Vertical chicken roasters are the best method for cook a whole chicken in a backyard barbecue . The simplest  design can be built on your own , while manufactured kinds go from about 15 bucks to over $100. There’s really nothing to it: most roasters are a metal cylinder attached to a base. Just fit the bird over the cylinder, add beer or water , and set it on the grill to let it cook .
The mounts are normally cylindrical or conical and constructed of metal. One model is made of high-temperature glass that can be filled with beer, water, or anything you like . With some models, the stand doubles as a roaster for vegetables and herbs. Other roasters are made of steel and coated with a Teflon-like coat . Some come with skewers you can attach to the side so you can roast potatoes alongside the chicken. The more expensive vertical poultry roasters are round pans made of cast iron with a cylinder in the middle to hold the chicken.
But put a little thought into the type of base you get on your roaster. If you’re not worried about keeping the fat or roasting with herbs or veggies , a plain platform will work . Other bases are shaped into trays to hold fruit, veggies, or herbs. And you can gather the drippings to make gravy.
For the do-it-yourselfer, all you really need is a beer or soda can and a sturdy metal base, like a roasting pan, that will hold up under heat. Fill the can with water or beer . This is the roaster I like . It’s recyclable, simple, and doesn’t take up a lot of space simple, recyclable, and doesn’t take up a lot of space.
The original purpose of the design was to roast a chicken without it roasting in a pool of fat. The chicken is less fatty, but still juicy, tender, and moist . If you want to make gravy, the trays can collect fat dripping from the chicken.
A poultry roaster can be set up in a smoker, on the oven, on the grill, or over a campfire . And the daring roaster isn’t limited to chicken. You can roast Cornish hens, duck, pheasant, or a small turkey. You’re only limited by your imagination.
