The Bar Towel

My brothers just came back from BC from a little fishing trip. They brought back a bunch of Halibut and Cod that they caught. They did up a beer batter while there using my Dad's beer of choice.. Molson Canadian.

I was planning on doing a beer batter Halibut this weekend. Anyone reccemmend a beer to use?

TheBeeraholic wrote:My brothers just came back from BC from a little fishing trip. They brought back a bunch of Halibut and Cod that they caught. They did up a beer batter while there using my Dad's beer of choice.. Molson Canadian.

I was planning on doing a beer batter Halibut this weekend. Anyone reccemmend a beer to use?

Brown Ale

Rifleman's Ration
Royal George
Neustatd 10W30
Amsterdam Nut Brown

Make sure the beer is as cold as possible and add some baking powder to the batter as well.

My wife and I have been trying various beer battered fish recipes recently, let us know how it turns out. Such a simple dish but some are so much better than others.

Another stab at Drunken Sauerkraut, this time with browned garlic onion bay, 12 cracked juniper, peppercorns, 1/2tsp caraway seeds, smoked pork loin and a few dollops of Filsingers apple butter.

Braising in Chimay Bleue and 1/2 can of Wellington Imperial Stout (a very silky, balanced RIS compared to some roasty-hoppy USA monsters.) Ithink there's enough maltose apple and onions in the pan to sweeten the flavors?
Simmer covered on low for a few hours, let it rest overnight in fridge & reheat with new potatoes.

I want to find 'fresh' jar or 'barrel' Kraut instead of pasteurized jar variety.

Belgian wrote:Another stab at Drunken Sauerkraut, this time with browned garlic onion bay, 12 cracked juniper, peppercorns, 1/2tsp caraway seeds, smoked pork loin and a few dollops of Filsingers apple butter.

Braising in Chimay Bleue and 1/2 can of Wellington Imperial Stout (a very silky, balanced RIS compared to some roasty-hoppy USA monsters.) Ithink there's enough maltose apple and onions in the pan to sweeten the flavors?
Simmer covered on low for a few hours, let it rest overnight in fridge & reheat with new potatoes.

I want to find 'fresh' jar or 'barrel' Kraut instead of pasteurized jar variety.

Das sounds gut!!!


Recently, I made a gorgonzola and stout cream sauce which was delicious and quite tasty!

Thinking of doing some type of seafood with the Van Eecke Poperings Hommel Bier.

Anyone have good slow cooker recipies to do pulled pork and ribs (thinking to do the ribs in slow cooker, then finish on bbq).

xocoatl wrote:Anyone have good slow cooker recipies to do pulled pork and ribs (thinking to do the ribs in slow cooker, then finish on bbq).

If you don't have smoker, I prefer doing both pulled pork and ribs in a low oven.

For pulled pork, pick a rub you like, and just roast it all day in a 250 degree oven. Make a separate sauce (debates on pulled pork sauces will cause minor wars on some message boards) with a beer of your choice if you like. I like brown ales, or sweeter porters. Done.

For ribs, it depends on what kind of ribs you have. During Oktoberfest, I like classic spare ribs with sauerkraut - (but I grew up with that!)

Season (I like salt pepper, brown sugar and dry mustard) Brown the ribs, Put in a dutch oven, or a roasting pan you can cover with foil.

Add a jar of saurkraut and some of Beau's Marzen, maybe.

Into a 325 oven for a couple of hours...drink the rest of the marzen.

Not for everyone, but if you grew up in a German household in KW, you know you had this and maybe some Schneider's Oktoberfest sausages (with the Oktoberfest mustard) after the parade!

SteelbackGuy wrote:

Belgian wrote:Another stab at Drunken Sauerkraut...
I want to find 'fresh' jar or 'barrel' Kraut instead of pasteurized jar variety.

Das sounds gut!!!

Yes it turned out very flavorful with the smoked loin and the 2 beers used. Quite a dark color for Kraut - from the malts - but no unpleasant hop bitterness. I want to do the next one caramelizing 2 very fresh Granny Smith apples + double the onions, and I will use Bubbies or other non-pasteurized Sauerkraut from the same cooler section where they keep the dill pickes.

What I will go for is less malt heaviness and more tart-sour in the flavor balance, maybe not such strong beers! The smoked pork loin is perfect however, though with lean cuts you need to add a little fat such as butter (if you were kosher-observant you could try smoked duck or turkey leg + a bit of duck fat.)

I'm sure any sausage would add some fat as well. And a dry white like an Ontario Riesling or Vidal would be good alternate recipe, it might bring out the cracked juniper and caraway flavors some more.

Belgian wrote: And a dry white like an Ontario Riesling or Vidal would be good alternate recipe, it might bring out the cracked juniper and caraway flavors some more.

...or the Gewurtz from Pelee Island...mmm....

Figure today's a good day to braise some beef ribs -

I figure either use some Tree Doppelbock, or GLB Robust Porter...any other suggestions? Or just go decadent and go get some Ayinger Doppelbock...

Edit: Went with Tree Captivator, as I couldn't get out to get a Celebrator. Was a little worried about the hops in the GLB when I reduced, so we'll see how this goes with some garlic mash, and some rapini...

Tourtiere w/ Pumpkin Eater

I forget this beautiful pairing every year (and then remember again):

It seemed like a good day to make a tourtiere. Have some good Berkshire/Large Black Pork in the freezer, I'm cooking it up, I grab once of my "veal jus cubes" about to add some water, when I realize that the exact same spices that go into a classic tourtiere (I know - there's a massive debate about what should and should not go in!) are the same ones in a pumpkin ale. Since I had Pumpkin Eater on hand I added a cup. The filling's still slowly cooking out, but it tastes pretty go so far.

St. Amby would also be good I think, but I'm not too worried about the booziness, as the pie filling cooks for quite a while.

I used a Sam Adams Octoberfest in the Sauer Kraut today - it's just malty enough & I found using a Märzenbier kept a paler color and a nice tangy-sweet contrast in the flavors. Simpler is better! Simmered it with bay, caraway, and a few juniper berries I borrowed from somebody's front yard bush (only need 4-5 fresh ones.) Of course sweet onion, garlic and apple, dash cider vinegar, pepper.

Made Bratkartoffeln frying up a little (amazingly good) wood-smoked bacon from Sanigans & dusting and turning the potatoes with plenty of smoked Hungarian paprika. Thing is I don't cook with a lot of fat, so it's more of a sautee than really crisp slow-browned potatoes.

In case anyone misses Volo's Carbonara, here's the recipe

http://saintjohnswort.ca/beer-and-food- ... la-morana/

saints_gambit wrote:In case anyone misses Volo's Carbonara, here's the recipe

http://saintjohnswort.ca/beer-and-food- ... la-morana/

You're the second person I've heard with positive things to say about that winter ale - have to try it I guess...

Had a small shoulder roast, so put it in the oven with some tomatoes and some Jacobite from last year. Thought the coriander would do well with pulled pork tacos.

Now if I can just master making tortillas the was Grand Electric does.