I hadn’t given a single thought about Father’s Day until I saw Steven Raichlen’s Stainless Beer Can Chicken Rack. The kids and I bought by husband a new barbecue grill last year. So this will be a great, if not unusual, addition to what he already has.

From what I understand, you place a half-full can of beer inside a chicken’s cavity and prop it up on the device, using the legs as a tripod to keep the chicken steady. The internal steaming chamber eliminates the need for basting, producing a juicy chicken with crispy skin.

This gadget is made out of stainless steel, so it won’t react with the food. Its square base and supports will hold your chicken upright as it cooks. I like the fact that you can use other liquids besides beer to cook, such as wine, fruit juice, etc. Priced at $25, I think this is a good buy.

The gift wouldn’t be complete without the cookbook, “Beer-Can Chicken: And 74 Other Offbeat Recipes for the Grill.” This cookbook contains a good variety of recipes for rubs, marinades, and beer can fillers. There are a few recipes for meats, fish, and side dishes. Mostly what you’ll get from this cookbook are poultry recipes and tips on how to barbecue them.

I found this cookbook sitting in the giftshop of the Austin State History Museum and was immediately attracted to the cover. The book was shrinkwrapped, which didn’t allow me to look through it while I was there. I’ve quoted an excerpt of the synopsis, which was the ultimate selling point for me.

Whether you’re hungry for down-home barbecue and Tex-Mex, or you want to try more exotic dishes such as Paella Valenciana and Thai Pesto, Texas Highways has long been a trusted source for delicious recipes that reflect wide-ranging Lone Star tastes. The state’s official travel magazine published its first Texas Highways Cookbook, which has sold 20,000 copies in 1986.

Cooking with Texas Highways samples all the major ethnic cuisines of the state with recipes from home cooks, well-known chefs, and popular restaurants. It offers a varied and intriguing selection of snacks and beverages, breads, soups and salads, main dishes, vegetables and sides, sauces and spreads, desserts, and more.

After I returned from my vacation, I pulled the cookbook out of my suitcase and unwrapped it. Cooking with Texas Highways is very well designed and contains just what the cover promised. The recipes inside this book are very easy to follow.

As a Mexican food lover, I was pleased to find a recipe for tamales as well as a variety of enchilada recipes. I’ll be testing those recipes out, plus some Vietnamese and Thai dishes since I’ve never attempted to cook these cuisines. Look for my results in future posts.