed | Low once it is running | Constant while it is on |
| Feeds a crowd by | One large piece carved at the end | A steady stream of skewers |
| Typical use | Easter, a whole-animal occasion | Most weekends |
Where people go wrong
Buying a spit for weeknight cooking
A spit roaster is superb at the thing it does and poor at everything else. Lighting a full bed of coals and running a motor for four hours is not a proportionate response to dinner. Spits get bought with enthusiasm and used twice a year.
Buying a skewer grill for a whole lamb
The reverse mistake. A skewer rack will not carry a whole animal, and a frame built for direct high heat is the wrong environment for a long slow roast. If the occasion you are buying for is a whole lamb on a spit, buy a spit.
Assuming the Greek and Cypriot names are interchangeable
They are not. Souvla is the big slow one and needs a rotisserie. Souvlaki and kalamaki are the small fast ones and need a skewer grill. The words look similar and the equipment is not the same. There is more on this on the Greek and Cypriot page.
How often will you really use it
This is the honest test, and it usually settles the question.
Count the occasions in the last year when you would have cooked a whole animal. For most households the answer is one, or none. Now count the times you would have happily cooked a tray of skewers for people in the backyard. The gap between those two numbers is the argument.
A skewer grill earns its keep because it fits a normal Saturday. A spit roaster earns its keep if you genuinely host the kind of occasion that calls for one, and it is a poor purchase if you do not.
What we sell, and what we do not
Worth being clear. The frames on this site are charcoal skewer grills and flip-grate charcoal grills. They are turned by hand, they take standard skewers, and they are built for direct heat and short cooks.
We do not sell a rotisserie for whole animals. If that is what you need, there are Australian specialists who do it properly and you should buy from them rather than making the wrong tool work.
If a skewer grill is the right answer
Three sizes, all with the same shared-handle rack.
F1 Charcoal Skewer Grill
from $263.76
Open frame, adjustable charcoal height, racked for 16 to 32 skewers.
View this grillF2 Enclosed Charcoal Skewer Grill
from $305.41
Enclosed body for windy sites, with a pull-out coal tray.
View this grillF5 Large Charcoal Skewer Grill
$651.11
The large frame for cooking at volume.
View this grillKeep reading
Not sure which way to go?
Tell us what you cook and how many you cook for, and we will tell you honestly if we are the wrong shop.