Customer Reviews

Emeril Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Vertical Poultry Roaster

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a very well made pan. The surface is not as nicely finished as a Lodge product (number one in my book), it is manufactured in China. But the quality is decent and this pan will probably last forever. This in turn makes me wonder if I will regret this purchase. I've used it only once and to be truthful the "infusion" seemed to make no impact on the flavor of the chicken. Maybe I'm just at an age where most of my tastebuds are dead or perhaps I need to find some better recipes. For those who adore beer can chicken cooking this pan will probably be a big hit.
If you want to get a perfect finish on this pan rub it with a generous coat of shortening, warm it very slightly on the stovetop and then pop it into a 500 oven and turn the oven off. I always seal my cast iron just after baking homemade pizzas when the oven is super heated. Just don't put a cold pan into a hot oven. The surface will be glossy and perfect. You better have a good exhaust fan though, as the fumes are not too pleasant.

I have been cooking two chickens at a time in a similar pan for about 5 years now. I can roast two chickens @ 350 degrees in exactly 75 minutes every single time. They're perfect and mouthwatering. My pans are now rusting and will soon need to be replaced (my husband put them in the dishwasher, of all things). I searched the web for hours and discovered this model. It includes the well (for wine, beer, etc.) that is also a "mounting post" for the chicken, as well as a place to pour water to catch the grease and increase humidity in the oven (as recommended for my pans). Many poultry roasters do not have both features. Since I have successfully roasted at least 50 or more chickens with both of these features in the past 5 years, I'm sticking with this formula and will purchase two of these pans so I can continue to cook two whole chickens at a time in my over. It's going to be $120 to replace them, so I'm waiting until replacing them is an absolute must. (In addition to putting wine or beer in the well, don't forget to rub down the inside and outside of each chicken with something similar to McCormick's Grill Mates' Zesty Herb Marinade or Garlic Herb & Wine Marinade--two of our favorite flavors. When you pull your chicken from the oven, you'll have one as tasty as Costco's rotisserie chickens. I stopped buying them, because mine were turning out just as good or better!)

I love this pan! It makes the chicken brown nicely all the way around - no soggy white spots on the back - plus it gives the meat moisture you cannot achieve with just baking as usual. Being cast iron, it will last a lifetime (assuming you don't put it in the dishwasher or let it rust) and can be used on the grill as well as in the oven, under the broiler, and on the stove-top (not that I plan to do the broiler or stove-top.) The veges in the ring around the chicken are super delicious with the chicken drippings on them (probably not too healthy though.) I was surprised to see that the well in the middle was not as deep as the cone. The bottom of the well is only about 1/2 way down the cone. However, it is certainly deep enough to hold all the liquid you need to roast the chicken and not evaporate.

For a specialty pan, it was fairly expensive, but considering the durability and what it does to roast chicken (and veges) I'd say it is well worth every penny. You'll certianly never have to buy another one. If you can swing the purchase price, I would recommend you buy two, so you can roast two chickens at once. (Debone one and put it in the freezer for future eating in salads or soups.)

If you follow the instructions for care, you'll be happy with the pre-seasoning of the pan.

Works great for chicken and veggies but also cooks ribs. I wrapped a rack of baby backs around it and put onions and veggies in the outer ring. It works great. The grease and excess BBQ sauce I slathered the ribs with was collected in the bottom and basted the veggies.

I saw this pan used on one of Emeril's shows and fell in love with the idea immediately. After several "Beer Can Chickens" I had more than my share of fall over's and messes in the oven and grill. This pan offered of course great stability, it is heavy cast iron. Like all the rest of Emeril's cast iron I thought it to be a bit over priced (compared to Lodge Cast Iron) but in the grand scheme of things, properly taken care of, the lifespan certainly out weights the cost. The well is deep and holds more than enough veggies for 4-6 people serving (I only do 3). I've used it too for just sautéing vegetables and nothing works better than cast iron. I can't wait to try it on the grill. All in all, great product.

I had made beer can chicken for a long time, when a friend raised the saftey issue of using the aluminum beer can. I started looking around for a substitute, and found this product. From the first chicken it worked great. The constant tempature of the cast iron, helps roast the chicken evenly and faster then the beer can. The cast iron can handle the high heat from charcoal, and making multiple chickens on the grill in the same day. The wide bottom takes up a little more room in my grill, but creates a stable base for the chicken. No more tipping over in the grill. Works great in the oven also.

Good heavy duty roaster. Works great but center ring could be a little higher for larger chickens. Keeps chicken warm after coming out of the oven. Overall very satisfied.

Emeril's poultry roaster is the greatest. I use to use a beer can and sometimes they would fall over. This keeps the chicken up straight and the center keeps the chicken moist. The skin of the chicken is so brown and crisp. My grandkids fight over the skin. I have bought two of these and would consider this item for a great gift.

I've only used this once, but the results were great! Love the design with the center well for herbs and wine, etc. Roasted potatoes and veggies in the pan at the same time. Chicken was absolute perfection.

I just purchased two of these prior to Thanksgiving. I also just purchased a Memphis Pro pellet smoker. The combination of these for roasting chicken and turkey is amazing. I tried out this pan with two organic fryers first and actually roasted an eleven pound turkey for Thanksgiving a few days later. The fact that these pans are cast iron and have deep troughs to catch and hold the drippings from the bird make this an easy choice. I have used the commonly available "wire" beer can roasters and they do in fact work, but once the bird is done its a treacherous task to move the bird and its drippings to where you're going to serve or carve the meat. With these, you simply grab onto the side handles and safely transport the finished product and then remove the roasted bird from the pan. For cleaning, these are no different from any other cast iron pan...scrub the dirty pan with hot water, heat it until all the water is gone, spray it with PAM and wipe the excess off after it is cooled. If you love roasted chicken and prepare it frequently, this is a worthwhile investment. The price is higher than alternatives, but the quality of the design and the long term durability of cast iron more than justify the premium pricing.