The Chef-Approved Types Of Beer For Braising Rump Roast

So, you want to braise a rump roast -- good choice, since this muscle-y cut really does best with low and slow cooking and the braising liquid will add some much-needed moisture to the meat. While you could choose to braise in broth, wine, or even water, you must be considering beer as a possibility or else you wouldn't be reading this. As to what type of beer you use, that probably depends in large part on what you've got in your fridge as well as what you're willing to spare. If you're willing to go out and buy beer specifically for braising, though, chef Rich Parente of the Clock Tower Grill in Brewster, New York, (and an owner of Clock Tower Farm, which supplies the restaurant with its pork and lamb) has a few suggestions.

Parente -- who co-owns the restaurant and farm along with his wife, Cassie -- says that his pick for a braising beer would be either an amber ale or a brown brew. As he explains to Mashed, "They're not too hoppy and have a nice toasted, malty, caramel-like flavor to them," which he feels goes nicely with beef. He also characterizes them as versatile, so they won't clash with any vegetables or other sides you plan to serve with your rump roast.

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What Beers Shouldn't You Use?

Unless you can buy just a single bottle of beer instead of a six-pack, perhaps the best rule of thumb when buying beer for cooking is: Don't buy something nobody's going to drink, since you're likely to have leftovers. Even if you do buy just one bottle, you might have a few mouthfuls to finish off -- our own rump roast recipe calls for just a cup of liquid, and Rich Parente says that only 25% of the liquid should be beer. This means that, out of that one bottle, you'll need just 2 ounces for cooking, leaving most of the bottle for you to drink.

That being said, Parente cautions against one type of beer that he feels won't work so well with beef. "I wouldn't recommend using a sour beer to braise rump roast," he explains, because he thinks these are a bit too tart and acidic. While he may not be a fan of sour-tasting beef dishes, if you've always enjoyed sauberbraten (here's our recipe), then you could go ahead and give sour beer a try. An IPA, though, probably won't be such a great choice for cooking rump roast since it's better not to make your beef too bitter.

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