An outdoor rotisserie system may include a set of legs, a rotisserie drive system supported by the set of legs, a drive-to-basket connecting assembly supported by the rotisserie drive system, and a meat basket assembly supported by the drive-to-basket connecting assembly. The meat basket assembly may be driven for rotation about a vertical axis. The meat basket assembly may include a basket top bar supporting basket sides formed of open mesh wire material. The system may include a heat deflector assembly spaced from the meat basket assembly, which may form a partial enclosure directing heat of an adjacent roasting fire toward the meat basket assembly.