Spit Braai Marinade: A Baste for a Whole Lamb on the Spit
A spit braai marinade for a whole lamb is a baste, not a soak: a 20 kg lamb is too big to marinate, so it is rubbed with salt and herbs before it goes on and basted every 30 to 45 minutes as it turns. A basic baste is 500 ml olive oil, the juice of 4 lemons, a head of crushed garlic, chopped rosemary, salt and pepper.
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Spit Braai Marinade Recipe for a Whole Lamb
- 500 ml olive oil
- Juice of 4 lemons
- 1 head of garlic, crushed
- 4 sprigs of rosemary, chopped
- 2 tablespoons coarse salt
- 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
Mix the baste in a bowl, rub a third of it into the lamb before it goes on the rod, and brush on the rest as it turns. Afrikaans speakers call the same recipe a skaap spit marinade.
Two More Spit Braai Bastes
Apricot and chutney baste
Apricot jam, fruit chutney, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and a little oil, brushed on in the last hour only.
Butter, garlic and lemon baste
Melted butter, crushed garlic, lemon juice and parsley, brushed on through the cook.
When and How to Baste
- Before it goes on: rub salt, garlic and herbs into the meat.
- Every 30 to 45 minutes: brush the baste over the turning lamb.
- Last hour only: add anything sweet, because sugar burns.
- Never baste pork skin with a watery mix when crackling is the goal.
The times for each meat are in how long a spit braai takes, and a smaller cook is covered in leg of lamb on a spit.
A Basted Lamb Without the Work
A lamb spit braai from Spit Braai Feast arrives clamped, seasoned and basted by the chef, at R150 per person with a 25-guest minimum. Hosts who would rather cook book spit braai hire for the charcoal machine. Every rate is on spit braai prices.
Spit Braai Marinade — Frequently Asked Questions
Should you marinate a whole lamb overnight for a spit braai?
No. A whole lamb is too big to soak, so it is rubbed with salt, garlic and herbs the night before or that morning, then basted as it turns on the spit.
What do you baste a spit lamb with?
A spit lamb is basted with oil, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper, brushed on every 30 to 45 minutes while it turns.
When do you add a sweet baste to a spit braai?
A sweet baste with apricot jam or chutney goes on only in the last hour, because sugar burns over coals.
Let the Chef Do the Basting
Whole lamb on the spit · R150 per person · chef on site
Spit Braai Feast offers spit braai catering in the Cape Winelands with a chef on site and spit braai hire of the charcoal machine for hosts who cook.