Stout Burgers with IPA Glazed Onions & Smoky Pale Ale Cheese Sauce

This is a totally beerific burger!  I combined several yummy beer infused recipes and the end result was intoxicatingly delicious!  Not really intoxicating despite all the beer used in the recipe.  But super tasty, for sure!

The beer makes the burgers incredible moist and juicy.  Have a pile of napkins ready!

I used Saranac Imperial Stout.  It is a well rounded stout that adds nice flavor to the meat without overpowering the other ingredients.  

Stout Burgers 
With IPA Glazed Onions & Smoky Pale Ale Cheese Sauce

1 Pound Ground Beef
2 Tbsp Onion, Finely Chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
1/4 Cup Stout

2 Kaiser Rolls
1 Cup Smoky Pale Ale Cheese Sauce (Recipe here)
1 Cup IPA Glazed Onions (Recipe here)  

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef with all ingredients in list up to and including the stout.  Mix gently but thoroughly.  Try not to work the meat more than necessary as it will make the burgers tough.

Gently form into two patties.

Grill burgers to desired temperature.  

Place burgers on the rolls.  Top with the beer glazed onions and cheese sauce.

Enjoy

Note:  I make these burgers really big.  You could get away with making this same recipe into four smaller burgers, if you want to.  Although, I can't imagine why you would.  ☺

IPA Glazed Onions

Tangy onions glazed with the sweetness of sugar with a bite of an IPA.  It makes for a wonderful contrast of flavors that compliments steaks, chops or burgers.  These would be great in an omelet or mixed roasted potatoes.  The possibilities are endless!  And delicious!

I chose Harpoon IPA for this recipe.  Harpoon is a nice balanced beer; not too bitter so it won't overwhelm the other flavors.  







IPA Glazed Onions

1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Large Onion 
1 Cup IPA Beer
1 Teaspoon Raw Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

Slice the onions very thin.

Melt the butter in medium sized skillet over medium-high heat. 

Add the onions and saute.  Stir occasionally.  Cook for about 5 minutes until they begin to brown.

Stir in the salt and sugar.  Then pour in 3/4 cup of beer.

Continue cooking until all the beer has been absorbed by the onions and they begin to brown slightly, about 18 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 cup beer and bring to a simmer. Keep onions warm until ready to use.

Nut Brown Ale Brussels Sprouts

I've discovered that when I'm cooking with beer that it enhances the flavor of just about everything.  

I'm a big fan of tenderizing and flavorizing meat with beer.  I like veggies too, and it does remarkable things for them, as well.

These Brussels sprouts are tender and tasty.  An excellent side dish or chopped up in a salad.

For this recipe I used a bottle of my husband's homebrew, but you can use whatever beer you like best.

Nut Brown Ale Brussels Sprouts

1 Pound Fresh Brussels Sprouts 
12 Ounce Bottle Nut Brown Ale
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper


Place washed and trimmed in a medium saucepan.

Pour beer over Brussels sprouts.  One bottle should be enough to cover 1 pound.

Bring beer to a boil.  Be careful, it will boil over.

Put a lid on the pan, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Drain.  Return to pan, stir in butter.  Season with salt and fresh ground pepper.

Firewater Friday - Strawberry Hefeweizen Shandy

This is a bright refreshing beer cocktail that mixes the tartness of lemonade, the sweetness of strawberries with the wheatiness of a good summer wheat beer.  

The perfect refresher for a hot summer day.

Strawberry Hefeweizen Shandy


2 Ounces Homemade Fizzy Lemonade (recipe below)
2 Ounces Strawberry Infused Vodka Liquor (recipe below)
12 Ounces Hefeweizen 

Pour lemonade and strawberry vodka into a 16 ounce glass.

Slowly, add the beer to the glass. I used Two Roads No Limits Hefeweizen.

Stir gently and serve.  







Homemade Fizzy Lemonade

1/2 Cup Raw Sugar 
1/2 Cup water 
1/2 Cup Lemon Juice
2 Cups Plain Seltzer (to dilute)

Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.

While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer to extract the juice from 4 small lemons, enough for 1/2 cup of juice.

Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add 2 cups of cold seltzer. 



Strawberry Infused Vodka Liquor

Take 2 cups of fresh clean strawberries, hulled and cut in half and put into a clean 1 quart jar   The stawberries should fill the jar halfway. Next pour in the vodka to the top leaving about a half inch of headspace.  

Place cool, dark place. Give the jar a little shake once a day.  

After a couple days you will notice that the strawberries are being leeched of color and turning a sickly albino white.  Don't panic, this is normal.  All the color and flavor is going into the vodka.

In a week strain the solids from the liquid.  You will end up with a wonderful strawberry flavored vodka that is a beautiful red color.

Mix it with a cooled simple syrup - 1/2 cup raw sugar dissolved into a 1/2 cup boiling water. 

Mix 1 part infused vodka to a 1/2 part of the simple syrup.  

Smoky Pale Ale Cheese Sauce

This beer cheese is rich and flavorful.  There a little texture and spiciness that comes from the Guinness Mustard, you can tone that down by adding a little less or using a milder mustard.  The pale ale adds a hint of bitterness that is just lovely.

I used this as a topper for a burger but it would be perfect as a fondue to dip crusty bread or vegetables in.


Yum!





Smoky Pale Ale Cheese Sauce

3 Cloves Garlic
1 Cup Pale Ale
2 Cups Smoked Gouda, Shredded
2 Teaspoons Cornstarch
2 Teaspoons Guinness Mustard


Smash the garlic with the bottom of a glass or a flat knife and rub the bottom of a heavy saucepan with the cloves. Leave the cloves in the bottom of the pan and pour the beer over them.  Bring the beer a boil over high heat.

In a small bowl, toss the shredded cheese with the cornstarch to coat.  

Once the beer has come to a boil, stir in the cheese.  Bring back to a boil then reduce the heat.

The sauce should be thickening up, at this point.  

Stir in the mustard.  Add salt and pepper, if desired.  

Continue stirring as the cheese sauce simmers and reaches desired consistency, about 5 minutes.

Beer Brined Grilled Pork Chops

Beer tenderizes the pork chops and adds subtle flavor.  The brine creates a salty sweet taste that perfectly compliments the flavor of the meat.

Yum!

Beer Brined Grilled Pork Chops

2 Cups Water 

1 12-Ounce Bottle Red Ale

1/4 Cup Kosher Salt 

3 Tablespoons Packed Light Brown Sugar 

2 Tablespoons Dark Molasses 

2 Tablespoons Honey

1 Cup Ice Cubes 

6 Thick Center-Cut Bone-In Pork Chops 

Seasoned Salt ( I use Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning)

Combine water, beer, salt, sugar, molasses and honey in large bowl. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Stir in ice. Place pork chops in large resealable plastic bag. Pour beer brine over pork chops; seal bag. Refrigerate 4 hours, turning bag occasionally. 

Preheat grill to a medium high heat.  

Remove pork chops from beer brine.   Sprinkle with seasoned salt.  

Grill pork chops for approximately about 10 minutes per side or until no longer pink inside.

Transfer to a plate, cover with foil and allow to rest for about five minutes before serving.