…using your own home brew?
If so, what style did you use and how did it turn out?
I recently bought a smoker and want to also start toying with making my own sauce creatively.
I don’t use it in the actual sauce per se…
But I do smoke a lot of pork shoulders and beef briskets using mustard based sauce… During the last two hours in the smoker, I wrap them up in foil along with some homebrew poured in to keep the meat moist, and it tastes absolutely delicious. I always use a brew that’s not too hoppy (American Ambers work nice, Pilsners are awesome too). Something like an IPA that’s super hopped I don’t think would go too well.
A stout or porter would go really well with a nice smokey tomato based sauce though!
I’ve done it on many occasions using either Scotch Ale and Porter. Both equally good, though with subtle differences. Generally, I think that malt forward beers (or any beer that is not an explosion of hops) work best for this.
In addition to whichever beer is on hand, I used tomato, onion, garlic, Hungarian Sweet Paprika (for a flavor contribution that lesser Spanish Paprikas can’t provide), brown sugar, molasses, a small amount of mustard powder, a very slight whisper of cardamom, and some tamarind. A dash or three of liquid smoke is optional (I don’t use it in mine…I feel it masks some of the flavors).
I’ve started down the BBQ path as well. There is a recipe out there for “pepper stout beef” that is okay. I’ve also thrown some stout or porter in the foil when doing a pork butt to give it a little something.
Damn! now you guys made me hungry(& thirsty) for some smoked meat with homebrew. I’ve smoked my share, but never with brew. Anyone care to share a recipe for pork shoulder or venison straps? I have dry stout, hefe, Czech pils, and cream ale. What about chicken? Never did that in the smoker either. :cheers:
I regularly use beer in my BBQ preparations. Made a dr pepper stout BBQ sauce the other day for some chicken. An ipa is great to braise with — brisket or pork shoulder. I kinda treat it like wine — if it’s good enough to drink its good enough to cook with. Use a bit of common sense though!
Ever have Beer Can Chicken?
Prep the chicken with your favorite rub, then shove a 1/2 full can of beer up the chicken’s cavity. That’s can and all. Stand the chicken in the grill so the chickens legs and the can let it stand like a tripod. About 1 - 1.5 hrs on the grill using indirect heat. A smoker should work nicely too.
I often use a smoked amber ale that I made awhile ago that was WAY too smoky. Works perfect for injections or braising. I will also add a little to BBQ sauce.
Ever have Beer Can Chicken?
Prep the chicken with your favorite rub, then shove a 1/2 full can of beer up the chicken’s cavity. That’s can and all. Stand the chicken in the grill so the chickens legs and the can let it stand like a tripod. About 1 - 1.5 hrs on the grill using indirect heat. A smoker should work nicely too.[/quote]
Beer can is great, but I have heard that a lot of the ink they use in can graphics is pretty harmful to us people. They (of course) now sell stainless steel beer can chicken infusers.
I luurrve making my own bbq sauce, my brother turned me on to it after he worked in a Texas BBQ place in college. While texas bbq doesn’t traditionally use a mop sauce (more of a KC thing), he did learn some great basics.
-For a real simple one, dress up some ketchup with molasses, maple syrup, hot sauce, worcestershire, etc.
-if you really want to get dirty, try toasting (low heat, no oil) some dried guajillo, ancho, and chipotle peppers in a shallow pan until fragrant. Take them out, then simmer 20-25 minutes with minced onion, garlic, and a bay leaf until the liquid has reduced by half in equal parts beer* and cider vinegar. Cool it a bit if your blender needs it, then blend the whole thing on high. This will add the heat/smokiness to your sauce. You can simmer the peppers separate if you really want to control the heat, but the onion, garlic and bay leaf are key. You can keep this delicious mixture in the freezer for a long time. Add this to the basics: ketchup (some go straight from tomato sauce, but ketchup works better IMO), molasses, brown sugar, worcestershire.
*ok, now to answer your actual question. The common wisdom is that for cooking, the less hoppy the beer the better, because the flavors will concentrate. Scottish, porters, kolsch’s, bocks, cream ales, blonde ales, some ambers, etc. are all great to cook with. However, I have found that the RIGHT hoppy beer (such as Anchor Steam, or even something like Ithaca Flower Power IPA) can add an awesome complexity to sauces, braises, and other foods. The IBU’s can be there, but you basically just don’t want an overly bitter beer…blending or cutting with some stock or water isn’t a bad idea either.
I make a Scottish 80/- every year now, not because I like to drink it (its a great style, but just not my bag), but more to cook with. It has virtually no hops in it, it is very cheap to make (pale 2-row, about 3oz of roast malt), its a great way to grow up some neutral ale yeast for a bigger batch, AND its great to cook with. Malty beyond belief.
Happy bbq’in’! Now if Friday would only get here…
Porter, Brown, & Rauchbier are what I usually use when cooking something heavy.
ie, chili, pork shoulder, venison stew, BBQ sauce, baked beans
Also, I have saved some unhopped preboil wort for the purpose too. It works great for sauces when reduced down some. It will provide a nice maltiness, and sweetness to the sauce, without adding bitterness like reduced beer will.
I will use homebrew in the water pan of my smoker. Generally it’s a CDA / IDA / Black IPA I made a ways back that failed as something to drink (too much diacytil and stuck fermentation) but works great as a marinade and for that.
I haven’t made a beer bbq sauce, but I did make a Dr Pepper one last week that came out pretty good - going to use some chipotle peppers next time to get a bit of heat and flavor in there.
I make my own Barbecue sauce. Using BBQ sauce out of a bottle is tantamount to using Ragu on spaghetti.
I have never put homebrew in it though… but this week’s batch, I just might.
Always great info from Sean Paxton as well. A few decent podcasts by him over on the BN as well.
http://www.homebrewchef.com/