Love beer?! Love food?! Why not love them together?!
More and more people are now pairing beer and food…just like we have been pairing wine and food for many years. The right beer paired with the right meal can definitely create a memorable experience. Another way to love them together is to use beer as an ingredient in your meals!
Why beer?
Beer can add a richness and earthiness that can make your meals pop with flavor. With so many different styles to pick from, it’s fun to experiment and see how different beers add different flavors to your meals. When it comes to cooking with beer, the hops and malt provide much of the aroma, flavor, bitterness and sweetness. There are many ways you can use beer in your cooking…just a few examples include brines, marinades, soups, slow cooker meals, dressings, condiments, jams & jellies…even desserts and cakes!
Good to know…
While beer can significantly enhance the flavor profile of a meal, you can also end up with some “not-so-pleasant” results. If you are cooking with an IPA (India Pale Ale) loaded with bitter hops, the cooking process can cook off the aroma and magnify the bitter flavor of the hops, which may not be the result you hoped for. However, this same IPA may be a fantastic choice to add flavor at the end of the cooking process or to use in a “raw form” such as a salad dressing. It is also important to recognize that not all IPAs are the same and not all have that “heavy or hoppy” taste…experimenting to find what you like is part of the fun!
Tips when cooking with beer:
Use a good beer with good flavor. Many of the mass-produced beers don’t contain as much flavor. Instead, choose a craft beer, which has rich flavors that complement the fresh, local in-season ingredients you are hopefully using in your cooking.- One very important rule to remember…if you don’t enjoy drinking it, don’t cook with it! If you don’t like the way it tastes in a glass, chances are you won’t like the way it tastes in your meal!
- Don’t overdo it. Beer should subtly enhance the flavor of your food. It shouldn’t overpower the meal. When you heat the beer, the flavor will intensify as the liquid reduces. This also means that a bitter beer will become even more bitter as it cooks.
- Use the right type of beer. This is somewhat subjective, so we encourage experimentation! However, there are a few things to be aware of. A bitter IPA will become more bitter when it is reduced. Be aware, a stout and some darker Irish beers are likely to contain more sugar and can burn more easily in certain dishes. For example, if you are caramelizing onions with beer (which is a fantastic option), an IPA or stout may not be the best choice. Instead, a brown ale may be the perfect choice. Try to match your beer and ingredient flavors…an IPA can be a great choice with citrus flavors, a Belgian-style is a great option for spicy dishes and a stout goes great with braised and slow-cooked meats. It can also bring out the flavor in shellfish, stews and rich desserts. Wheat beers can go with spicier flavors and complement grilled meats. Porters work well in stews…and lagers, such as Pilsners, complement grilled sausage, Asian flavors and some fish.
- Sour?! Yes, sour beers pair great with food! They pair very well with both spicy and rich dishes…and they go great with cheese and charcuterie boards. They make a great substitute for vinegar when deglazing pans and can be added at the end of the cooking process to lighten up a dish.
Marinate! Including a beer in your marinade tenderizes your meat and also helps it draw in the beer’s flavor. Marinating vegetables also produces tender, flavorful side dishes and entrees! Try the Guinness Marinated Bison Steak Sandwiches, Marinated Jamaican Jerk Wings or the Beer Marinated Grilled Mushrooms.- Slow cooker! Beer is a great addition to a slow cooker meal, especially since slow cooking can help break down the bitterness. A few delicious options include the Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Tacos with Blue Cheese Coleslaw, Slow Cooker Thai Pork Sandwiches, Crockpot Beer Braised Chicken and the Slow Cooker Chipotle Veggie Chili.
- Room temp! While an ice-cold beer is great for drinking, beer works best as an ingredient at room temperature. This is not required, but can make a difference.
- Sweetness for balance! Adding something sweet, such as honey or other natural sweeteners, can help balance out the bitterness. For example, Travis Russell, the extremely talented chef and owner at Public at the Brickyard in Wichita, Kansas, drizzles their chicken and waffles with a reduction using stout beer and maple syrup.
What about the alcohol?
If you are worried about the alcohol content, it shouldn’t be a concern in most cases. First, beer generally has less alcohol by volume than wine or liquors. Also, alcohol has an evaporation point of 173 degrees Fahrenheit, so most of the alcohol will burn off at that temperature, especially with longer cooking times. In some cases, not all of the alcohol will be cooked out; however the small amount that remains isn’t significant. Of course, alcohol remains in any “raw” applications…just warn people when you think it is appropriate.
Beer is an excellent…and under-appreciated…ingredient in the kitchen! As Chef Travis says, “consider beer just another cooking tool, like you would a variety of vinegars…just go for it and try it!”
Experimenting can be fun — here are more delicious recipes!
Beer Marinated Rosemary Potatoes
Brown Ale Risotto with Sausage and Spinach
Sweet and Spicy Brussels Sprouts
Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew
Cod with Tomato & Caramelized Fennel
What beer would you recommend for the Steak and Sausage Beer Chili? I’m thinking of making it when Amelia and Chris are here this weekend.
Thank you for asking! Great choice, this chili is one of our favorites! We used a winter lager in this recipe, but any dark fuller bodied beer would work great. Hope that helps and remember, if you like to drink it, you will enjoy it in the recipe too!