Parts Explained 5 of 8
The Infrared Rotisserie Burner
A gas burner that spans the back of a Viking grill's cooking area and roasts food on the turning spit with radiant infrared heat, glowing red rather than showing a tall flame.
Where does it sit, and what makes it different?
It spans the back of the cooking area instead of lying under the grates like the main burners. Viking’s 5 Series manual counts four parts to the rotisserie: motor, skewer, forks and this burner.
Being infrared, it cooks with radiant heat from a glowing face, and with the heat moved out from under the food, drippings stop landing on a flame and flaring. The same position leaves it more exposed to wind, so Viking suggests keeping the lid closed on breezy days and checking the burner now and then.
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What should a healthy one look like?
It reaches cooking heat in about a minute, and its red glow spreads evenly across the face within roughly five; both Viking manuals give those timings. Every other burner should be off while it runs, and in bright sun the glow can be hard to see, so look closely before deciding it has gone out. The hood thermometer is no guide here: Viking says it is not designed to read direct infrared heat.
It has a lighting routine of its own, with the knob held in after it catches; one that will not stay lit after that routine is a visit, not a repeat attempt.
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When is the burner itself replaced?
Seldom, because it has no cleaning routine to wear it out. Unlike the ProSear searing burner, which is run hot after cooking to burn itself clean, the rotisserie burner is simply left alone.
A face that has cracked, or a glow that stays patchy long after five minutes once the gas reaching it has been measured, points at the burner. A burner that goes out is a different matter: the thermocouple beside it and the safety valve it holds open are separate parts, tested before the burner is condemned. A new burner is matched to the grill’s model and the gas it burns.
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Follow-ups
Should I scrub the rotisserie burner when I clean the grill?
No. Viking's older use-and-care manual calls it a self-contained unit that needs no special care and tells owners not to try cleaning it. A basting pan under the roast, which the 5 Series manual suggests, keeps drippings off the briquettes and burners; take it out before lighting the others. Anything more is a question for Woodinville Viking Repair, (425) 321-3414.
Can the rotisserie burner be turned down for a slower roast?
Not the way the main burners can. Viking's 5 Series guide offers a low-setting adjustment for the main brass burners and side burners only, says the rotisserie valve has none, and tells owners not to adjust the rotisserie burner at all. If it seems too fierce or too weak, have Woodinville Viking Repair, (425) 321-3414, read it instead.