Yes, beer commercials often show a summertime scene with bikini-clad ladies and men with permanent five o'clock shadows cracking a cold one, but the cold one can be enjoyed during the cold weather. Fall and winter are great seasons to discover hearty stouts, spiced ciders or pumpkin-flavored ales.
As the old kitchen saying goes, "one for the pot and one for the cook." Here are some recipes to make using cold-weather beer choices (and no one will blame you for taking a little pull before adding the liquid to the mix).
Cheddar, Beer and Pumpkin Cheese Dip adapted from Betty Crocker
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4
Ingredients
1 cup dark beer (try Saranac Black Forest or pump up the pumpkin flavor with Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale)
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 rounded tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 tablespoon coarse-grained mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
Directions
In 2-quart saucepan, start heating the beer over medium heat.
While you're waiting, toss cheese and flour in a medium-sized bowl.
When the beer starts to simmer, add cheese and flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, whisking after each, until the cheese is melted. Then, add pumpkin, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and salt. Whisk until smooth.
Feel free to use a few dashes of hot sauce or substitute pepper jack for the sharp cheddar.
Serve the dip with bread cubes, sliced apples or home-baked pretzels like the ones we featured for Oktoberfest.
Beer Can Chicken adapted from Guy Fieri
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 4
Ingredients
1 (2 to 3-pound) whole chicken
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
12-ounces beer (try Saranac Pale Ale)
Directions
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Rub half of the ingredients on the inside cavity of chicken. Peel the skin away from the chicken and rub the remaining mixture into the meat. Open your beer can and pour out (or drink) about 1/2 cup. Drop the smashed garlic cloves into the beer can.
Place the chicken, open end down, over the beer can to insert the beer into the cavity. Put the chicken, standing up, in a large sauté pan.
The chicken goes in the oven for 10 minutes, before you lower the temperature to 325 degrees and cook for another hour.
The internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh should reach 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.
Variations: You can add some chopped garlic to the beer before stuffing it in the bird's cavity and even give your bird a bacon "scarf" by draping a half pound of bacon over the chicken before baking. You can even grill the chicken if you are feeling nostalgic for summer.
Beer-Battered Apple and Onion Rings by Giada De Laurentiis
Prep Time 8 minutes
Total Time 23 minutes
Servings 4 to 6
Ingredients
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 egg white
1 cup dark beer (try Goose Island Bourbon County Stout or go lighter with Breckenridge Brewery Autumn Ale)
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1 large onion, with ends trimmed and skin removed
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
Salted Cinnamon Sugar (see following)
Salted Cinnamon Sugar:
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
Pour two inches of oil in a medium saucepan. Heat the oil over medium heat. If you're using a deep-fry thermometer, the temperature should reach 375 degrees.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy. Stir in the beer. Then, add flour and salt. Mix until smooth. Set it aside - this is your batter.
Cut the onion into half-inch slices and break up into rings. Slice the apple into five rings each and pat dry with paper towels.
Dip the apples slices into the batter and allow any excess to drip off. Fry for one to two minutes each side until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, take the fried apple rings out of the oil and place on paper towels to drain. Repeat the process with the onion rings.
To serve, sprinkle the onion rings with salt and the apple rings with the Salted Cinnamon Sugar. Serve immediately for optimal deliciousness.
Salted Cinnamon Sugar:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Done.
Hard Cider Pulled Pork by allrecipes.com
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 10
4 pounds pork picnic roast
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
12 ounces hard cider (For some must-try ciders, check out HNGN's Coveted list from Oct. 22)
1/4 all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cold water
Directions
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
Score the fat layer on the pork shoulder by making shallow cuts in a diamond pattern. Spread the garlic, parsley, sage rosemary, and thyme over pork. Put the pork in a large roasting pan, fat side up. Pour the bottle of cider over the pork.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes per pound. For four pounds of roast, an hour and 40 minutes should do the trick. The final internal temperature should be 160 degrees, so you can remove the roast when the thermometer reads 155 degrees.
Transfer the pork to a large platter and remove any large pieces of fat and skin. Pour pan drippings into a separate pot.
Shred the pork and put it back in the roasting pan.
Then, get a bowl and whisk the flour into the water.
Bring the drippings you left in the sauce pan to a boil and stir in the flour mixture. Keep cooking (and stirring) until the gravy is thickened, about 5 minutes. Pour the gravy over the shredded pork and serve.
