As soon as the vacations are over, it’s commonplace to have a couple of unopened beers leftover, whether or not they had been bought for home visitors to take pleasure in with their meal or left behind by a good friend or member of the family who stopped by to go to.
For some who aren’t beer drinkers or aren’t keen on sure types, these drinks can sit round for weeks and even months, taking on worthwhile actual property within the fridge.
As a substitute of simply pouring it down the drain, think about cooking with it. There are myriad recipes that decision for beer, in addition to others that may be modified to include any sort of ale or lager.
The obvious means to make use of up these sudsy drinks is by deep-frying some beer-battered seafood — shrimp, haddock, clams, calamari, you title it. However there are such a lot of extra choices.
Beef Stew (Stout)
Guinness beef stew is a very fashionable recipe that many have tried. Nevertheless, you probably have a favourite stew recipe that you just use commonly, it’s easy sufficient to only swap out beef broth for beer, or in the event you’re leery of utilizing a complete pint of beer, combine a bit of little bit of broth and stout collectively.
In terms of selecting a stout to make use of, keep away from any that include fruity, spicy or bitter adjuncts, notably berries, vanilla, espresso, chocolate or coconut; these have a tendency to not mesh effectively in a stew.
Guinness is the most well-liked stout of us use as a result of it’s light-bodied, straightforward consuming and doesn’t have any add-ins that might alter the style of a superb, hearty stew.
So, you probably have some Guinness or different stout available, search the online for a Guinness beef stew recipe. There are a slew of them, so choose one which feels like one thing you’d be concerned about making an attempt and provides it a whirl.
Pulled Pork (Porter/Boch)
When baking a shoulder of pork for pulled pork sandwiches, including some porter or boch beer can significantly improve the flavour of the meat.
After seasoning and searing the meat, I bake it for about 4 hours in apple cider vinegar. As a substitute of utilizing broth or water, I pour a 12-ounce can or bottle of beer over the meat earlier than inserting it again within the oven for 2 to a few extra hours.
At that time, the meat will likely be tender sufficient to shred and the beer and vinegar will proceed to be absorbed by the pork. I additionally add in my favourite barbecue sauce at this stage after which bake it for a minimum of yet one more hour so all of the flavors meld collectively and the meat will get much more tender.
Beer Bread (Witbier)
Whereas any beer will work for this recipe, I want utilizing witbier, which generally has some very distinctive flavors imparted from spices reminiscent of coriander, orange peel and grains of paradise. And people do come via within the bread as soon as it is completed baking.
The everyday beer bread recipe is sort of easy.
In a big bowl, combine collectively 3 cups of self-rising flour (or use 3 cups all-purpose flour with 3 teaspoons of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of salt), ¼ cup of sugar, 12 ounces of beer and ¼ cup of melted butter. Pour it right into a greased loaf pan, then pour one other ¼ cup of melted butter excessive. Bake it at 375 levels for about one hour. Let cool barely, then take away from the pan and permit to chill on a wire rack.
For a softer bread, the entire melted butter might be integrated into the dough. Or, for a extra crispy crust, don’t combine any butter into the bread and as an alternative simply pour it everywhere in the prime earlier than baking.
Beer Cheese Dip (Pilsner/Lager)
While you’re in search of one thing during which to dip mushy pretzels, beer cheese dip is without doubt one of the greatest pairings; it’s tacky, it’s creamy and it’s good and scorching. The perfect model to make use of in beer cheese dip is certainly a beer or pilsner, one thing light-bodied with not a number of hop bitterness – Miller Lite or Budweiser work nice.
I’ve made a pair completely different variations and a few turned out rather well, whereas others had been utter failures. That’s the enjoyment of working with melting cheese. My favourite although, consists of ¼ cup of butter; ¼ cup of flour; 1 teaspoon Adobo seasoning; a splash of cayenne pepper; 1 cup of milk; 8-10 ounces of beer; 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese; and 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese.
Soften the butter, whisk within the flour and seasonings and cook dinner for about 1 minute. Then whisk within the beer and milk, a bit at a time, till easy. Add within the mustard and Worcestershire sauce and proceed cooking till thick and bubbly.
Scale back warmth to low, add in cheeses and whisk till they’re melted and the sauce is easy and creamy.
Beer Brats & Sausage (Amber/Märzen)
The following time you purchase bratwurst or different plain sausage on the grocery retailer, think about boiling them in some beer through the cooking course of.
What I normally do is sear the sausages on all sides, then pour in about 8-12 ounces of beer, relying on the scale of the pan and variety of sausages, then cowl them with a lid.
Usually, beers which can be on the maltier aspect impart the perfect taste in sausage, so I have a tendency to make use of amber ales (like a Fats Tire from New Belgium) or märzens (any sort of Oktoberfest works effectively).
For those who don’t just like the style of beer a lot, strive a lighter lager like a Bud Mild or a Pabst Blue Ribbon. There’ll nonetheless be a touch of beer taste, however not as harsh.
Beer-BQ Sauce (Pale Ale/IPA)
I are inclined to make a number of roasted meats within the oven through the winter months, from ribs to pulled pork and pulled rooster. So I’m going via fairly a little bit of barbecue sauce, a lot so, that I’ve taken to creating my very own beer-bq sauce.
It has a pleasant daring taste and isn’t too terribly candy, which, for me, is ideal.
To get began, saute about 3 cups of diced onions and 6 to eight minced garlic cloves in 4 tablespoons of butter till they’re tender and start to caramelize. Add in ¾ cup molasses; 16 ounces of beer (any pale ale or IPA that’s not tremendous hoppy is greatest); ¼ cup pink wine vinegar; ¼ cup white wine vinegar; ¼ cup rice vinegar; 1-½ teaspoons salt; ¾ teaspoon pepper; ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper; and a couple of cups of brown sugar. Carry all of it to a boil and permit to cook dinner at a rolling boil for about 10 minutes, stirring sometimes.
Whisk in a 12-ounce can of tomato paste till not lumpy, decrease the warmth and simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring usually. Enable the sauce to chill to room temperature, puree it in batches in a blender (or with an immersion blender. Retailer it in mason jars within the fridge.
For those who nonetheless end up with a number of leftover beer, any model works remarkably effectively for brining a complete rooster or turkey – in the event you aren’t already sick of poultry, that’s.
