No-Beer Beer Can Chicken with Cave Tools

So, I am back with another one of Cave Tools awesome grilling products to review!  Last time, I tried out their Jalapeno Popper set - this time around they offered to let me try out the Beer Can Chicken Rack!

I had heard of making beer can chicken before and always wanted to try it, so I was super excited to review this item.

For those of you who haven't heard of this way of cooking, it is really as simple as it sounds.

Originally, you'd use an actual can of beer.  With Cave Tools, you fill the included reusable can with beer and place the roaster chicken upright, right on top of it, and the beer steams away from the inside of the bird, infusing the chicken and keeping it moist and flavorful.

The Beer Can Chicken set runs you a mere $19.99 for a full set up. It is equipped with a 100% stainless steel deep tray so that when you are roasting your chicken, the grease will not overflow!

The "can" itself is about the size of a regular beer/soda can but a little more narrow to fit easily inside the chicken. The site boasts that the can has an unique locking mechanism that prevents you having to struggle while removing the chicken, but I had a little trouble which I will get to later.

This tray also comes equipped with two 2 pronged spikes which you can use to grill up some veggies at the same time.. How cool is that?

I happened to have made my chicken in the oven, but it can also be made on the grill.

It would probably crisp up and be amazing on the BBQ, and I will definitely be trying it that way next, we just so happened to have run out of propane when I decided to make this up!

Bummer, I know!

Getting the bird onto the can was super easy! I imagined that I would have a little trouble getting it on  - you know, maneuvering it to make it fit, but it slid right on.

In our house we do not drink beer, so I had to improvise for my moisture. I made a mixture of fresh garlic, red onions and melted butter plus a little chicken stock.

The mixture itself was delicious so you can only imagine how good it would taste infused into my chicken.

So here's what I did:

No-Beer Beer Can Chicken
makes 1 whole roast chicken

1 whole roasting chicken
juice of one lemon
Weber Chicken and Rib Seasoning (or your poultry seasoning of choice)

1 cup butter, melted
2 small red onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup chicken broth (or beer!)


Start by cleaning the chicken and patting it down with some poultry seasoning.  Squirt lemon juice on the bird, and put the chicken in the refrigerator to rest for at least an hour.

Prepare the butter blend.  Saute the onions until they are slightly translucent, then add garlic and cook for another minute or so until they are fragrant. Add the onion mixture to a bowl with the butter and broth.

Once you are ready to cook, put the butter mixture into the can, and put on the ventilated cover.

Place the chicken onto the can by inserting it into the large opening of the bird, then set the canned chicken on the Beer Can Chicken Rack, following instructions to place the chicken and can onto the Cave Tools rack.

Adjust the racks in your oven to fit the upright chicken without touching the top of the oven or walls. (You may need to completely remove one of your racks)

Put the  in the oven at 350 degrees for 2 hours (or onto your grill). I did not baste or move the chicken around at all. After two hours, check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. Once it hits an internal temperature of 170 degrees, pull that bad boy out!

Let the chicken rest for a few minutes and then disconnect it from the can*. Carve as desired to serve.

I added this to my dinner with a side of wild rice, a simple salad and mini potatoes. This would be a great recipe for anything you would normally serve with a rotisserie chicken.

*Ok - so... theoretically, after removing it from the oven, you'd lift the chicken off and it comes right off the can but for me, it got stuck on.

I turned it sideways which dropped all the liquid in the can out, and then I had to take a fork to pry the can out.

It was not a big deal, nor did it inconvenience me in anyway, BUT it did not lock into place or slide right off like it states. I made sure that I locked it the best I could and it still happened. Not sure if my chicken was maybe too narrow or what, but that's what happened to me!

But on the subject of how it handled my chicken - let me tell you that I have a weird thing about poultry.

When I cook normally, it has to be burned; like super well done. The idea of undercooked chicken freaks me out enough that I'm more comfortable with it being overcooked, even if a side effect is that it is more dry than it should be.

I had no worries with this chicken! It was so perfect - completely cooked yet still very moist!

Even my kids were raving and asking for more. That is always a good sign.

I would highly recommend the Cave Tools Beer Can Chicken Set to any of my friends and family. It would make a fun get together meal, and it is so simple to use.

I want to thank Cave Tools for again letting me review their product. I have had such fun trying out new things when it comes to cooking and BBQing.  And since I now know for sure that  this works in my oven, I can use this method for roasting chicken throughout the year!

I will definitely be utilizing this product again in the near future!

Cavetools is offering our readers 15% off this product by using promo code: 

Just enter BEERCAN15 at check out on their site!

The Cave Tools Beer Can Chicken Set is also available for purchase on Amazon.

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