Authentic Pizza Ovens Maximus Mobile Rotisserie Spit

Description

The Maximus rotisserie spit is Authentic Pizza Ovens' answer to a question the Maximus Mobile's 9.5 inch ceiling seems to rule out: can a small wood fired oven turn a chicken? It can, because this spit does not hang from the walls. It is a stainless frame that stands on the oven floor, a 19.7 by 11.8 inch drip pan with a triangular support at each end, and a 28.9 inch rod that rides 5.5 inches above the pan on those supports. Two forks pin the meat, a turned handle sits outside the mouth, and you turn it by hand while the drippings collect underneath.

Because the rod sits low, there is room over it for a roast up to about 8 inches across under the false ceiling, which is a 3 to 4 pound chicken, a duck, a pork loin, a boned and rolled lamb shoulder, or a row of kebabs. Cooked this way the meat browns on all sides from the flame beside it, self bastes as it turns, and never sits in its own fat.

The one rule the Maximus rotisserie spit does not change is the thermometer: FoodSafety.gov puts poultry at 165°F and pork or lamb roasts at 145°F with a rest, and a probe is the only way to know a spit roast is there.

The Maximus rotisserie spit rides free on the same delivery when it is ordered with the oven, since the Maximus Mobile clears our $750 free shipping threshold on its own. On its own it is a 10 pound parcel at the standard rate, no freight and no liftgate. This Maximus Mobile pizza oven rotisserie is made for the Mobile only; the Maximus Prime takes APO's separate Prime spit, and the brick domes take the traditional spit that hangs in their door port.

The rest of this page covers how the Maximus rotisserie spit sits in the chamber, the drip pan and what to cook on it, running the fire around it, care, which of APO's three spits goes with which oven, and buying it from Crustify.

How It Sits in the Maximus Mobile

The Authentic Pizza Ovens Maximus spit goes in through the 15.5 by 9 inch door with the pan's long side pointing into the oven. The pan is 11.8 inches wide and about 6 inches tall to the top of the supports, so it clears the door with room to spare, and it sits on the tile floor with the far end of the pan near the back wall and the handle end of the rod poking out of the mouth. The chamber is 23.5 inches deep and the pan is 19.7, which leaves a few inches at the back for the coals.

The rod is 28.9 inches long and 0.6 inches thick, so with the pan pushed to the back the handle sits about 9 inches proud of the door. That is by design: you turn the Maximus rotisserie spit from outside the oven, by hand, a quarter turn every few minutes, without reaching into the heat. The door stays off while it runs, which is how the Maximus Mobile cooks pizza too, so the fire is used to it.

Rod height is the number that makes the whole thing work. At 5.5 inches above the pan, under a ceiling 9.5 inches above the floor, a roast of about 8 inches across turns with an inch of clearance top and bottom and browns evenly on the way round. A bigger bird than that, or a rib roast, wants the Lume Alto or another tall brick dome and the traditional spit; the Maximus rotisserie spit is sized for its oven, and it is honest about it.

The Drip Pan and What to Cook

The pan is the part a brick oven pizza oven rotisserie spit does not have, and it changes what you can do. Everything that renders off a chicken lands in it instead of on the tiles, which keeps the floor clean for tomorrow's pizza and gives you a pan of drippings for gravy, for basting, or for a tray of potatoes tucked into the pan under the bird for the last half hour. The two carry handles at the ends let you lift the whole Maximus rotisserie spit out with the roast still on it and rest it on the side shelf.

Chicken is the first thing to cook on the Maximus rotisserie spit. Truss a 3 to 4 pound bird tight, run the rod through it end to end, and pin it between the two forks with the wing nuts snug so it turns with the rod rather than around it. Salt the skin an hour ahead, and it will take about 60 to 75 minutes with the oven around 250 to 300°C and the coals to one side, turning a quarter turn every four or five minutes. Pull it at 165°F in the thigh.

After that, the Maximus rotisserie spit takes anything that fits the 8 inch envelope and the 19 inch pan: a duck, which drips more than anything and is why the pan exists; a pork loin or a boned shoulder rolled and tied; a leg of lamb boned and rolled; a row of kebabs on the rod between the forks; pineapple for the end of the night. What it does not take is a whole turkey, a bone in rib roast, or anything longer than the pan.

Running the Fire Around It

Bring the Maximus Mobile up as you would for pizza, then let it fall back. A wood fired rotisserie roast wants 250 to 300°C on the dial and a bed of coals with a small live flame, not a pizza fire. Rake the coals to the back and to one side, set the Maximus rotisserie spit on the floor with the pan against the other side and the far end of the pan short of the coals, and feed one small split at a time to keep a flame licking along the side of the roast.

Turn the Maximus rotisserie spit by hand, a quarter turn every few minutes, from the handle outside the mouth. There is no motor and no battery, and on a chamber this size none is needed; the fire is inches from the meat and the pan is doing the basting. Wear a glove for the handle, which is wood but sits close to the mouth. Keep the door off and the damper open, and if the skin is coloring faster than the inside is cooking, push the coals further back and let the flame die to embers.

When the probe says done, lift the whole frame out by the pan handles, rest the roast on the rod over the pan for ten minutes so it drips where you want it, then loosen the wing nuts and slide it off. The oven is still hot, and a tray of vegetables in the ceramic dish goes in behind the Maximus rotisserie spit while the meat rests.

Care

The Maximus rotisserie spit is stainless steel throughout except the wooden handle, and it cleans like a roasting pan: let it cool, tip the drippings, soak the pan, and scrub the rod and forks. Do not put it in the dishwasher with the handle on; the wood will crack. Dry it before it goes back in the box or the stand drawer so the forks do not spot.

The rod of the Maximus rotisserie spit will discolor with heat over the first few cooks, which is normal on any stainless in a wood fire and is cosmetic. Check the wing nuts before each cook; they loosen as the rod expands and cools, and a fork that has walked along the rod is the usual reason a roast stops turning with the handle.

Which Spit for Which Oven

Authentic Pizza Ovens makes three spits, one rotisserie for pizza oven use in each family, and none of them fit another oven, so here is the set.

If you are not sure which oven you have, the door tells you: a lift off stainless plate 15.5 inches wide is the Mobile, a lift off plate 20 inches wide is the Prime, and a cast aluminum door with a window and a small round port is a brick dome. Contact us with a photo if it is still not clear.

Buying the Maximus Mobile Spit From Crustify

Order the Maximus rotisserie spit on the same order as the oven and it ships free with it from the brand's Texas warehouse. Ordered on its own, it is a 10 pound parcel at the standard shipping rate from the same warehouse; no liftgate fee, no freight. APO builds these in batches and stock runs short between them, so lead times are confirmed when you order, and we will tell you the honest date before your card is charged rather than after.

The Maximus rotisserie spit is covered by APO's accessory warranty against defects in the frame, rod, and forks; heat discoloration of the stainless and wear on the wooden handle are normal and not defects. Unused spits in the box can be returned within 14 days, with return postage paid by the buyer.

With the Maximus rotisserie spit in the cart, the other two things a Maximus Mobile needs are the Maximus Mobile cover, which is a warranty condition on the oven, and the Maximus Mobile stand, whose side shelf is where a spit roast lands to rest. A probe thermometer is the one thing on this page we would not cook without, and it is in our pizza oven accessories collection with everything else for the Maximus and the brick domes on the Authentic Pizza Ovens brand page. Chat and email go straight to the owner and are usually answered the same day.

Order the spit with the oven and it rides free on the same delivery. The Maximus Mobile clears the $750 free shipping threshold by itself.

KEY FEATURES

• Authentic Pizza Ovens Maximus spit, the Maximus Mobile pizza oven rotisserie, in every color; not for the Prime or the brick domes
• Free standing stainless frame: a 19.7 x 11.8 inch drip pan with a triangular support at each end, so nothing mounts to the oven walls
• 28.9 inch stainless rod, 0.6 inch diameter, riding 5.5 inches above the pan; two fork sets with wing nut collars
• Turned wooden handle sits outside the mouth; turn it by hand a quarter turn every few minutes, no motor, no battery
• Room for a roast up to about 8 inches across under the Mobile's 9.5 inch ceiling: a 3 to 4 lb chicken, a duck, a pork loin, a rolled lamb shoulder, or kebabs
• Drip pan catches everything for gravy, basting, or potatoes under the bird, and keeps the tile floor clean for pizza
• Carry handles at both ends of the pan to lift the whole frame out with the roast on it
• Goes in and out through the 15.5 x 9 inch door with the door off
• Stainless throughout except the handle; hand wash, dry before storing
• About 10 lb; the Maximus rotisserie spit ships free with an oven order, standard parcel rate on its own
• Made for Authentic Pizza Ovens for the Maximus Mobile; the Maximus Prime takes its own larger spit

SPECIFICATIONS

APO's drawing for the Maximus rotisserie spit is in centimeters: 73.5 cm (28.9 in) rod, 1.5 cm (0.6 in) rod diameter, 50 by 30 cm (19.7 by 11.8 in) drip pan, and 14 cm (5.5 in) from the pan to the rod on the triangular supports. Handmade, so expect small variations.

INSTALLATION GUIDE & USER MANUAL

Loading. Truss the roast for the Maximus rotisserie spit tight. Slide one fork onto the rod and snug its wing nut, run the rod through the roast end to end, slide the second fork on, push both forks into the meat, and tighten the wing nuts so the roast turns with the rod. Balance matters more than tightness: a roast off center will drop to the same side every turn and cook unevenly.

Setting the spit. Bring the oven up for the Maximus rotisserie spit, then let it fall to about 250 to 300°C with the coals raked to the back and one side. Set the rod on the supports, and slide the whole frame in through the door, pan first, long side into the oven, with the pan against the side away from the coals and the far end short of them. The handle stays outside the mouth. Leave the door off and the damper open.

Turning. A quarter turn every four or five minutes, by hand at the handle, with a glove. Feed one small split at a time to keep a low flame along the side of the roast. Check with a probe thermometer: 165°F in the thigh for poultry, 145°F with a rest for pork and lamb roasts.

Unloading. Lift the Maximus rotisserie spit out by the pan handles with gloves, rest the roast on the rod over the pan for ten minutes, then loosen the wing nuts and slide it off. Pour the drippings from the pan before it cools.

Care. Cool the Maximus rotisserie spit, soak, scrub, dry. Check the wing nuts and forks before each cook. Store in the box or the stand drawer.

WARRANTY INFORMATION

Term. Authentic Pizza Ovens covers the Maximus rotisserie spit against defects in the frame, rod, pan, and forks under its accessory warranty, from the date of delivery, to the original purchaser.

Exclusions. Heat discoloration of the stainless steel and darkening or checking of the wooden handle are normal and not defects. Damage from dishwashing with the handle fitted, from overloading the rod, from bending the forks, or from misuse is excluded.

Claims. Contact us first with photos and your order number and we handle the claim with APO on your behalf. Shipping damage is separate: note it on the delivery receipt or report it within five days for concealed damage.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - FAQ'S

Your Questions Answered Before You Buy

These are the questions we get most often about the Maximus rotisserie spit, answered straight. If yours is not here, chat or email goes to the owner and you will usually hear back the same day.