Page 90 - Turkey Book from Meathead

otisseries are a good way to cook meat because the
process of rotating it between hot and cool zones retains juices and insures even cooking, but we don't recommend them for turkey.
The problem is that you need to truss the bird up tight on a spit or else the wings and drums go flopping around and get burned. If you truss your bird, the skin beneath the wings, thighs, and drums never darkens and stays rubbery. And because the thigh is pressed tightly against the side, it takes too long to warm and cook through, so by the time it hits ideal temp, about 170°F, the breast is overcooked. That's why we recommend cooking turkey untrussed.
In addition, it is dicult to balance the bird on the spit. If it is imbalanced it puts serious strain on the motor. Replacement motors are usually north of $100. Some rotisseries come with counterweights to balance the load. That is a good thing.
Finally, the bird can rip loose of its moorings, and then you have torn breasts. We say fuhgeddaboudit.
R GNIKOOC EIRESSITOR