Beer Meets Meat
All across America, clouds of smoke are rising from backyards, patios and balconies. When you’re close enough to hear the sizzle, you’ll recognize the work of ardent grill cooks.
“Ardent” isn’t too strong a word to describe the 65 percent of Americans who grill year round — even in cold weather. Almost 90 percent of all Americans own some kind of grill, be it gas, wood-fired or electric. Grilling food is obviously addictive. And it’s even better when you grill with beer.
“Grilling with beer?” you say. “That’s with a pint in one hand and tongs in the other!” Actually, it’s more than that: I use beer as the key ingredient in many mops, marinades and barbecue sauces. It adds terrific flavor and helps keep the food moist.
It doesn’t take much time to add the flavor of beer to food. Chefs recommend bringing meats to room temperature before grilling, to ensure even cooking. I do so by plunking the food into a zip-close gallon-sized plastic bag or a deep stainless steel dish, and covering it with my beer-based marinade. In an hour (or less, for chicken, fish and vegetables), the flavor of the sauce will set without making the main course mushy.
Yes, mush is the result of over-marinating meats, especially tender cuts of beef or pork loin, chicken and fish filets. The typical plant enzymes and acids that are often used in a marinade — like vinegar, wine, pineapple or citrus juices — breaks down the surface texture of the protein. Beer is less acidic than any of these, but the hops may make the food a bit bitter. So don’t marinate entrees for longer than two hours, thinking that the beer flavor will intensify. Better to reserve a quarter to a half-cup of the marinade mixture before steeping, and brush it on during the last 10 minutes of cooking to keep the beer flavor fresh. Very tough or bony cuts of meat, such as chicken wings, shanks, briskets and ribs, can marinate a little longer without turning mushy.
Marinades with oil also help keep food from sticking on the grill, or drying out under the high heat. I set aside a quarter-cup of the mixed marinade before adding raw food, just to have extra for basting moisture into the food during grilling. Never baste cooked items with marinade that has covered raw chicken, fish or meat. The risk of food-borne illness is too great.
Homebrewers have a secret advantage when it comes to brewing up a batch of beer-based barbecue sauce: unhopped malt extracts. Plain malt extracts can replace molasses or honey as a sweetener in a sauce or marinade, with the plus that malt retains its flavor stability during grilling. “Malt extracts won’t brown as quickly as pure sucrose, so that rich malt flavor won’t cook off at high temperatures,” says Suzanne Stoeger-Moore, director of food sales for Briess Malts in Chilton, Wisconsin. A tablespoon or two of rich caramel malt extract will do the trick.
According to Jim Tarantino, author of “Marinades” (Crossing Press, $14.95), the basic equation for a marinade is: oil + acid + aromatics + sweetener = marinade. In the case of beer-based sauces, I use one-quarter cup of olive oil or peanut oil for every 12 ounces of beer, plus spices, herbs, vegetables, even fruit. For example, a great marinade for fish starts with a light pilsner and olive oil, blended with lemon zest, diced ripe mango, a tablespoon of malt extract, several sprigs of summer savory, and a bit of salt and pink peppercorns. Just 30 minutes in this beer bath will make plain cod taste wonderful.
When grilling or roasting any kind of meat, be sure you have the right equipment for the task. Today’s leaner meats require careful attention to prevent overcooking. Just five minutes spent searching for your tongs can be the difference between a delicious — or a dried-out — dinner. To be an efficient grill cook, equip yourself with these basics: a working grill, fuel and a means to light it, pot holders, long-handled brushes and tongs, a meat thermometer and some sort of fire extinguisher, even if it’s just a bucket of sand or a spray bottle filled with water.
Whether you use an elegant gas grill or a humble hibachi, one requirement is constant: safety. Place your grill out of the way of children, pets, doors, stairs or other high-traffic areas. If it’s a windy day, choose a spot that won’t blow billows of smoke into the grill cook’s face. Set up a side table to hold platters, spices and other miscellany at the ready.
Here are some recipes to get you started with grilling with beer.
Malty Mango Marinade
This piquant blend of fresh mango, pureed with pilsner, lemon zest and herbs, adds flavor and moisture to white, bland fish such as cod or haddock. Punch up the seasonings if using this marinade with a more robust, oily fish such as bluefish or shark.
1/4 cup olive oil
12 ounces lager
1 teaspoon minced lemon zest
1/2 cup diced mango
2 teaspoons minced summer savory (fresh)
1/2 teaspoon pink peppercorns
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon caramel malt extract
1 teaspoon minced green scallion tops or chives (fresh)
Blend all ingredients in a blender. Pour over fish placed in a glass or other nonreactive dish. Let the fish marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning filets once. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until fish flesh is opaque throughout and golden on the surface. Serve immediately.
Flemish Marinade with Ommegang Abbey Ale and Juniper Berries
This fully flavored marinade was inspired by medieval Flemish sauce recipes, says Wendy Littlefield of Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown, New York. It heightens the flavor of robust meats such as beef, game and pork. The piney, fragrant aroma of the juniper berries married to Ommegang’s complex, Belgian-style Abbey Ale lends this dish a fascinating burst of intriguing flavors.
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
11/4 cups onion, very finely chopped
1/2 cup carrot, finely diced
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
3 cups Ommegang Abbey Ale
11/2 cups brown meat stock
1/4 cup malt extract
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns
12 juniper berries, crushed
Sauté the onion, carrot and celery in the oil until lightly brown. Let cool in a deep, non-reactive bowl. Then combine all the ingredients for the marinade. This is an excellent marinade for a butterflied leg of lamb. The recipe makes about five cups.
Chicken Breasts with Ale and Cumin
This recipe appears courtesy of the CARBOY homebrewers club in North Carolina (an acronym derived from “Cary, Apex, Raleigh Brewers Of Yore”). The original recipe called for making a sauce to sauté the chicken in a pan, but I found it also worked well as a tasty marinade for grilled chicken breasts.
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced shallot
1/2 cup amber ale
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Blend all ingredients in a blender. Flatten two boned and skinned chicken breasts by placing them between wax paper and pounding with a rolling pin to 3/4 inch thickness. Grill for 3 to 6 minutes on each side, depending on grill heat and thickness of the chicken.
