Jackie Dodd-Mallory
Senior Editor

Hot Beer Fried Chicken and Pepper Biscuits

24.07.2015 5 Comments

It’s a hectic Wednesday morning and I’m trying to get it all straight in my head. I have emails to answer, deliverables to finishes, calls to make. It makes me want to shut down. I’m not organized, that side of this slightly insane job that I’ve chosen for myself makes me want to crawl under a pile of coats, shut my eyes and pretend like it doesn’t exist. So I do what I do when I’m stressed out, I bake. Fortunately for my skinny jeans, I’m not a stress eater, I’m just a stress baker. I just want to make it, the process calms me down. It’s a small win for me when other things in my life have weighted me down, this tips the boat back upright, even if just for a few minutes.

Chicken and biscuits do it every time. Nothing soothes like an emotional salve the way the comfort food miracle cure of fried chicken does. Of course biscuits have been my go-to for years, just about 8 minutes and the smell of homemade biscuits starts to solve minor emotional problems. You can keep the lavender bath salts and the vanilla scented candles, I’ll take the smell of fried chicken, hot biscuits and a hoppy beer. Someone needs to make bath salts that smell like that. It’s way better than pumpkin spice.

Hot Beer Fried Chicken and Pepper Biscuits

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Servings 8 biscuits

Ingredients

For the biscuits:

3 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
8 tbs unsalted cold butter cut into cubes
1/2 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup wheat beer
2 tbs melted butter
¼ tsp course sea salt

For the chicken

1 cup pale ale
2 cups whole milk
1 tbs hot pepper sauce I used Chipotle Tabasco
1 lbs boneless skinless chicken, cut into 2 inch strips
2 cups flour
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
Honey optional

Instructions

Make the biscuits:

Preheat oven to 425F.
In a processor add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper and sugar.
Pulse to combine. Add the cold butter, process until well combined. Add to a large bowl.
Add the buttermilk and beer. Mix with a fork until just combined.
Add to a well-floured flat surface, pat into a rectangle. Using a cold rolling pin (preferably marble) gently roll into a large rectangle, about 1 inch in thickness, using as few strokes as possible.
Fold the dough into thirds as you would a letter about to go into an envelope. Roll lightly, once in each direction to about 1 inch thickness, fold in thirds again. Gently roll into about 1 1/2 inch thickness (this will give you flakey layers).
Using a biscuit cutter cut out 6 to 8 biscuits. Place in a baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Brush biscuits with melted butter, sprinkle salt.
Bake at 425 for 10 to 12 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Make the chicken:

Add the pale ale, milk and Tabasco to a bowl. Add the chicken, cover with plastic wrap, place in the refrigerator and allow to chill for at least one hour and up to over night.
Add 3 to 4 inches of vegetable oil to a pot, clip a deep fry thermometer onto the side, heat oil to 375. Adjust heat to maintain that temperature.
In a medium sized bowl stir together the flour, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder and salt.
One at a time remove the chicken from the marinade. Add to the flour bowl, tossing to coat, place it back into the milk bowl until covered with milk, then back into the flour bowl until well coated with flour.
Add chicken to a wire rack that has been placed over a baking sheet. Repeat for the rest of the chicken pieces. Then add to the fryer. Fryer until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes.Return to the wire rack (this will kip it cripsy on all sides, Placing on a paper towel will make the under side soggy. Place in a 175F oven for up to 2 hours to make ahead.)
Split the biscuits adding one chicken per biscuit, drizzle chicken with honey (if desired) before adding top biscuit. .

Grilled Chili Lime Beer Shrimp

22.07.2015 4 Comments

I was at a brewery in Southern California early last year and a brewer handed me a small cup of warm wort to sample from a batch he was in the middle of brewing. "What is it?" I asked. He shrugged.

"It was a bunch of leftover bits from bags and batches. I just decided to brew something with it. Maybe a Hoppy Brown Porter? or…an India Chocolate Ale..with… Never mind. I have no idea."

Unlike wine, which is often labeled for the grapes that produced it, beer is hard to name. Sure, there are certain designations that make it easy to classify some brews, but there is plenty of beer that doesn’t fit any category. This isn’t a problem as much as it’s an opportunity. It’s evidence that beer is evolving at a pace so rapid, categories have a hard time keeping up.

In 1987 the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) had just 12 categories in which to award medals. In 2015, there was 92, many with subcategories. It’s a spectacular example of the evolution of beer.

For this recipe, I used a beer with a designation that’s only been recognized for the past handful of years: the Black IPA. Also called a Cascading Dark Ale or American Black Ale, it’s a hybrid of different styles. It has the looks of a porter with the spirit of an IPA. It has a bit of the roasty characters of a darker beer, but tastes light and hoppy like an IPA. Should you try it? Absolutely. Will you love it? Who knows, but at least you’ll have tried it. That’s part of the adventure of beer.

A few to try:

Bear Republic // Black Racer

Deschutes // Hop in the Dark

21st Amendment // Back in Black

Southern Tier // Iniquity

Founders Inspired // Artist Black IPA

Grilled Chili Lime Beer Shrimp

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Ingredients

¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp honey
½ tsp fresh garlic grated with a microplane
2 tbs fresh lime juice
½ cup beer black IPA, or hoppy red ale will work great
1 lbs raw shrimp
¼ cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

In small bowl add the cayenne pepper, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, chili, garlic powder, honey, garlic, lime juice and beer.
Add the shrimp to a large re-sealable plastic bag, pour the marinade over the shrimp. Chill and allow to marinate for 1 hour and up to 24.
Preheat the grill to medium high.
Skewer the shrimp on metal or pre-soaked wooden skewers.
Grill until cooked through, about 2 minutes per side, don’t over cook.
Sprinkle with cilantro.

Blackberry Beer Cheesecake Tart

17.07.2015 14 Comments

I’m sitting at a bar in Bogota, Colombia, communicating the best I can through broken Spanish. Laughing with several kitchen’s worth of chef’s, trying to convince them that, even though I nearly passed out from the altitude, and I’m in fact, not pregnant. They motion with their hands to create invisible fake bellies, then laugh. They point at my beer, "No, no! No good for baby!" we all laugh.

I’d spent most of the week with them, redoing the menus at the Bogota Brewing Company's pubs. A trip that I can’t wait to tell you more about, a trip that was nothing short of life changing. I’m sitting at the bar, finishing a Champinero Porter, one of the best porters I’ve had in a long time and I think about the choices I’ve made that lead me down this rabbit hole. I must have done something right. I’ve made strange choices in my life, some terrible, some mediocre, some harmful, but I must have done something right. Grateful isn’t a strong enough word. I can’t find the right way to express how I’m feeling, not in English, certainly not in Spanish. So I finish my beer, laugh at the implication that I’m pregnant, hug them all and thank them. It’s been an incredible trip, an unforgettable country, and outstanding people.

Blackberry Beer Cheesecake Tart

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Ingredients

For the cheesecake tart:

1 sheet puff pastry thawed
24 ounces cream cheese
1 ½ cups sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs flour
2 tbs corn starch
1 tsp salt
½ cup saison beer or wheat beer

For the blackberry layer:

3 cups 12 wt oz blackberries
1 cup saison or wheat beer
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbs cornstarch
1 tsp salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300.
Add the blackberries, saison, powdered sugar, cornstarch and salt to a pot over medium high heat. Bring to a low boil, stirring frequently until thickened, about ten minutes. Set aside.
Roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Line a 9-inch spring form pan, letting the less hang over the sides. .
Beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the sugar, egg and vanilla, beating until well combined. Add the flour, cornstarch, salt and beer, stir on low speed until well combined.
Add to the spring form pan in an even layer.
Pour the blackberry sauce evenly over the cheesecake layer. Fold the excess puff pastry over the top of the tart.
Bake at 300 for 1 hour or until the puff pastry is golden brown. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours and up to over night.

Pork Ribs with Chipotle Peach Beer Barbecue Sauce

10.07.2015 3 Comments

Maybe it’s because I’m writing this from 30,000 feet above Houston, Texas, en route to South America, that I feel compelled to tell you that American Barbecue has nothing to do with your backyard grill.

Sure there are similarities, the flames, the metal grates, the brave souls with large metal cooking implements poking at the meat from a safe distance. But it’s the difference that makes the biggest impact on your final results.

Barbecue gives us the gorgeous smoky flavors, the fall off the bone meat, the get-your-shirt-messy eating experience because of a cooking method that’s long, slow and low. Grilling is quick, hot and high. Real, true barbecue is a process that takes hours, even days to complete.

The low temperature renders the fat, infusing the meat, injecting it with flavor and giving you that tender fall-apart texture. Your oven can do this slow and low cooking as well, it just takes time.

It’s the best way to cook ribs at home, no other method can compare to the tender texture, caramelized sauce, and flavors that taste as close to true smoky barbecue as you can get in your own house.

It takes time, as true barbecue should. The meat melts off the bone, the sauce is caramelized and just a little sticky. You’ll need plenty of napkins and a couple beers to make this a meal. And it’s worth every second you spent cooking it.

Pork Ribs with Chipotle Peach Beer Barbecue Sauce

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Ingredients

For the sauce:

1 pound fresh yellow peaches
2 tablespoons olive oil divided
¼ cup chopped shallots
¼ cup cider vinegar
½ cup stout beer
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons molasses not blackstrap
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 chipotle chilies chopped
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dry mustard

For the ribs:

3 lbs pork ribs
salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450.
Slice the peaches in half, remove the pit. Place cut side down on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Roast until skin starts to pull away from the peach, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, gently peel away and discard skin.
Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium high heat, add the shallots, cooking until slightly browned, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the vinegar, beer, honey, molasses, brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, chipotles, smoked paprika, and mustard powder, bring to a simmer.
Add the peaches, stirring occasionally, until peaches have broken down, about ten minutes. Remove from heat.
Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth (alternately, you can allow the sauce to cool slightly and blend in an upright blender.) Sauce can be made several days in advance.
Lower oven temperature to 250.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the ribs on the baking sheet, sprinkle on all sides with salt.
Brush liberally with sauce on all sides.
Cook for 30 minutes, remove from oven, brush on all sides with sauce and return to oven. Repeat this step for 4 hours, brushing with sauce every 30 minutes, until meat easily pulls away from the bone and sauce has caramelized

No-Yeast 20-Minute Beer Flatbread

08.07.2015 13 Comments

No Yeast 20-minute Beer Flatbread

I was trapped in the back of a rug factory in Morocco when I realized how relative things are.

I was sitting on a stool made out of a block of wood, walls made of thick adobe all around me, the large wooden door had been slammed shut and locked with a steel bar. Mid-day sunlight fell through the window at the very top of the wall behind me. Two men threw rugs on the ground in front of me and my sister, yelling obscene prices at us in strong ascents. "Only seven thousand! This one, good deal, it’s only three thousand five hundred. This one, it’s for you, just six thousand!"

I’m in shock. It took me six months to save for the trip, there was no way I could afford a rug that cost about a third the retail value of my car. They stop the rapid rug toss to pressure me about buying one.

"Listen, I can’t afford this. I just started paying off my student loans, I have rent, car payment, I don’t have the money to spend seven grand on a rug. Plus shipping."

They laugh. "You’re saying you’re poor? You’re American! You are RICH," they pick up an empty leather pouf, "You buy this, stuff it with dollar bills!"

I was as scared as I was offended. There were two men and a steel bar between me and freedom. "I’m not rich! Do you know how much rent is in the US? Groceries? Gas? I’m not rich,"

They laugh even harder, "You have a place to live? Yes? With more than one room and a bathroom, too? You have a car? And you have a refrigerator full of food? You buy new clothes every month, and you have lots of shoes? Am I correct? Look at me," He pauses for dramatic effect, "Little girl, you are rich. Walk out that door, look around, and then you tell me you are not rich." He was right.

I was still scared but no longer offended. I realized how relative everything is, one person’s broke is another person’s rich. I ended the day in a beautiful restaurant, a thing only the richest people in the Medina of Fez, Morocco have ever done. There was chicken in a creamy red sauce, saffron rice, vegetables, small metal bowls of sauces, and soft, homemade bread. There was a beautiful comfort in warm homemade bread. This recipe only takes about 20 minutes, perfect for the next time you need a little gluten comfort.

No Yeast 20-Minute Beer Flatbread

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 5

Servings 8 flatbreads

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tbs olive oil
¾ cup plain Greek yogurt not non-fat
¾ cup wheat beer room temperate

Instructions

In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Make a well in the center, add the oil, yogurt and beer.
Stir until the dough comes together. Transfer to a lightly floured surface, knead for about 6 minutes.
Cut into 8 sections, form into balls. Cover and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
Lightly oil a cast iron skillet, heat to medium high.
Press the balls into 6 inch disks.
Cook the disks in the skillet until lightly browned on each side and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
Serve warm.

Beer Focaccia Bread

03.07.2015 7 Comments

Think for a second about how long we’ve been doing this.

How long people have stood in kitchens, mixed yeast with flour, warm liquid, sugar, salt. Watched it rise, smelled it as it baked. Even before anyone knew what yeast was, bakers had figured out how to use it. Centuries of bread baking and little has changed, this is proof of how perfect the process really is. How magical the end result, and accomplished we feel when it all comes together.

The first few times I tried making bread I failed. The bread didn’t fail, I did. I failed to respect the process. To understand that "rapid rise" yeast wasn’t the same as regular dry active yeast, that temperatures matter, that a rise might take two hours on a cold day instead of one, that the time spent with the bread is rather minimal in comparison to what you’re given.

Then I started adding beer. The yeast already in the beer, the grains it was made with, it’s like water on steroids when making bread. It’s like Super Water when baking. I like a wheat beer, it just seems to make sense. I like a bottle conditioned beer that still has some rowdy yeast running around. I like a beer with a low hop profile. But most of all I love the moment when I check the dough and see the soft pillow rising in the bowl, and I know it’s a small win for the day. These days, we could all use a few small wins. And serve it with a cold beer.

Beer Focaccia Bread

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Ingredients

4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs fresh rosemary chopped
1 package rapid rise yeast
1 1/2 cups beer pale ale, pilsner, wheat beer
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
for the top:
1 tbs coarse salt
1 tbs fresh rosemary chopped
2 tbs olive oil

Instructions

In a bowl of a stand mixer fitter with a dough hook, add 2 cups flour, sugar, 1 tablespoon rosemary, and yeast.
Heat the beer to 120 to 125 degrees F.
Add the beer to the stand mixer, turn the mixer to medium, mix until combined.
Add the remaining flour, ¼ cup olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt.
Turn the mixer to medium high, beat for 5 to 6 minutes.
Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm room until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Lightly oil a 9x13 pan. Transfer the dough to the pan, pulling to cover the entire pan. Press your fingers into the dough making holes across the entire loaf.
Cover and allow to rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425.
Brush with remaining oil, sprinkle with remaining rosemary and salt.
Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Thai Chili Stout Beef Skewers with Chili Ginger Dipping Sauce

01.07.2015 No Comments

Thai Chili Stout Beef Skewers with Chili Ginger Dipping Sauce

There are firsts that we lose quickly, gone into the recesses of our minds. Like pearls from a broken strand scattering across the floor, gliding under furniture and into corners. The firsts that I do remember are never more important than those that I’ve lost, it seems like a roll of the dice what sticks and what slides away.

The first time I had a stout is a stuck memory. I was 21 and it was 8 am. I’d taken a job as a waitress at a mediocre chain brewery in Los Angeles. Part of my orientation was a beer class. At 8 am. On an empty stomach. A few flights of seasonal beers later and I was drunk. Giggly and failing in my attempts to keep that secret to myself.

Next came a flight of darker beers: stouts, porters and brown ales all lined up on a wooden paddle. I was determined just to take a sip of each to avoid drunk turning into sloppy. I was convinced that I didn’t like dark beers, assuming that they were too big and bitter.

The first sip, I was hooked. The beer was creamy, slightly sweet, roasty, and mellow. "What is this?" My attempt at staying quite came out in a loud drunken slur as I shushed by the bar-back-in-training sitting next to me.

"IT’S REALLY GOOD. WHY DIDN’T I KNOW THAT STOUTS WERE GOOD. I’M DRUNK." I have a strange habit of announcing my drunkenness, as if it’ll come as a shock to those around me.

The guys teaching the class had me gently removed, escorted to a couch in the lobby with a pitcher of water. "It’s really good. I like it a lot. Are they all good or just this one?" The brewery assistant that was in charge of handling me looked over his shoulder to make sure we were alone, "Honestly, it’s not that good. It’s fine. It’s adequate. But there are much better stouts out there. You’re just drunk, and you obviously don’t have that much beer experience."

I was both offended and intrigued. If a mediocre stout was that good, what does a good one taste like? Turns out, he was right. My first stout was just OK, memorable but just adequate. The way a lot of firsts are.

I’ve forgotten hundreds of much better stouts since then, lost in my memory. Stouts will always be one of my go-to styles, although I’m much better at handling a few flights at a brewery now. Even if I still announce to the world when I’m drunk.

Thai Chili Stout Beef Skewers with Chili Ginger Dipping Sauce

Print Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 6

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

Skewers:

½ cup imperial stout
2 tbs soy sauce
¼ tsp fresh ginger grated with microplane
1 large clove garlic grated with microplane
1 tbs hot chili oil
1 tbs lime juice
1 lbs thin cut beef sliced into 1 inch strips
1 tsp fresh black pepper
1 tsp salt

Dipping sauce:

¼ cup soy sauce
1 tbs honey
2 tsp hot chili oil
¼ tsp fresh ginger grated with a microplane
½ tsp black pepper

Instructions

In a large bowl stir together the stout, soy sauce, ¼ tsp ginger, garlic, 1 tbs hot chili oil, and lime juice.
Add the beef, cover and allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Thread onto metal skewers or pre-soaked wooden skewers.
Salt and pepper on all sides, brush liberally with marinade.
Grill: preheat the grill to medium high. Grill on both sides until cooked to your desired degree of doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium.
Oven: preheat the broiler of the oven. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet, spray with cooking spray. Place the skewers on rack, place under the broiler for 6 minutes, turning once half way through.
In a small bowl stir together the remaining soy sauce, honey, chili oil, ginger, and black pepper (can be made a day ahead of time).
Serve skewers with dipping sauce.

*hot chili oil is sold in the Asian section of the grocery store or can be bought online.

Beer Cocktail: Grilled Pineapple Beer Sangria

26.06.2015 3 Comments

Beer Cocktail: Grilled Pineapple Beer Sangria

Summer is about a lot of things. The things you can’t find in any other season, things that close your eyes and open your heart. The feeling of the sun on bare shoulders. The breeze against your slightly sun scorched neck. Friends wandering into the back yard, pulling up a chair. There’s a magic in it all, a sense that you’re being begged to stop for a second. To just slow down long enough to hear the breath in your lungs. Summer lasts about 93 days, just a bit more than a handful.

Hesitate, and the moment has passed you by. Make excuses long enough, the leaves will be falling before you get a chance to indulge your summer fantasy. Summer is a small escape, an excuse for things you don’t normally allow. Blame the exposed skin, the flushed face, the raised body temperature. Blame the heat and the water and the long days that stretch into starlight evenings.

These nights call for a drink that makes you radiate the season, that make you want to indulge and celebrate. I, of course, add craft beer and grilled fruit. Obviously.

I used an imperial saison, Funkwerks Tropical King. It has a beautiful, bright summery fruit flavors and a larger than average ABV. Perfect for summer nights, no matter how calm or rowdy.

Grilled Pineapple Beer Sangria

Print Recipe

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

1 2.5 lb pineapple
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tbs brown sugar
3 ounces rye whiskey
½ cup triple sec
24 ounces Saison or lambic
2 cups frozen peach slices

Instructions

Preheat the grill to medium high.
Cut the pineapple into 1-inch rings.
Grill the pineapple until grill marks appear, about 3 minutes per-side.
Reserve two rings for garnish. Cut the remaining rings, removing the skin and core. Add the pineapple flesh, about 2 cups, to a blender or food processor along with the lemon, brown sugar and whiskey. Blend until smooth. Add to a serving container, refrigerate until chilled, can be made a day ahead of time.
Just prior to serving stir in the triple sec, beer and peaches.

Beer Bread Grilled Beer Cheese Sandwich with Bacon

22.06.2015 7 Comments

Grilled Cheese & Gratitude

I was standing in the kitchen of a group home, talking to a 15-year-old foster kid when I learned what gratitude really was. (Before I became a full-time food and beer writer, I worked with foster and probation kids in South Central LA, you can read more about that here and here)

He was skinny, his Hanes t-shirt nearly swallowing him up as it hung down past his waist over his dark sweat pants that pooled around the China Town slippers on his feet. "How lucky are we?!" He peels a few slices off the block of government issue cheese, a long, unnaturally orange-colored rectangle housed in a cardboard tube. I was as amused as I was confused.

He could tell I wanted more, "Well, the last place I lived we didn’t ever really have bread. It was always moldy. And the place before that, we NEVER had cheese, that was like, a luxurious thing and all, and then before that the stove aint never worked…" He smeared both sides of the bread with the contents of an oversized tub of margarine, filled the two slices of bread with at least five pieces of cheese, and gently set it in a hot pan that screamed a victorious sizzle in response. "See!" the sound thrilled him, "We got, like…MAD cheese up in here, they don’t even care when I use like a grip of slices. And look at all this butter! This thing HUGE! and we got bread for days!" he claps his hands, thrilled at the bounty that the group home kitchen provided.

I’d read his file at the office before I headed over to meet him. Absent biological father, mother was abusive and her whereabouts are now unknown. He was placed in a state run group home after several reports of abuse by his previous foster parents. I look at him, a genuine smile on his face, and I think about the night before. I’d been in Hollywood, chasing a sullen fashion model around The Grafton, trying to keep her out of trouble. She was the girlfriend of a musician friend of mine, and I was trying to avoid press nightmare if she’d been able to follow through with the crazy that her anger was begging her to perform. I’d pushed her into a alcove by the ice machine and commanded her to talk to me about why she was so upset. Tears streaming down her gorgeous face, onto her three thousand dollar dress, "I can’t go to London with him because I have this stupid print ad to shoot tomorrow. My condo is being renovated so I have to stay at a hotel…And I forgot my Prada jacket! I hate everything…."

I think about this, about the conversation I’d had the night before as I watch him finish up his grilled cheese. I realize that gratitude and happiness have nothing to do with circumstances. You can decide to focus on every great thing in your life, no matter how small, or you can decide to focus on what’s broken. It’s your choice.

Choose wisely.

I used Fort George Omegatex in the filling, and to wash it all down with.

Beer Bread Grilled Beer Cheese Sandwich with Bacon

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Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ cup sugar
12 ounces beer summer ale, wheat beer, saison, pilsner
¼ cup melted butter
8 wt oz cream cheese
1 cup 2.5 wt oz shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup IPA beer
½ tsp sriracha
1 tbs cornstarch
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup softened butter
4 strips bacon cooked

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar. Add the beer, stir until just combined.
Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour that batter into the pan in an even layer. Pour the melted butter over the loaf.
Bake for 40 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven, allow to cool completely before slicing, chill if necessary.
In a food processor add the cream cheese, cheddar, IPA, sriracha, cornstarch and salt, blend until smooth.
Slice the bread into 8 slices.
Butter one side of each slice.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium high heat.
Working in batches, place one slice of bread, buttered side down in the pan. Spread with about ¼ cup of the cheese mixture, then a slice of bacon, then another slice of bread, buttered side up.
Cook until the bottom bread is slightly browned, then gently flip. Cook on the other side until the bread is golden brown. Serve warm.

Grilled Stout Jamaican Jerk Chicken

17.06.2015 11 Comments

Grilled Stout Jamaican Jerk

There is a magic in an old recipe. In a method of preparing food with an origin that’s hard to trace. Jerk meat has been a staple in Jamaica for centuries, but follow the history through a labyrinth of poorly kept records and unsettling invasions of outsiders, it’s hard to get a clear view of how it all began.

It doesn’t matter, it hasn’t changed much between the generations of hands that have cooked it. Traditional jerk is cooked over direct flames, not just from coals but also fresh, green wood. Fire is an important component in the dish. The heat, the smoke, the crisp blackened skin. The result is an addictive plate of chicken that’s smokey, sweet, spicy, and juicy.

The idea to add beer isn’t mine, as much as I’d like to claim it. Years ago I read the book, Blood, Bones and Butter, by Gabrielle Hamilton. I’d been to her restaurant in New York, Prune, and became a bit fascinated with her. Just a few lines in one chapter about her favorite jerk recipes, no more explanation than it had 25 ingredients including Scotch bonnet peppers, stout beer, and honey, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. I’ve spent years adjusting this recipe trying to get to that perfect balance of flavors. One thing is for sure, the smoke and heat of the grill is a must, it just isn’t the same made in the oven.

Grilled Stout Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Print Recipe

Prep Time 8

Cook Time 30

Total Time 12 38

Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup stout or porter beer coffee or coconut stouts and porters work well
3 Scotch Bonnet or Habanero Peppers
6 cloves of garlic peeled
3 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon chopped scallions green and white parts
¼ teaspoon fresh ginger grated with a microplane
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 tablespoon Chinese 5 Spice powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon Kosher or Sea salt
3 lbs chicken wings legs, thighs (bone in, skin on)

Instructions

Add all ingredients (except the chicken) to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
Add the chicken to a resalable gallon sized plastic bag (use two if necessary), pour the sauce over the chicken. Close the bag, removing as much air as possible. Refrigerate over night and up to two days, turning once or twice during marinating.
Preheat grill to medium high.
Grill the chicken, turning occasionally, until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Move to upper rack of the grill to finish cooking once the exterior is as dark as you prefer it.

Chocolate Stout Frapp-Brew-ccino

15.06.2015 12 Comments

Chocolate Stout Frapp-Brew-ccino

There is a point in every day that the clock tips from coffee-drinking hour to beer-consumption o’clock. It’s a gradual transition, the coffee cravings are slowly pushed aside by your desire for a beer that’s beckoning you from the fridge. In the middle of these two worlds is a bit of a beverage gray area, an afternoon slot where a crossover can take place. Beer and coffee, both are accepted. Coffee beer had this time in mind when it was being brewed. A beverage no-mans-land. Because coffee beers exists, you no longer have to choose between these two well-loved drinks.

But what is a coffee beer?

Brewers are magically creative people, constantly chasing new flavor combinations, new ways to brew, waking up in the middle of the night to jot down beer concepts to flush out the following day. Most brewers start the day in a similar way, a steaming cup of coffee in their hands, rubber boots pounding the wet cement between fermenters and mash tuns, checking batches, sampling wort, mashing in. Coffee still fresh in their mouths as they make giant batches of beer. Coffee and beer never seemed a peculiar combination to this set.

Coffee can be added to beer in a variety of ways. Most commonly is right from the beans. Either ground and added to large bags that function like tea bags, or whole beans added during brewing, the beans are steeped to extract the flavors. On occasion brewers use brewed coffee or espresso. Brewers have a natural affinity for local ingredients, you can bet that in most cases craft breweries will seek out high quality, local, craft beans. Most beers that are infused with coffee are dark beers, like porters and stouts. But don’t ask a brewer to limit themselves or fit within any box. Cream ales have been used and Fort George Brewing makes a coffee IPA called Java The Hop. For this recipe, a bold coffee stout or porter is the way you want to go.

A few to seek out:

Great Divide// Espresso Oak Aged Yeti

Founders // Breakfast Stout

Surly // Coffee Bender

Ballast Point // Victory at Sea

Alesmith // Speedway Stout

Southern Tier // Mokah

Lagunitas // Cappuccino Stout

Schlafly // Coffee Stout

Stone // Coffee Milk Stout

Chocolate Stout Frapp-Brew-ccino

Print Recipe

Prep Time 5

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

¾ cup espresso or very strong coffee chilled
¾ cup half and half
¾ cup espresso or chocolate stout
¼ cup chocolate syrup
¼ cup chocolate chips
2 tbs sugar
2 cups ice

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a blender.
Blend until smooth.
Serve immediately.

Beer Brined Lemon Pepper Chicken with Mango Salsa + DIY Beer Dad Fathers Day Gifts

12.06.2015 6 Comments

Add the chicken thighs to a bowl, sprinkle on all sides with 1 tablespoon salt. Cover with beer, refrigerate for 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. In a small bowl stir together the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, lemon zest, pepper, and garlic powder, set aside. In a medium sized bowl add the mango, onion, cilantro, bell pepper, jalapeno, lemon juice and salt. Remove the chicken from the beer, rinse and pat dry. Rub the chicken on all sides with the lemon pepper mixture. Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat (take care not to heat the pan over too high heat, the chicken will burn before it cooks through). Add the chicken to the pan (cooking in batches if necessary), until golden brown on the outside and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Plate the chicken, top with mango salsa.

Beer Brined Lemon Pepper Chicken with Mango Salsa

Let’s say that you’re the type of person that has a dad that likes beer.

And let’s also say that you’re the type of person who has procrastinated so much that you don’t yet have a Father’s Day present for said beer drinking dad.

I’m not here to judge you, I’m here to help you. With not only an easy list of beer infused DIY gifts, but also a quick and easy dinner you can pull off after work while making the thoughtful beer laden gift.

Dad’s aren’t quite as sentimental as the rest of us, mostly they just need to be told how great they are, they need some alone time, they need a cold beer and a sporting event. Dad’s also like to be fed. Give him food, tell him he’s good, pet his head. Maybe that’s dogs. Or both. Either way, they need to be fed and watered. I can help you with the feeding part, and these double as thoughtful handmade gifts that are way better than that popsicle stick birdhouses you made him in 4th grade. By the way, he just pretended to like that.

Because he’s nice. You owe him.

IPA Pickles

Chocolate Pretzel Beer Toffee

Chocolate Stout Truffles

Salted Beer Caramel Corn

Beer Candied Pecans

Stout and Sriracha BBQ Sauce

Beer and Sriracha Candied Nuts

Now, go out there, make that beer gift that dad will eat on the couch with his favorite beer while watching his favorite team play another team while he yells at the TV. And don’t forget to pet his head.

Beer Brined Lemon Pepper Chicken with Mango Salsa

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Chicken

6 chicken thighs boneless, skinless
1 tbs plus 1 tsp salt, divided
12 ounces brown ale
2 tbs lemon zest
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbs olive oil

For the Mango Salsa

1 large red mango diced
½ white onion diced
¼ cup cilantro chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 jalapeno chopped
1 tbs lemon juice
½ tsp salt

Instructions

Add the chicken thighs to a bowl, sprinkle on all sides with 1 tablespoon salt. Cover with beer, refrigerate for 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
In a small bowl stir together the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, lemon zest, pepper, and garlic powder, set aside.
In a medium sized bowl add the mango, onion, cilantro, bell pepper, jalapeno, lemon juice and salt. Toss to combine.
Remove the chicken from the beer, rinse and pat dry.
Rub the chicken on all sides with the lemon pepper mixture.
Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat (take care not to heat the pan over too high heat, the chicken will burn before it cooks through).
Add the chicken to the pan (cooking in batches if necessary), until golden brown on the outside and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
Plate the chicken, top with mango salsa.

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings Ever

10.06.2015 40 Comments

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings

You’ve got to dig a little deeper.

At first blush, this seems like a cop-out. It’s beer and chicken wings, it’s such an obvious pairing you want to scratch your eyes out, scream "Milk and cookies, peanut butter and jelly, jalapeño and avocado! Give me something new!" But calm down, it’s more than that. It’s a revelation.

Really, it’s because I’m a nerd. Which is what drew me to craft beer, the geeky side of beer: the what, the why, and the how of beer. It’s the same with food. I don’t just want to know how to brine a chicken, I want to know why it works.

I want to know what the difference between baking soda and baking powder, and I want to know how temperature affects meat. That’s why I read Cooks Illustrated. It’s not food porn, really there aren’t too many pictures, it’s food nerd porn. It’s the why, it’s not just the how.

Cooks Illustrated did a story on how to bake chicken wings in a way that the skin gets just as crispy as when you fry it. The fat is rendered, the skin is so crisp it makes a thump sound when you tap it with your nails. They nerd out on food in a way that makes me feel like I’m not alone. They tell you the kitchen fails, the reason they tried what they did, and what finally worked.

For this: baking powder that draws out moisture, low temperate to render fat, and high temperate to make the skin golden brown. If you’re still reading this, you might just be as big of a nerd as I am. And next time we meet, I’ll buy you a beer and we’ll talk all kinds of food nerd talk.

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings Ever

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Print Recipe

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

2 lbs party wings
1 tbs baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup IPA beer
4 tbs melted butter
¼ cup Sriracha
1 tbs honey
1 tbs cornstarch
up to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250.
Add the wings to a large bowl. Sprinkle with baking powder and salt, toss to coat.
Place a wire rack over a baking sheet, brush with oil or spray with cooking spray.
Place the wings on the wire rack.
Bake in the lower section of the oven for 30 minutes. Move to the upper 1/3 of the oven, increase oven temperature to 425. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.
In a large bowl stir together the beer, melted butter, sriracha, honey, cayenne pepper (as little or as much as you want for the heat level you want) and cornstarch.
Toss the wings in the sauce, serve warm.

Crispy Beer Battered Steak House Onion Rings

05.06.2015 7 Comments

Crispy Beer Battered Steak House Onion Rings

I was on a southbound flight a few weeks ago, the guy sitting next to me not picking up on my "I don’t talk to strangers on airplanes" vibes. He asked me what I did for a living, which is always a bit of a strange conversation when the answer is something along the lines of "I cook with craft beer, and then take pictures of it."

He rolls his eyes. "I hate that." I didn’t engage, I didn’t care what he hates or why he hates it. If he left me alone, I was fine with that.

After a few minutes of my not biting on his gem of a response to my chosen career, he gave up. "I mean….why does YOUR beer get to craft and other people’s isn’t? It seems so elitist."

Ahh…one of those guys. In his Brooks Brothers khakis and late 90’s briefcase he has decided what I’m allowed to call beer.

"What do you do?" I ask.

"I import. From China and Japan, teas mostly."

"Why? There is plenty of tea over here. Why not just use some grown in the US?"

He’s borderline outraged at the suggestion. "It’s not the same! The techniques people use, the old world skill, the attention to detail and process. People over there have a love for it, they consider it…."

"..a craft?"

Tense silence.

"So, are you saying that your tea is craft tea and maybe Lipton, isn’t?"

"…..oh. Um. Oh…"

I put my headphones in and ignore any more of his attempts to engage. The truth is craft breweries put quality above profit. They will sacrifice the amount they make on a beer in favor of using the best ingredients, but they won’t do it the other way around. There is a love and a respect for the product that can be felt in the industry. There is craft in every industry, with beer it’s just more obvious, more celebrated.

Now let’s talk food for a second. When making onion rings, the onion selection makes a big difference. Peel back those layers and all onions bring something different to your table. When selecting the best onion for your rings, you want a thick ring, lots of sweetness and a mellow flavor. Red onions don’t have the sweetness or the thickness you’re looking for. White onions are crisp and thick, but much too harsh and sharp in flavor. Yellow onions have more sweetness than white or red, but the layers tend to be fairly thin and the overall flavor can often be a bit sharper than is ideal. Your best bet is what’s known as a sweet onion.

Sweet onions have thick slices and a sweet flavor without giving you that sharp onion flavor that turns some away. The most common varieties are Walla Walla sweets, Maui, and Vidalia onions, all are the perfect choice for a thick batter and a quick deep fry and won’t leave you overpowered with a sharp onion taste.

For the beer, pick one that has some great carbonation and big flavor, those onion rings can take it. I like a pale ale or an IPA to get the job done.

Happy frying.

Crispy Beer Battered Steak House Onion Rings

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 large sweet onions
1 ½ cups buttermilk
2 cups flour divided in half
2 tbs cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp chili powder
1 tbs brown sugar
1 cup IPA beer
2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
canola or peanut oil for frying

Instructions

Slice the onion into ½ inch slices, separate the rings. Place in a large bowl, cover with buttermilk. Refrigerate for 1 hour and up to overnight.
In a large bowl add 1 cup flour (reserve the other cup), cornstarch, baking soda, chili powder, brown sugar, stir to combine. Stir in the beer to make a smooth batter.
Add the remaining flour to a small bowl. Stir together the salt and panko in a separate bowl.
Heat three inches of oil in a pot over medium high heat. Use a deep fry thermometer to maintain 350 degrees.
One at a time remove the onion slices from the milk, dredge in flour until well coated, dip in the batter, then add to the panko to gently coat (if panko bowl becomes too saturated with the dip, toss it and fill the bowl with fresh panko). Fry on both sides until golden brown, about 1 minute per side.
Remove from oil, place on a wire rack to cool.

Chocolate Stout & Blackberry Shortcakes

03.06.2015 3 Comments

Chocolate Stout & Blackberry Shortcakes

You and I, we have a very odd relationship.

I tell you stories, like that time I almost died in Morocco, or about that time I was asked to do porn. I give you recipes that I hope you like, and answer your question about beer and how to get chicken skin super crispy. And you tweet me pictures of the dishes of mine that you make, and email me about how your soon-to-be in-laws now love you because you made them Honey Mustard Stout Chicken, or that you finally know what you were always doing wrong to screw up baked Mac N Cheese, and now you make the creamiest Mac in town.

And I love all of that. The tweets especially, those make my day. But you have to admit, this is odd. And I hope that someday we meet, I’ll buy you a beer, and then you buy me one. And after a few, I’ll tell you all to stories I won’t post.

Someday. Beers and inappropriate stories all around.

Chocolate Stout & Blackberry Shortcakes

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 ½ cups of flour
½ cup cocoa powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ cup sugar
½ cup 8 tbs butter, cut into small cubes
¼ cup whole milk
½ cup stout beer plus 1 tbs, divided (optional)
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pint blackberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a food processor, add the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar; pulse to combine.
Add the butter; process until well combined.
Add milk and 1/2 cup of stout, process until combined.
Drop 6 mounds of dough onto a baking (or lightly oil your hands and form into balls) that has been covered with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Bake at 350 F for 16 to 18 minutes or until the top is dry and slightly springy when touched. Remove from oven, allow to cool.
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and tablespoon of stout (if using); beat until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes.
Split the shortcakes, fill with whipped cream and blackberries.

Black and Tan Stout Cake

29.05.2015 11 Comments

The first time I made a cake I did everything wrong.

I didn’t care what the directions said, I was going to do it my way, because that made way more sense. I was just going to add all the ingredients at once, because that saves time. And the greasing and flouring of the pans, I had no idea what this meant, and it sounded like a lot of work. So I skipped it. I didn’t check the oven temperate, I just turned it on. And then the frosting, I did the same thing. It ended up looking like cottage cheese. And the cake didn’t come out of the pan, and because the batter wasn’t mixed well, and the butter was still in lumps, it had crater like pock marks where the butter lumps had melted.

But I ate it anyway, with my lumpy frosting.

I’ve made a thousand cakes since then, but that’s the one that I learned the most from. That’s the one I remember. I learned that directions matter, that softened butter is an important thing, that steps count, as does oven temperate. I learned that if you’re going to all the work to make a cake from scratch, you should respect the process and enjoy the time. Or just go buy one.

Be all in or all out, but don’t half way make a cake. If you’re going to do it, make it count. And enjoy every minute.

Black and Tan Stout Cake

Print Recipe

Servings 10 servings

Ingredients

Cake:

1/2 cup butter softened
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup chocolate stout
1 tsp salt
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Frosting:

1 cup heavy cream
3 8 oz packages cream cheese
Pinch salt
1/3 cup pale ale or brown ale
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 lbs powdered sugar
1 3.5 oz bar dark chocolate, grated (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the butter and sugar, beat until well combined, about 5 minutes.
Add the eggs and the vanilla, beating until well combined, scraping the bottom of the mixer to insure the butter is well incorporated into the mixture.
Add the sour cream, oil and beer, stir until well combined.
Stop the mixer, sprinkle with salt, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda, stir until just combined.
Grease and flour 3, 9-inch, cake pans. Divide batter evenly between the three pans.
Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched.
Allow to cool for 20 minutes, transfer to a wire rack, allow to cool completely.
Add the cream to a stand mixer, beat on high until medium peaks form, about 4 minutes. Transfer whipped cream to a separate bowl.
In the stand mixer (no need to clean between jobs), add the cream cheese. Beat on high until light and fluff, about 6 minutes.
Add the salt, beer, vanilla extract. Slowly build up speed, beat until well incorporated. Add the powdered sugar, beat until well combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream.
Plate one layer of cake, top with frosting. Add another cake layer, top with frosting. Add the final layer and frost the cake with remaining icing.
Press the grated chocolate into the sides of the cake, if desired.

Bourbon Stout Cherries + What is A Barrel Aged Beer?

28.05.2015 13 Comments

Bourbon Stout Cherries

We would love to pretend like barrel aged beer is something a trend setting, bearded, flannel wearing brewer invented just a handful of years ago, igniting a craft beer phenomenon that’s taken over the bottle shops.

But that’s not the case. In the dawn of civilization, when beer and humanity where in their infancy, beer wasn’t just aged in wood barrels, but brewed, fermented and stored in wooden barrels. We’ve recently rediscovered the beautiful flavors oak barrels transmit into our beers. The caramel, vanilla, fruit and toffee, along with a huge kick of warm alcohol to our favorite brews, make these beers to seek out.

What is barrel aging?

You can age any beer in a barrel, some styles just happen to get there more frequently. Most beers that are chosen for barrel aging are usually darker, maltier beers. Think: stouts, porters, brown ales or scotch ales. Once the beer is brewed and ready for aging, it’s transferred to a wooden, usually oak, barrel. Breweries generally buy these barrels from wineries or distilleries, there is only one brewery in the world that makes their own, Rogue Ales in Portland. Most of the time these are barrels that were perviously used to age wine or spirits. Bourbon barrels are the most common. Since these barrels had previously housed bourbon for years, the wood is still soaked with the liquor. As the beer ages in the barrels, the beer soaks up the liquor, taking on the flavors of the previous tenant. Beer is aged for as little as one month and as long as several years, but most commonly just less than a year. Barrel aged beers have an intensely boozy flavor, and a much higher ABV than most beer. They are best served in small amounts in snifter or tulip glasses.

I’m a sucker for a good barrel aged stout. These are beers to share, beers to sample, beers that you don’t forget. For these boozy cherries, perfect for your next cocktail, I used Track #10 from The Lost Abbey. A beer that should be shared, and can’t be forgotten.

Bourbon Stout Cherries

Print Recipe

Servings 1 /2 pound

Ingredients

1/2 cup Bourbon
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup barrel aged stout
½ lbs Bing cherries pitted

Instructions

Add the bourbon, sugar, and stout to a saucepan. Simmer until sugar has dissolved.
Add the cherries to a re-sealable jar, pour bourbon/beer mixture over the cherries. Allow to sit at room temperature for one hour. Seal and refrigerate for at least two days before serving.

Corn and Cotija Beer Cheese Dip

22.05.2015 2 Comments

"You must be so glad to be out of LA!"

I hear that all the time. Now that I’ve passed the One Year mark as a Seattleite, people assume I see the South Land the way they do, they way those who have never fallen in love with a dirty, beautiful, interesting, ever-changing, multifaceted city, look at it.

I’m not. I love the Pacific Northwest, it’s an incredible place to live, an outstanding place to explore beer. It’s the best place in the entire world to be during Hop Harvest season.

Living on the East side of Los Angeles, just a mile from where Eagle Rock Brewery, Los Angeles first tap-room, put down roots, was a once in a lifetime experience for a beer explorer. I watched as one of the worlds biggest Cities grew a beer scene from non-existent to thriving. I watch the first brew pub go up, breweries move in downtown, tap takeover taking over the city, and I was even a very small part of it.

Sure, I don’t miss the traffic, although it wasn’t really that bad. No, I don’t miss the weather, although there are days when I miss air conditioning, something that only exists in Seattle’s malls and movie theaters. Los Angeles isn’t like Seattle, for better or for worse. And I don’t compare the two. The beer is different, the people are different and the food is different. I don’t compare my friends to one another, I don’t compare a porter to a saison. I love the city I live in when I live in it, no matter how often it rains or how old the breweries are.

Corn and Cotija Beer Cheese Dip

Print Recipe

Ingredients

16 wt oz cream cheese
1 cup IPA beer
5 wt oz cotija cheese divided
½ cup 1.5 wt oz shredded cheddar cheese
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ cup chopped cilantro
2 ears of corn kernels cut off

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Add the cream cheese, beer, half of the cotija, cheddar, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and chili powder to a high powdered blender, blend until smooth.
Add the corn and cilantro, stir to combine.
Add to an oven safe bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining Cotija.
Bake until hot, about 15 minutes.
Serve warm, with chips.

Jackie Dodd-Mallory Senior Editor

Hot Beer Fried Chicken and Pepper Biscuits

Ingredients

For the biscuits:

For the chicken

Instructions

Make the biscuits:

Make the chicken:

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Ingredients

Instructions

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Ingredients

For the cheesecake tart:

For the blackberry layer:

Instructions

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Ingredients

For the sauce:

For the ribs:

Instructions

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Instructions

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Skewers:

Dipping sauce:

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Grilled Pineapple Beer Sangria

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Beer Bread Grilled Beer Cheese Sandwich with Bacon

Ingredients

Instructions

Grilled Stout Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Ingredients

Instructions

Chocolate Stout Frapp-Brew-ccino

Ingredients

Instructions

Beer Brined Lemon Pepper Chicken with Mango Salsa

Ingredients

For the Chicken

For the Mango Salsa

Instructions

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings Ever

Ingredients

Instructions

Crispy Beer Battered Steak House Onion Rings

Ingredients

Instructions

Chocolate Stout & Blackberry Shortcakes

Ingredients

Instructions

Black and Tan Stout Cake

Ingredients

Cake:

Frosting:

Instructions

Bourbon Stout Cherries

Ingredients

Instructions

Corn and Cotija Beer Cheese Dip

Ingredients

Instructions

Jackie Dodd-Mallory
Senior Editor