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Spit roaster buying guide: measure first, then read the load

Updated: October 2026

You already own a gas barbecue or a fire pit, and the page in the basket calls the kit universal. The usual failure is duller than a bad cook: the lid will not close, or the number on the load line is in the wrong unit. This spit roaster buying guide is the check before you pay. It covers cookbox width, pounds and kilograms, and whether the motor is mains, battery, or 5 V. Our [spit roaster comparison](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/spit-roaster) holds the nine amazon.co.uk listings, with raw shelf prices from £59.90 to £215. We did not run a lab cook. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You already own a gas barbecue or a fire pit, and the page in the basket calls the kit universal. The usual failure is duller than a bad cook: the lid will not close, or the number on the load line is in the wrong unit.

Our top picks

onlyfire onlyfire BRK-6012 114 cm

Best overall

onlyfire onlyfire BRK-6012 114 cm
9.0/10about £64.99
View offer
onlyfire onlyfire BRK-6031 90 cm

Best value

onlyfire onlyfire BRK-6031 90 cm
8.5/10about £61.99
View offer
ZENO ZENO 5078a 5 V kit

Alternative

ZENO ZENO 5078a 5 V kit
7.2/10about £59.90
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Measure the cookbox, not the trolley
  2. 2.Read pounds and kilograms as written
  3. 3.Name the power source
  4. 4.What this price band is not

Measure the cookbox, not the trolley

The width that matters is the inside of the cookbox, wall to wall, with the lid closed. The rod is longer than the food because the motor and the handle sit outside the box. The onlyfire BRK-6012 states a cookbox up to 99 cm and a 114 cm rod. The BRK-6031 is about 90 cm. The ZENO 5078a states an internal diameter up to 78 cm. Those listing figures still fail when the bushing misses the notch the lid needs. One owner cut the 114 cm rod on a lathe for a Napoleon 425. A Napoleon Rogue would not close, and a Char-Broil lid closed only after the warming shelf was removed. The shorter listing says you may have to drill. If you have not chosen a bracket or a stand, settle that on the rotisserie kit or spit stand page, then come back with a tape.

Read pounds and kilograms as written

The onlyfire BRK-6012 states up to 40 lb, about 18 kg. That printed line is pounds, not kilograms. UK texts describe chickens and a pork loin, and one reviewer says a 12 lb turkey bent the rod. The other lines are kilograms, and they are claims until a review describes the cook: under 5 kg on the ZENO, 10 kg on the camping and fire-pit stands, 40 kg on Kendane, 60 kg on two freestanding kits, and 100 kg on hzexun. Kendane’s UK texts include a 25 kg hog that turned and two reports that a heavier pig did not. If the animal is a lamb or a pig, read spit roast a pig before you treat 60 kg or 100 kg as capacity you have bought.
onlyfire onlyfire BRK-6012 114 cm

Testsieger

onlyfire onlyfire BRK-6012 114 cm
9.0/10about £64.99
View offer

Name the power source

Write down how the motor is fed before you compare prices. The BRK-6031 states 220–240 V. The BRK-6012 says the motor is for the UK and does not print a voltage. Kendane states 15 W AC. hzexun states 220 V and 45 W. None of the mains listings in this set prints a BS 1363 plug. Outdoors, a mains motor wants a 30 mA RCD. Electrical Safety First makes that point for the garden, and BS 7671 regulation 411.3.3 covers mobile equipment up to 32 A used outdoors. A new outdoor socket is an electrician’s job. Do not leave a reel coiled on a wet patio because a 150 cm cable is short. The ZENO is 5 V, stated under 5 kg, and it will not turn a pig. The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 start at 50 V AC, so that motor falls under the general product-safety rules. That legal point does not make it a heavy-load motor.

What this price band is not

Grill kits in these listings are £59.90, £61.99, and £64.99. The camping spit is £84.99 and the fire-pit stand is £99.99. Stands that claim 40–100 kg are £154.99 to £215. A propane hog-roast oven is a different machine. MobCater lists propane ovens from £2,549 to £5,375. Sunshine BBQs describes DIY hog stands from about £500, and weekend hire often around £150–£350. Those figures come from seller guides. Gas Safe competence applies to LPG catering equipment, which the HSE sheet CAIS23 is written for. A charcoal rod over a garden fire is not that appliance. Selling the meat puts you in food-business rules, which a family lunch does not. Use this page when the next click would be a kilogram you have not converted and a plug you have not seen.

Common questions

Is 40 lb the same as 40 kg?
The onlyfire BRK-6012 states up to 40 lb, which converts to about 18 kg. That line is pounds. Kendane’s 40 kg, the two 60 kg stands, and hzexun’s 100 kg are separate claims in kilograms. UK texts for the 114 cm kit talk about chickens and a pork loin, and one reviewer says a 12 lb turkey bent the rod. Treating the pound figure as kilograms is how a grill kit gets loaded like a hog spit.
Does a 220 V listing include a UK plug?
It includes a UK plug when the listing prints one. In this set, 220–240 V, a motor for the UK, 15 W AC, and 220 V all appear, and a BS 1363 plug does not. Broil King’s universal mains kit at £149.95 states a UK 3-pin plug, and that kit is not one of these nine listings. Ask for a photograph of the plug before you plan an outdoor socket around the motor. A marketplace address in the UK is not the same as a printed plug.
When is a battery or 5 V motor enough?
It is enough when the stated load matches a chicken or a small joint and you do not have a convenient mains point. The ZENO states under 5 kg on 5 V USB or three AAA cells. The camping kit states 10 kg on D cells, with mains and car adapters in the box. A 4 W or 5 V motor is grill-kit power. It is the wrong supply for a lamb or a pig, however long the battery claim on the page.
Do I have to drill the barbecue?
You have to drill when the side holes do not match the brackets. The BRK-6031 listing says the gas grill needs holes and that you can drill if they do not line up. A UK review of the BRK-6012 describes four holes on a Masterbuilt Smoke Hollow. The ZENO listing says fitting is without tools where the bracket can be fixed, and one UK review still could not close the lid. Drilling solves a hole pattern. It does not increase the stated load.
What is a realistic load for a grill kit versus a freestanding stand?
For the grill kits here, stay with a figure the listing prints and a review has approached: under 5 kg on the ZENO, and chickens or a joint on the onlyfire mains kits, where 40 lb is the stated ceiling on the longer rod. The camping and fire-pit stands state 10 kg. The 40 kg, 60 kg, and 100 kg freestanding lines are claims. The UK stand text that describes a finished hog is a 25 kg cook on the Kendane, beside heavier pigs that did not turn.

Related pages

How to use a spit roaster

Spit roasters

Best spit roaster for the barbecue you already own

Rotisserie kit or spit stand for the fire you have

Spit roast a pig at home: what the stand can turn

Sources

Listing prices and ratings are from amazon.co.uk files dated 15 October 2026, not a live check. The public sources below cover cooking temperatures, outdoor electrics, and smoke rules.

  1. Food Standards Agency: Cooking your food (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK: Nuisance smoke (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK: Smoke control area enforcement (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. Electrical Safety First: Garden (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. IET Wiring Matters: BS 7671 regulation 411.3.3 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK: Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. GOV.UK: General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. HSE: Gas safety in catering (CAIS23) (retrieved 15 October 2026)