Spike Your Meats with Beer for Father’s Day
If there’s one thing that dads seem to love, universally, it’s meat. Following closely in second place would be beer (or maybe beer comes first if he’s a vegetarian or other type of meat abstainer). So a lager-filled barbecue is a no-brainer for the ideal (if obvious) Father’s Day celebration. But if Dad isn’t aware of the magically transformative powers of beer in cooking, you just might knock his socks off by braising some meats in his favorite brew.
Beer Can Chicken
Beer can chicken is the sort of classic you might not think to serve when Dad’s got steak on the brain. But trust that he won’t be disappointed by the incredibly moist, crackly-skinned chicken that results from this silly-looking yet effective cooking technique.
Beer-Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak
If it’s steak he’s after, don’t worry — beef benefits greatly from a soak in some suds. Marcela’s recipe calls for skirt steak to be marinated with oranges, onion, garlic, light-colored beer and soy sauce for at least an hour (or up to overnight). The combination of recommended lager and citrus slices adds brightness to contrast with the richness of the meat and the tang of the soy sauce.
RELATED: 28 Top Father’s Day Recipes
New Orleans-Style Baby Back Beer Ribs
These ribs are poached in a mixture of chicken stock, beer and bay leaves to infuse them with moisture and deep flavor before they’re smoked for two hours. A complex spicy-sweet sauce with three types of chiles complements the smoky, savory meat.
Texas BBQ Braised Beef Brisket
Brisket is the perfect meat for barbecuing, as it requires (and greatly benefits from) low-and-slow cooking. In the almost four hours that the beef cooks on the grill, the rich sauce of tomato puree, beer, vinegar, sugar and mustard infuses the meat with sweet, tangy flavor while helping to tenderize it.
Ingredients
Rub:
¼ cup sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, plus additional for seasoning
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (5 to 6-pound) piece beef brisket, preferably point cut, fat trimmed
6 cups wood chips, preferably hickory or mesquite
Braising Sauce:
1 (28-ounce) can tomato puree
12 ounces lager or amber beer
2 ribs celery, minced
1 medium onion, minced
¾ cup cider vinegar
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup yellow mustard
5 thick slices bacon, coarsely chopped (about 6 ounces)
10 cloves garlic, minced
4 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
3 ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper
4 cups water
Braising Sauce:
1 (28-ounce) can tomato puree
12 ounces lager or amber beer
2 ribs celery, minced
1 medium onion, minced
¾ cup cider vinegar
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup yellow mustard
5 thick slices bacon, coarsely chopped (about 6 ounces)
10 cloves garlic, minced
4 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
3 ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
For the rub: Mix the paprika, 1 tablespoon each of salt and black pepper, the brown sugar, and the cayenne. Rub spice mixture all over brisket, wrap tightly, and refrigerate overnight.
Soak the wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling. Prepare an outdoor grill with a medium to medium-low fire for indirect grilling.
For the sauce: Mix the tomato puree, beer, celery, onion, ½ cup of the vinegar, the brown sugar, mustard, bacon, garlic, chiles, bay leaves, chili powder, 1 tablespoon salt, and black pepper to taste in a large disposable aluminum pan. Put brisket in the sauce.
Throw a handful of drained wood chips on the hot coals, put the pan over the cooler side of the grill, and cover so the vent holes are directly over the brisket. Baste meat every 30 minutes, turning occasionally and adding water to the pan as necessary to keep meat partially submerged, until the meat is tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 200 degrees F, about 3 ¾ hours. Replenish the charcoal as needed to maintain a medium to medium-low fire.
Transfer the brisket to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes. Skim the fat from the braising sauce and stir in the remaining ¼ cup cider vinegar and salt to taste. Reheat if necessary. Thinly slice brisket across the grain and arrange on a serving platter. Spoon some sauce over the meat and pass the rest at the table.
Know-How: There are lots of wood chips to choose from. We like the stronger, traditional flavor that hickory or mesquite gives to this dish. Fruit woods such as apple and cherry are delicious with milder meats, such as pork, poultry, or fish. Chips also come in different sizes-either chunks or bits. The chunks don’t require soaking and produce a big blast of fast-burning smoke. The bits, which do require soaking, produce smoldering smoke.
From Food Network Kitchens Get Grilling, Meredith, 2005
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Beer-Braised BBQ Pork Butt
This pulled pork starts out cooking at high heat in the oven until it’s dark and even a bit blackened on the outside. Once the crust is formed, lower the heat to slowly braise the pork in an ale that will cut through the meat’s rich, fatty flavor (and ensure tenderness all the while).
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