How to make skewers with your own hands

Today, kebab lovers are presented with a wide range of skewers of various sizes and shapes. Those who want to enjoy the taste of fried meat can purchase ready-made products that they like. Those who like to craft and want to save money can make skewers with their own hands. If you have the necessary material, tools and skills, this work will not be difficult to cope with. The article contains information on how to make skewers at home.

Where should I start?

Before you start making skewers with your own hands, you need to decide how long they will be. The optimal size is 700 mm. After taking the necessary measurements and applying the required marks on the stainless steel wire, it can be cut into separate parts using a chisel and a hammer. In order for the piece to have a pointed end, it is advisable to immediately cut at an angle.

When making stainless steel skewers, the master must take into account the fact that stores are supplied with wire with high levels of hardness and elasticity. It will be much more convenient to work with the material by reducing these indicators. To do this, already chopped pieces of wire must be placed in a specially made fire and wait until they become red-hot. Then, using pliers, the hot pieces should be removed from the fire and left in the air. Cooled wire will be softer and more pliable. According to reviews from craftsmen, working with such material is much more comfortable.

Herringbone

Against the background of the listed devices, making a Christmas tree turned out to be the most difficult. The reason is simple - if you just cook everything, then washing it will be inconvenient and traumatic. It was necessary to come up with something collapsible and practical. This is what I ended up doing:

took a good old thick steel pot, cut off the ears and sanded the walls;
welded a stand made of thick rod to the center;
I attached three rings to the stand and sanded the transitions.

I noticed that many people suggested screwing or welding the “branches”.

Source kaminsochi.ru

I came across an option with a stand made of a threaded rod. Such options did not seem practical to me. Therefore, I limited myself to removable skewers of three pins. In order to thread them one by one on the rod, I provided holes and locking rings of different diameters. The rotation of such “branches” will not confuse anyone. The only inconvenience may be the even distribution of the weight of the cooked vegetables or meat. But everything will be easy to wash.

In this form, an amateur master shares his experience of making a tandoor on his own from scrap materials, starting from the foundation:

Second phase

At this stage, a small anvil is used in the work. The essence of the procedure is to splash the already cooled pieces of steel wire with a hammer and give them the desired shape. In this case, you should leave 100 mm on one edge. The steel strips obtained in this way must have the same thickness up to 3 mm. The untouched 100 mm edge of the strip must be folded into a ring (an exception is the case when a craftsman makes skewers with a wooden handle).

From this place you need to step back 50 mm and use pliers to make a small spiral of half a turn. In order for pieces of meat to be threaded onto a homemade skewer without any problems, its second end must be sharp. You can sharpen it using a sharpening machine or an emery wheel. To avoid injury when using the product, it is advisable not to sharpen the end of the skewer very much.

Homemade bags for skewers

Anyone who often travels into nature knows that transporting skewers without special equipment is quite problematic. It is undesirable to wrap steel products in paper or put them in a bag: they can rupture the material and crumble, and even injure a person. The ideal option in this case would be a homemade case for skewers.

It can be made from dense and very strong material. It is desirable that the inside of the cover be oilcloth. This will prevent possible contamination of the outside of the cover with greasy skewers.

Once the desired fabric has been selected, it should be laid out on a flat surface and shaped accordingly. To do this, the material needs to be stitched on three sides. It is desirable that the inner cover be slightly longer in length than the outer one. This will allow you to form an oilcloth flap that protects the product from contamination. Many craftsmen use a sewing machine or manually to create the outer finish for the cover.

The plot of the drawing can be very diverse. It all depends on the preferences of the master himself. Mostly the skewers covers feature kitchen themes. This could be a skillfully executed image of a pig or a chef's hat. Convenient transportation of skewers is possible if the case contains a part such as a handle. It has the shape of a loop. There are a variety of sizes. With its help, the case with the skewers inside is easy to carry outdoors, and at home it is convenient to hang it on the wall, decorating the interior of the room.

A shish kebab lover does not have to purchase branded skewers and covers for them. To make such products at home, it is enough to have the desire, good imagination, the necessary material and tools.

Products with handles

Skewers with a wooden handle are quite popular among consumers. In such products, one end does not need to be bent into a ring. Instead, the end of the skewer will be capped with a wooden handle. Many craftsmen recommend using acacia to make a handle. To work, you will need a lathe on which wooden blanks will be processed.

The handle is considered ready if it is equipped with a special hole for a skewer. This hole is made by drilling. In this case, the length of the handle and its diameter should be less than that of the steel strip. The handle is placed on the skewer after it has gone through the hardening procedure. To ensure that the handle sits firmly, many craftsmen use special crimp rings.

Jug stand

A DIY tandoor stand is also doable. It protects the lower part of the jug from exposure to soil, debris, dirt, and water. Here it was necessary to build on the weight of the unit and the condition of the base on which it was installed. Here the neighbor tried in advance - he filled a small area with concrete and lined it with stone. That is, nothing will be pushed through.

Then I decided to make a welded stand for the tandoor with my own hands. I prepared several steel rods and a piece in the form of a tape. From the first, I made a round platform the size of the bottom of the jug (I took a margin of 2 cm). Others were curved to make the legs look nice. I used the tape as a rim, which became the common connecting link for the bottom and supports. I polished the weld beads and cut off the excess with a grinder. The finished item was primed and coated with black anti-corrosion paint.

Source usadba-dom.ru

Types of skewers for barbecue

Despite the fact that today many people prefer barbecue, the grill remains the most popular type of fireplace in which food is fried outdoors. And to cook on the grill you need certain devices, which are usually called skewers. So what is a skewer? This is a long strip with a certain cross-section and dimensions. Various products are strung on it for cooking over an open flame or coals.

You can make skewers with your own hands from steel or wood. Plastic and non-ferrous metals are not suitable for skewer, as they release harmful substances when heated. Before you make a skewer, you need to decide on its configuration.

The general structure of this product is as follows:

A plank that has a certain cross-section. It can be round, oval or rectangular. Some people make the bar in the form of a spiral along the entire length.
Pointed tip. It should be sharp enough to pierce raw meat, but not so sharp that it hurts your hand if pressed hard. To prevent the tip from piercing the backpack, sew a durable cover for the skewers.
Pen. The handles of the skewers should be comfortable and safe from burns. To avoid getting burned, the handle is covered with wooden pads. When choosing a tree, you need to focus on species with a fine-fiber composition.
Stand for skewer. Such a device can easily be made independently from wire or a sheet of stainless steel.

Even if the housewife has sewn a cover from a durable tarpaulin, this is not a guarantee that the sharp edges of the products will not pierce the cover or backpack. It is advisable to make a tube for skewers with your own hands. The material can be plywood, plastic or sheet iron.

Before you start your own production of barbecue accessories with your own hands, sew covers and make tubes, you need to decide what sizes future products will have. The required quantity is determined by the distance between the skewers on the grill that will be optimal for quality cooking. The optimal distance is considered to be 10 cm. This gap between the skewers allows you to fry any food efficiently and evenly. To calculate how many skewers are required for a picnic, you need to divide its length by 10 and multiply by 2 in order to prepare the next portion while the first set is on the table.

Let's consider how to choose a skewers for shish kebab, based on the properties of the materials and manufacturing features.

About materials, shape and sizes

Initially, you need to determine what size the bag will be. If it is planned that, in addition to skewers, it will also accommodate a knife, a grate, matchboxes, material that will be used to make kindling, etc., then, naturally, you should focus on a more voluminous option. In other words, the first question is always what size the structure will be.

Simple case for skewers

Case for skewers with additional compartments

It’s easy to pick up such a product in stores, but making the covers yourself is a much more economical option. In addition, there are opportunities to independently select the size and desired shape, and supply the bag with any necessary accessory (additional compartment, pockets, etc.).

When there are no special preferences, it is usually recommended to choose one of the simplest shapes - square or rectangular . The functionality of such a bag is greatest, especially since even an inexperienced craftsman will be able to sew it. It will be more difficult to give the product a round shape.

To make a handle, you should turn to dense materials that can withstand heavy weights.

It is advised not to forget about the harnesses , which help you conveniently hang the covers on your shoulders.

It is worth paying attention to reliable and durable fabrics. It is important that they withstand heavy loads, have sufficient density, and that there are no sharp elements at all or at least not scratched.

Advantage is usually given to synthetic fabrics - the basis of various tourist equipment.

To give the bags originality, you can sew pockets and leather inserts on them. The choice of color is entirely up to the creator, but preference should be given to dark tones: brown, black, khaki, etc. They look better in appearance and do not attract the eye when dirty.

Wire products

You can make skewers from wire even in the field and without electricity. For work, you can use the contents of a hiking backpack or a set of tools from your car.

roulette;
hammer;
chisel;
pliers;
file;
steel wire 6-8 mm;
anvil (iron block or granite cobblestone).

The work is carried out in the following sequence:

Using a hammer and chisel, wire blanks 70 cm long are cut. Cutting is carried out at an angle of 30-45º.
The wire is placed in the fire, you need to wait until it is red hot.
The pieces are taken out of the fire one by one and placed on the anvil. They are given a flat shape by strong blows of a hammer. The 10 cm long edges remain round.
The end of the wire is curled into a ring, this will be the handle. At a distance of 5 cm from it, a spiral is wound with pliers. The workpieces are processed with a file, all irregularities and sharp fragments are removed.
The wire is again heated red-hot and lowered into the water. This procedure is called hardening. The metal becomes strong, hard and elastic.

To prevent the formation of rust, the steel must be subjected to a hardening procedure. The product is soaked in sunflower oil and fired over a fire. When oil burns, an inorganic film is formed that prevents the oxidation of iron.

Installing the engine on the grill

Installation of the elements of the skewers rotation system takes place in the following sequence:

Motor.
Gears.
Chain.
Power source (battery).

Next, a gearbox is mounted, which reduces the rotation speed on the skewers and transmits force from the motor to the gears. Initially, a pulley or drive sprocket is installed on the motor shaft (in the case of a chain drive). The driven gear, pulley or sprocket must be much larger in diameter to reduce the skewers' rotational speed to an acceptable level.

The entire system (engine, gearbox and gears) is mounted on a plate that already contains a shaft with bearings. The motor is mounted on the outside of the grill using a bolted connection.

The chain is tensioned only when the product is completely completed.

Making handles

Having a regular set of household tools, you can make a wide variety of handles for skewers with your own hands. They are made from plastic, metal and wood. However, the first two options are not the best solution. Plastic can melt from high temperatures. The steel plates, despite their presentable appearance, get very hot from the skewer.

It is best to opt for wood. But not all varieties are suitable for pens. It is necessary to use durable hardwood with a fine-grained structure. Larch, oak, beech and acacia are best suited. The overlays are made flat or semicircular. They are attached to the metal with bolts or rivets. Additional fixation is performed with rings made of non-ferrous metal strips.

By making skewers with your own hands, you can easily replenish your home arsenal of accessories for cooking over charcoal at minimal cost.

Dispute about section

Choosing the cross-section of the rod for the spit is the first thing that comes to mind. There is no universal solution and much depends on the type of spit.

What are they:

Trident skewer.
Rotisserie with forks or clamps. Suitable for roasting carcasses.
Rotate the rod. For the lightest and least crumbly pieces. Good in hiking conditions.

We discard the flat section immediately: when rotating, the piece of meat will periodically sag significantly. This is inconvenient for a manual spit and an extra load on the mechanism for an electric one. The idea that on a square rod, compared to a round one, the meat does not turn, discard forever. It turns and even starts to wobble.

For a simple rod skewer, both round and square rods will work.

For the trident skewer, this issue is also not fundamental.

In the version with clamps or forks, it is better to choose a square section of the rod. This makes it easier to secure the clamps against rotation and will allow you to confidently rotate large asymmetrical pieces.

1 - fork; 2 - handle; 3 — handle fastening; 4 — disk for fixing the trochanter; 5 - skewer spindle.

Features of the product device

Essentially, a skewer is a bar made of heat-resistant material of a certain configuration.

a strip whose cross-section can be rectangular, semicircular, or oval. There are spiral and angular options;
the tip of the product is pointed, it allows you to easily pierce a piece of raw meat for stringing;
the handle provides comfort of use, is a loop or is made of wooden pads;
Between the base and the handle there is a spiral section as a limiter-barrier to prevent meat pieces from sliding towards the end of the bar.

There are several types of the barbecue accessory in question, depending on the cross-section:

models with a rectangular cross-section are distinguished by their ease of use: they are easy to place workpieces on; due to their design, such a skewer is stable on the grill and does not turn over spontaneously;
variants of a semicircular section are difficult to fix in the desired position; they turn over depending on the severity of the strung blanks;
corner swords for barbecue provide convenient fixation of semi-finished products and have great operational potential. The disadvantage of the product is the difficulty of care and cleaning;
Spiral models are designed for use in a vertical kebab grill. The shape of the product makes it possible to prevent the pieces from slipping during the barbecue preparation process, but it is not easy to place the meat on the spiral bar.

What do skewers look like?

As an attribute of a barbecue maker, the skewers have a length in accordance with the dimensions of the barbecue. The standard width of the roasting pan varies between 30-40 cm. The parameters of the bar for stringing semi-finished products, including the handle, are 60-70 cm.

When planning to make skewers for the barbecue with your own hands, you should decide on the number of copies. To prepare a tasty, well-fried and smoky kebab, it is important to ensure a distance of 8-10 cm between the slats strung with the preparations. For a standard barbecue 60-80 cm long, you should use a set of swords of 6-8 pieces. If desired, you can make a double set of planks.

Design features of the electric grill

The idea of automatic rotation of skewers began to be discussed by craftsmen on forums about 8–10 years ago. At the same time, videos began to appear demonstrating various designs of electric-powered barbecues. Similar mobile kebab makers were put into production back in Soviet times, but they were low-power and required improvement, and never received much demand from buyers.

Massive interest in electric grills began to appear relatively recently - a few years ago. The standard technically advanced grill is equipped with:

Electric motor 12 volts, with or without power supply.
A drive that allows you to simultaneously rotate all the skewers on the grill.

Please note! The heating of the coals from below during automatic rotation should be the same throughout the entire body of the grill. Otherwise, the meat on some skewers will be ready, but not on others.

Requirements for manufacturing materials

To properly make skewers with your own hands, it is important to choose the right materials. Homemade versions of the planks are made of metal or wood. Moreover, wood products are used one-time. For the manufacture of metal swords, only food grade stainless steel is used.

Features of stainless steel products:

the material is able to withstand high temperature loads;
the composition is not exposed to moisture and aggressive environments;
The surface is easily cleaned of carbon deposits and food residues.

Also important are material properties such as strength, resistance to deformation under mechanical loads, and elasticity.

Purchased electric drive

For those who are not comfortable with technology, it will be easier to purchase a ready-made drive in a store. This approach eliminates difficulties; moreover, a purchased electric drive is often equipped with a proprietary battery.

Structurally, the magazine drive is an ordinary attachment that can be easily attached to any flat surface. The drive can be powered by batteries, however, the rotation speed will be minimal. Devices are available equipped with a speed controller.

How to make skewers with your own hands?

Homemade swords for barbecue are relevant both in camping conditions and in the country. To make a set for disposable use, branches and twigs from bushes of fruit and berry crops are most often used. In other cases, improvised resources are used in the form of sheet steel or thick wire.

Necessary tools for work

To make a shish kebab skewers from stainless steel sheets, you need the following tools and accessories:

grinder with discs for cutting and grinding;
vice;
file;
pliers;
core;
roulette;
marker.

To make skewers with your own hands you will need a grinder

If you plan to make swords from steel wire, you will need some simple tools:

A device in the form of an iron bar or a strong cobblestone is suitable as an anvil.

Stainless steel skewer

At the initial stage, the dimensions of the workpieces are determined. The standard width of a rectangular bar is 1 cm. At the same time, for kebabs made from large pieces of meat on bones, it is important to make a set of flat skewers 1.5-2 cm wide. The length of the product depends on the planned version of the handle. If a ring/loop is supposed to be at the end of a metal sword, the optimal size is 70-75 cm, taking into account a small spiral between the base and the handle. If the handle is made of wooden plates, the length of the metal blank is about 60 cm.

Marking is carried out: lines with the required parameters for the length and width of the workpieces are drawn on a 3 mm thick stainless steel sheet with a marker.
Cut out the strips along the drawing lines.
The edges are shaped at an angle of 30°.
Next, a sander is used to level the edges and grind down.
The tip is shaped at an acute angle.
Steel strips are heated to high heat in an oven or using a blowtorch, fixed in a vice and wound in a spiral so that the meat does not slide towards the handle.
The handle is made in the form of a loop or decorated with wooden overlays.

Stainless steel skewer

At the final stage, homemade stainless steel kebab swords are polished and washed in a soapy solution. After this, the products are ready for intended use.

Wire skewer

To make a set of swords, you will need steel wire Ø6-8 mm, taking into account the length of the swords of 70 cm.

using a chisel and a hammer, prepare the required number of pieces/rods of wire, cut at an angle of 30-45°;
the workpieces are heated red-hot using a fire, gas burner or blowtorch;
Use pliers to take out a hot piece of wire and place it on an anvil for processing;
With strong blows of a hammer on a hot workpiece, a flat-shaped product is formed. The optimal thickness of a skewer made by hand from steel wire is 2-2.5 mm. One end 10 cm long remains round;
the round end is folded into a ring, then, stepping back 5 cm from it, the strip is wound into a spiral by 1-3 turns;
use a file to process the surfaces of the product, removing irregularities and defects;
Next, a hardening process is performed to ensure the strength and elasticity of the metal base. To do this, the workpieces are again heated red-hot and then immersed in water.

The nuances of making handles

For skewers handles, it is appropriate to use hardwood with a fine-fiber structure. The priority is for solutions made of larch, oak, and acacia. Overlays of a semicircular or flat configuration are attached to a metal base using bolts or fixed with rivets. For strength, the structure is sealed with rings made of non-ferrous metal.

If you plan to make a handle from acacia root, the material must be turned on a lathe, as well as the rings for fixation. Holes are made in the handles for a strip of metal blank and their installation is carried out. Next, the linings on the skewers are tightly fixed with a crimp ring.

Author: Maria Sukhorukikh
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Advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of an electric grill include:

There is no need for constant attention to the condition of the kebabs.
The juice released from the meat does not flow onto hot coals, forming carcinogenic compounds, but evenly wets the surface of the pieces.
Uniform cooking of meat on all sides.
In winter, there is no need to freeze near the grill.
If you need to cook for a large number of guests, the work can be put on stream.

The disadvantages include:

The need for rechargeable batteries.
Using an electric motor requires certain safety precautions.
The frying mode at a certain rotation speed requires skill and experience; at first, the kebab may turn out to be undercooked.

We recommend watching a video on this topic

Users note that a habit and some skill
appear quite quickly , but not everyone succeeds the first time.

Features: pros and cons

Cooking meat on the grill requires constant attention and the presence of a person nearby who would turn the skewers in time. The most advanced type is automatic - it will rotate the skewers itself and maintain a constant temperature that can be adjusted.

The advantages are obvious.

This function of the device not only frees up time and eliminates the need to monitor the process, but also promotes uniform frying, without charring. The owner just has to remove the skewers with meat in due time.
Using this device, you can cook several different dishes at once, if you use not only skewers, but also a wire rack with a spit. Products cooked on an automatic grill are always juicy, since the juice or sauce simply does not have time to drain from the products.
It does not take much time and effort to assemble or disassemble the device. In addition, when disassembled it does not take up much space - its compactness makes it convenient for storage and transportation.
The device is easy to clean.

However, for its operation it will require a power source - this means that it will not be possible to use it, for example, on the river bank, if there is no special battery. In addition, the cost of automatic barbecues is several times higher than conventional ones. Additionally, you need to add the cost of electricity during operation.

Date: December 14, 2017

What is it needed for

A carcass on a spit over a fire is something out of a children's fairy tale. Very appetizing, brutal and with deep historical roots. After all, what is a spit? This is a horizontal rod of meat, often with the carcass or part thereof rotating over a fire or coals. Clamps are provided to prevent the meat from scrolling.

During regular frying over a fire, for example, on skewers, juices and fat flow down and are lost for the future dish. The spit rotates, and the rotation speed is such that most of the juices fall onto the piece, as if wound up, forming a tasty crust.

Rotation makes it easy to coat the meat with sauce. This way you can achieve a fairly thick crust with lots of flavor from the marinade, spices and smoke. And the meat will remain juicy. This cannot be achieved without a skewer.

Design of a barbecue with a rotation element

The design of the folded barbecue is a diplomat, its thickness is no more than 4 cm. It is most convenient to equip the structure with a handle to make its transportation as easy as possible. Despite its compactness, both skewers and a grill can be easily placed inside.

To maximize the service life, it is necessary to work on the bottom of the grill. It is this part that is subject to the greatest temperature heating, since it will come into contact with fire and coals. Therefore, the bottom must be made of metal sheets with a thickness of at least 3 mm. Stainless steel is better suited for these purposes. To ensure that this grill can be used for a long time, all parts should be made of stainless steel.

The area of the bottom depends on the length of the skewers. In the standard, skewers usually have sizes of 60 cm, 80 cm. But for a barbecue that will be used as a mobile one, skewers measuring 60 cm are better suited. Based on this, the bottom area should have a width of 40 cm and a length of 65 cm.

Work begins with making the bottom. To do this, the side walls must be bent; holes are pre-drilled (each diameter is 1 cm). The holes help provide oxygen for even burning of the coals. The side walls must correspond to dimensions of 65x20.5 cm. In order for the barbecue to become prefabricated, it is necessary to build 2 mobile mini-sheds on each side between the wall and the bottom.

These parts are attached with screws or using welding equipment. The other 2 (smaller) walls will be removable; they must be secured to the bottom using special clamps. The clamps are secured in this way: slots are made at each edge of the bottom, then the edges are folded. Then nuts (size M8) are welded to each corner of the bottom.

Later you will have to attach the legs to the nuts. The legs must be made of round timber (the diameter of the leg is 8 mm, its length is 60 cm). A thread must be made at a distance of 1 cm from the edge of the leg (for an M8 nut). On the reverse side, the leg is sharpened, then a piece of rod is welded to it. The rod has a length of 3 cm and a diameter of 0.8 cm. The legs are sharpened to increase the adhesion of the barbecue to the ground so that it remains motionless during operation.

And the pieces of rods welded to the legs serve as a support: without them, the barbecue will sink into the ground under the weight of itself and the accompanying weight.

Next, a carrying handle (aka stop) is screwed to the base of the bottom on the side. During the process of disassembling the barbecue, this handle will allow you to disconnect all the parts as easily as possible, and carrying it in assembled form will be impossible without it. The barbecue structure must also be equipped with a hook that will secure all opening elements when this is not necessary. This hook must be secured to one of the walls of the grill.

Types of skewers are divided according to the material used for their manufacture, length and shape of the structure. Sword-shaped skewers are most often used for preparing meat dishes.

We will consider all types of barbecue skewers in more detail below in order to get a complete picture of these accessories:

Wooden skewers Wooden skewers

Wooden skewers

They are disposable wooden swords, sharpened on one side. They don't need to be washed. In addition, you can make these skewers yourself. They do not heat up on fire, so you should not be afraid of burning your hands. And other types can be used as well.

Be very careful as wooden skewers can catch fire, so it is recommended to soak them in water for 30 minutes before use. The only drawback of wooden skewers is that they are not as convenient as metal ones; when turning, the meat slides over them.

Bamboo skewers Bamboo skewers

Bamboo skewers

used most often for small kebabs of small pieces of meat, seafood, poultry, mushrooms, vegetables and other portioned dishes. In addition, they look beautiful when setting the table. Bamboo skewers are disposable, so their cost is low.

Before use, skewers must be soaked in water for 30 minutes to prevent them from catching fire during cooking.

Metal skewers Metal skewers

Metal skewers

They are distinguished by strength, convenience and durability. They are quite sharp, so it is more convenient to skewer meat on them than on wooden or bamboo ones. Their disadvantage is that metal skewers quickly heat up on the grill and can burn you.

For a metal skewer, its cross-section is very important. The skewer, which has a round cross-section, may cause food to slip off. They are also difficult to rotate as pieces of food may roll back into position. This will cause them to cook unevenly. When preparing barbecue, it is recommended to choose rolled products or those that have a square cross-section, then the meat and other products will stick well to the skewer.

Flat skewers Flat skewers

Flat skewers

the most common. They can only occupy two positions on the grill, so the meat is fried on them only on top and bottom, but such skewers are easy to clean.

When choosing metal skewers, it is best to pay attention to stainless steel products. Their length should be 20 cm longer than the length of the grill. Skewers can be made by factory casting or by hand.

Forged skewers Forged skewers

Forged skewers

They are distinguished by their beauty and durability, but are more expensive than others.

The size of the skewer largely depends on the form in which this accessory is made. They are angular and straight.

Straight skewer in the photo

Straight skewer

It is an ordinary strip of metal, straight along its entire length, only its handles are screwed in.

Corner skewers in the photo

Corner skewers

are made from the same metal strip, but bent lengthwise at an angle from 60° to 90°. The convenience of using straight skewers is that they are easy to place even the toughest meat on, but they do not bend and are easy to clean.

Angled skewers are ideal for cooking soft foods, such as minced meat, as they do not slip during turning, and fit tightly to the rod. It should be borne in mind that such skewers have one drawback - a problem area near the screw.

It is necessary to choose the correct sizes of skewers for the barbecue, since if they are not thick enough, they can bend heavily in this place. The optimal steel thickness for a corner skewer is 2 mm. The thickness of a right-angled skewer can be 0.7 mm, but in no case less. The thickest skewers are designed for large pieces of meat and whole animal carcasses, while the thinner ones are designed for frying small pieces.

When choosing the size of a skewer for a shish kebab made of any material, you should take into account its length. It should be such that the skewer is comfortably placed on the grill, and there is a margin of 5-7 cm on each side so that it does not slip off when turning over. The standard size of a skewer is calculated in such a way that it can be used to cook dishes on various grills.

When purchasing a metal skewer, you must check its surface for nicks and deep scratches; it must remain smooth and undamaged. The skewer handle can be made of metal, wood or plastic. Most often, products with plastic handles are found on sale. These skewers are inexpensive. On the one hand, it is impossible to get burned on such a handle, but on the other hand, the plastic handle can melt quite quickly, and as a result the entire skewer will be unusable. To avoid burns when using skewers with metal handles, it is recommended to hold the skewers by the ends only or use gloves when turning them over.

Skewers with wooden handles

are the most durable, practical and visually attractive products. If the handle is carved and made of high-quality wood, then such skewers will be highly expensive, but when served, the kebabs cooked on them do not require additional serving.

An electric broiler for skewers will help make your outdoor recreation relaxed and comfortable. It’s easy to buy such a device in a store, but it’s better to remake a regular grill by adding an electric motor to it, which will turn the meat and ensure even cooking.

Manual and electric drive

Let's look at the differences, pros and cons.

Hand spit.

Pros:

Easy to use, difficult to break anything;
Easy to do.

Minuses:

Requires constant attention from the cook and skills in working with a spit are required; Physically expensive (after all, frying time is several hours).

Electrically driven.

Pros:

Removes the need for the cook to be at the spit and there is no fatigue from its rotation;
The rotation is uniform and the meat cooks better;
You can select the desired rotation speed and easily maintain it.

Minuses:

This is a complex mechanism and not everyone can make it on their own;
Drive elements are expensive;
The design is more “gentle” than a manual drive;
Requires a source of energy.