Cooking with Rauchbier

Cooking with beer is far from a novel idea. In fact, I would contend that it is an essential skill in masculine cookery. But the use of beer in the kitchen extends far beyond dumping a Coors your chili. Selecting the proper brew for the dish takes some thought and can be a rather nuanced art (since I mentioned it, chili calls for an amber/red ale, along the lines of Leinenkugel's Red, Smithwick's, etc). I could ramble on about what styles are good for what, but my focus here is rauchbier, or smoked beer.

Rauchbier is simply German for “smoked beer.” It sounds more sophisticated for some reason to say it auf Deutsch, though I suppose it is more appropriate to only apply it to truly German examples. The style originates in Bamberg, where maltsters traditionally kilned freshly-malted barley over smoky beechwood fires. More recently, smoked beers have found an audience among craft beer enthusiasts and are becoming much less obscure. Try an Alaskan Smoked Porter if you get a chance. The rich smoked character of these beers makes them excellent for use in cooking certain meats. I like to use a good rauch/smoked to cook pork “boneless ribs” (actually a strange transverse cut that largely includes loin). My procedure follows. Apologies to the recipe-oriented: I tend not to measure anything.

My two main ingredients are pork boneless ribs and a bottle of smoked Scottish ale I brewed recently. Combine these in a pot, add a splash of apple cider vinegar and some cayenne pepper. Cover and let marinade for at least an hour (beer, by the way, is on the acidic side, so is good for tenderizing meat), longer if you can stand it.

Boneless ribs need boiled to avoid toughness, so just boil it right in the marinade. This will also facilitate the absorption of more smoky beer goodness. Boil for a while, say 20 minutes, then transfer to a baking dish. I usually put a few rings of onion on top of them, cover with foil, then place in a 425 degree oven. 20-30 minutes will do it. This can, of course, be done on a grill as well, in which case it might be wise to reserve some beer as a mop. Either way, while the meat is cooking, continue to boil the marinade. Rauchbier reductions make an amazing sauce. Add a small bit of mustard to it, a little bit of garlic salt. Just keep boiling until it's reduced and thick. If you're adventurous, I've included pureed habañeros in the sauce with great success. When the meat is done, let it rest for a while (you'll probably still be making the reduction anyway). Then plate and spoon some of the sauce over it. Pair this dish with, yes, a smoked beer.

For curious homebrewers, here are the ingredients for the smoked Scottish ale (though I'm too lazy to look up the amounts in my notes): Cherry-smoked malt, Golden Promise malt, 120L crystal malt, carapils, debittered black malt; glacier hops; wyeast Scottish Ale yeast.