A planetary gear system for rotating spits in a rotisserie device. The system includes a gearing plate mounted to a wall in the rotisserie. The gearing plate includes a plurality of projections which extend inwardly into the interior of the rotisserie. A gear wheel is positioned adjacent the gearing plate and an idler wheel is positioned opposite the gearing wheel adjacent a second wall of the rotisserie. The gear wheel and idler wheels are rotated in synchronization by a rotatable shaft. A plurality of spits are supported between the gear and idler wheel and moved in a circular path about the shaft as the wheels rotate. The spits further include a gear which meshes with the projections on the gearing plate as the spits are rotated about the shaft, further effecting rotation of the spits about their longitudinal axis.