pizza

Grilled BBQ Beer Chicken and Apricot Flatbreads

 

Grilled BBQ Beer Chicken and Apricot Flatbreads

Let’s say you and I get into it over pizza. We hash it out over the best pizza we’ve ever had. We talk about Naples, and LA, and both agree that New York beats Chicago, unless you want a casserole, then Chicago pizza will do.

And then I tell you that the best Ray’s pizza in New York is the one at 4th and Houston, to which (if you’re a New Yorker) you recoiler in horror that I’ve chosen said Ray’s instead of one of the 147 other Ray’s in Manhattan.

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We finally just agree to get a beer and pizza and call it a day. Nowhere in our spirited conversation do we mention Seattle. Because the thing about Seattle is that beer is world class, so is the coffee and the produce can’t be beat, but the pizza…

We’ll just talk about the beer and the coffee and the produce and leave talk of the pizza out of it shall we? Similar to a discussion of the best people in the world named Joe wouldn’t include talk of either Buttafuoco or Francis. Let’s just stick to the good stuff.

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Of course I have a theory about this. The same water that makes the beer fantastic and coffee legendary isn’t so kind with the pizza dough. But here is the thing about baking your pizza dough with beer, wherever you go in the world, your dough will be the same.

Water is for the weak, switch to beer and your pizza dough will become the stuff of folklore.

It might even be brought up in the New York vs Chicago debate.

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Grilled BBQ Beer Chicken and Apricot Flatbreads

Yield: 4 (6-inch) flatbreads

Ingredients

    Crust:
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1 1/8 tsp rapid rise yeast
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½ cup wheat beer or pale ale
  • 2 tbs oil
  • ½ tsp salt
    • Chicken:
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 cup wheat beer or pale ale
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp chili powder
  • ¼ tsp cumin
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • oil for the grill
    • Topping:
  • Stout and Sriracha BBQ Sauce
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ¼ tsp cilantro, chopped
  • 2 apricots, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup red onion, chopped

Directions

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast and sugar. Mix until combined.
  2. In a microwave safe bowl add the beer. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperature with a cooking thermometer and repeat until temperature reaches between 120 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. Add the beer to the stand mixer and mix on medium speed. Once most of the dough has been moistened, add the oil and salt while the mixer is still running.
  4. Turn speed to high and beat until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
  5. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Allow to sit in a warm room until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
  6. Remove from bowl and add to a lightly floured surface. Knead several times, cut into 4 equal sized pieces. Form each piece into 6 inch circles.
  7. While the dough is rising, make the chicken. Place the chicken in a bowl, cover with 1 cup beer. Chill for 30 to 60 minutes. Remove from beer, rinse and pat dry.
  8. Preheat the grill.
  9. In a small bowl combine the onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin and salt.
  10. Sprinkle chicken on all sides with spice mixture.
  11. Grill chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
  12. Remove from grill, slice.
  13. Oil the grill (alternately, you can oil the flatbreads). Grill one side of the flatbread until grill marks appear, about 2 minutes, flip and very lightly grill the other side, about 30 seconds, remove from grill. Place the flatbreads on a flat surface with the well grilled side facing up. Top with barbeque sauce, cheese, chicken, sliced apricots, cilantro, and onions. Place back on the grill, close over, cook until cheese has melted.
http://thebeeroness.com/2014/06/18/grilled-bbq-beer-chicken-apricot-flatbreads/

My recipe for Stout & Sriracha BBQ Sauce, you have to make it.

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Beer Carnitas Pizza

 

Beer carnitas pizza

When I was kid Mexican Pizza involved ice burg lettuce and cheap ground beef. Possibly the perfect example of how neither Mexican food or pizza were given proper credit for the potential they had to compete in the Fine Food arena. They were both disregarded as low brow for far too long, but then again, so was beer. It took America awhile to see what Mozza did for pizza, what Rick Bayless did for Mexican food and what the craft beer industry as a whole did for beer.

It’s good thing we all woke up to the fact that we need to up our pizza night game. It’s a win for all of us.

Plus, it goes better with the good beer we’re now drinking.

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I use this Beer Pizza Dough recipe, unless I fail to plan ahead, then I use this One Hour Beer Pizza Dough recipe.

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Beer Carnitas Pizza

Ingredients

  • 4 lb pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 5 inches pieces
  • 1 tbs kosher salt
  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 1 cup IPA
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • pinch cayenne
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1 lb pizza dough
  • 1 cup black beans
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar
  • ½ cup shredded mozzarella
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • ½ cup chopped tomatoes
  • ¼ cup Mexican Crema

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325.
  2. Sprinkle the meat all over with the salt. Add to a shallow dish, cover and refrigerate for 12 hours and up to 3 days (if you skip this step make sure to salt the meat well before proceeding).
  3. In a large Dutch oven, or roasting pan over two burners, heat the olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the meat and cook on all sides until very well browned, working in batches if necessary. Remove the meat and allow to drain on a stack of paper towels.
  4. Pour the beer into the pan, scraping to deglaze the bottom, turn off heat. Add the water, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, and smoked paprika. Add the meat back in the pot.
  5. Bake uncovered at 325 until falling apart, about 3-4 hours. Pull into bite sized pieces using a fork.
  6. Add a pizza stone to the oven, increase heat to 425.
  7. In a food processor add the black beans, olive oil and chipotle pepper, process until well combined.
  8. On a lightly floured surface roll out the pizza dough, transfer to a pizza peel that has been well covered with corn meal.
  9. Spread the black bean puree over the pizza in an even layer.
  10. Top with cheese, then carnitas (you will have more than enough, save the remaining meat). Transfer to the pizza stone, bake at 425 until the crust is golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.
  11. Remove from oven, top with tomatoes, cilantro and crema.
http://thebeeroness.com/2014/01/06/beer-carnitas-pizza/

Adapted from David Leovitz Carnitas, and Spike Mendelsohn Mexican Pizza

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One Hour Rosemary Beer Pizza Dough

 

One hour rosemary beer pizza dough

I’m a firm believer that the best pizza dough takes at least 24 hours.

I’m also a firm believer that most of us don’t usually have that type of forethought. At least it’s a rare occurrence for me.

I started making this pita bread dough when I wanted to make a day-of pizza, which morphed into this recipe for one hour pizza dough. Which these days gets cooked on the grill as often as in the oven. Grilled pizza is my new first love of outdoor cooking, especially when topped with grilled vegetables and carne asada. So far I haven’t found the restraint to stop eating long enough to photograph such a pizza creation, so no blog posts have been created for that tasty little guy.

But I did manage to get a few hasty pictures of this oven cooked pizza, just look at those glorious bubbles.Pretty damn good for one hour, grilled or oven cooked, it’s my new go-to for pizza nights.

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One Hour Rosemary Beer Pizza Dough

Yield: 1 lbs pizza dough

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups bread flour
  • 1 envelope rapid rise yeast
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
  • ¾ cup wheat beer or pale ale
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ cup olive oil

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast, garlic powder and rosemary.
  2. Mix until combined. In a microwave safe bowl add the beer. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperature with a cooking thermometer and repeat until temperature reaches between 120 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. Add the beer to the stand mixer and mix on medium speed. Once most of the flour has been moistened, slowly add the salt and oil while the mixer is still running.
  4. Turn speed to high and beat until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Allow to sit in a warm room until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
  5. Cook as desired.
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http://thebeeroness.com/2013/05/31/one-hour-rosemary-beer-pizza-dough/

 

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