Cooking with Beer, Episode 3 - Beer Chili Dogs

Sunday was brew day, so with friends coming over to brew and hang out I wanted to have food for them. What better than a chili, something I could prepare early in the morning and let simmer in the crockpot till we were finished brewing and ready to eat.

The hot dogs were an additional thought, I just couldn't get Sonic the Hedgehog out of my mind, and I can't even remember why he and his chili dog addiction were there to begin with. None the less, the Beer Chili Dogs turned out awesome! Enjoy...

Beer Chili – Recipe

Ingredients:

1.25 Pounds Ground Beef

1 Whole Red Onion (Diced)

1 Whole Yellow Onion (Diced)

1 Whole Green Pepper (Diced)

1 Whole Red Pepper (Diced)

1 Whole Yellow Pepper (Diced)

5 Cloves Garlic (Minced)

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Ground Cumin

4 Teaspoons Chili Powder

1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

.25 Teaspoon Crushed Black Pepper

3 Teaspoons Sea Salt

2 Whole Mangoes (Cubed)

24 Fluid Ounces Beer *Preferably Maltier, Darker Beer*

28 Ounces Canned Diced Tomatoes (Un-drained)

12 Ounces Canned Tomato Paste

47 Ounces Canned Red Kidney Beans (Drained & Rinsed)

The Process:

Heat the Olive Oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the Ground Beef and cook till it is about to turn a gray, almost light brown (about 10 minutes). Add the Onions, Garlic and Peppers, and cook until tender. (about 5 to 7 minutes). While you sauté the Onions,, Garlic, Peppers and Ground Beef sprinkle the Ground Cumin, Chili Powder, Cayenne Pepper, Crushed Pepper and Sea Salt over top, making sure to mix the spices in evenly. Add the Mango and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Pour your beer in the large saucepan and simmer over a medium-low heat for roughly 20 minutes. After simmering, transfer the contents of the large saucepan into a crockpot, add the Canned Diced Tomatoes and set to low, allowing the Chili to simmer for five hours. (Now you can set it and forget. So go out and find something else to do, I decided to brew a batch of beer.)

With 30 minutes left in the simmering/cooking process add the Tomato Paste and Red Kidney Beans, stirring until thoroughly mixed, then allow the chili to simmer. Walk away for a half hour, then come back to it and enjoy!

Cooking with Beer, Episode 2 - Cherry, Raisin & Plum Dubbel Ice Cream

I was on fire today! I mean the beer bread turned out awesome, and i wasn't about to stop there, so I decided to bang out another dish, Beer Ice Cream. Its one of those dishes I've never had success with, but I figured why the heck not try it out once again and see where it takes me. Well it took me far beyond what I was expecting and turned out just as amazing as the Maple Syrup Beer Bread! I mean you can really taste the cherries, raisins and plums that are prominent in the beer, of which I sadly have no more of this beer...

Cherry, Raisin & Plum Dubbel Ice Cream – Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Cup - Heavy Cream

1/3 Cup - Sugar

1 Tsp. - Sea Salt

4 Large - Egg Yolks

12 Oz. - Beer (**Preferably a beer that is maltier**)

The Process:

In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, sugar, and salt, and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks to break them up, then pour the hot cream mixture slowly over the egg yolks, tempering them by whisking constantly.

Transfer the mixture back into the saucepan and cook slowly over a low heat and stir constantly. The mixture will begin to thicken after 5 to 10 minutes. Take the custard off the heat when it begins to only slightly thicken on the back of a spoon. It will continue cooking from the heat within the custard and you do NOT want the yolks to overcook. Strain the custard to remove any bits of cooked egg into a separate clean bowl.

Stir the beer into the custard mixture. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours, and proceed according to your ice cream machine's instructions. From here on out you're at the whim of your ice cream machine, which mine took about 45 minutes to completely stir and freeze the ice cream. I basically set it and forget it, then came back after 45 minutes to delicious ready to eat ice cream.

Cooking with Beer, Episode 1 - Maple Syrup Beer Bread

Next to brewing, one of my other favorite hobbies is cooking. There is just something satisfying about sharing both beer and food with friends that you've created with your own two hands. And, it is for this reason, that as of late I've become very interested in combining these two passions. So, I've decided to experiment and create dishes that incorporate my homebrews. I'll start off with something common and go from there.

For my first experiment I've chosen beer bread, I mean who doesn't like fresh baked bread. Besides, beer bread is one of those recipes that I see in every beer cookbook and have always wanted to try, but have never really been successful with the outcome. To be honest with you, this beer bread turned out great and has a delicious hint of maple syrup to it!

Maple Syrup Beer Bread – Recipe

Ingredients:

3 Cups - Bread Flour

2 Tbsp. - Sugar

1 Tbsp. - Baking Powder

1 Tsp. - Sea Salt

2 Tbsp. - Maple Syrup

12 Oz. - Beer (**I used my Me So Corny**)

2 Tbsp. - Butter (**Melted**)

The Process:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9″ x 5″ x 3″ inch loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using the whisk, stir the beer and maple syrup into the dry ingredients until just mixed. (I recommend using a spatula to get all the maple syrup out of your bowl and into the bowl.

Spoon the batter into the pan, and pour the butter on top of the batter. (Use a pastry brush to spread it around if you’d like.)

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until top is golden brown and a toothpick/knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve immediately.