Craft Beer Chef

One of my all-time favorite summer dinners is a hot dog off the grill.  But after a few on different occasions, you might want to switch things up.  Nothing better than a hoppy hot dog to enlighten the taste buds.  This recipe will show you how to dry hop a hot dog, can you say 'IPA Hot Dog' that is dry hopped?

Ingredients

8 Hot Dogs

4 Bottles of Bells Two Hearted Ale

Centennial Hops

Directions

One of my all time summer favorites is beer can chicken.  Of course I will never use a Miller Lite or Coors Light, but I found a Pilsner style of beer works best.  You and your friends will enjoy the moist meat falling off the bone, bursting with great flavor.

Ingredients: 1 whole young chicken Salt & Pepper  Old Bay Seasoning 1 Large potato 1 Can of Craft Beer 

Directions 

1.  Clear out all internal packaging from the middle of the chicken.

2. Add salt and pepper to the entire chicken, internally and externally.

3. Add Old Bay Seasoning to the outside of the chicken giving it a light orange tint.

4. Open the entire top portion of the craft beer.  Not only the drinking tab, but the entire top of the can should be removed.

5. Add 1 tsp of Old Bay directly into the beer.

6. Place the chicken on top of the beer can.

7. On the top side of the chicken, add 1 un-pealed potato.  This will allow the beer to flavor the meat and not escape through the top.

8.  Place the craft beer and chicken on the grill.

9.  Maintain temperature of 350 degrees for appx 2 hours.  

10.  Continually check the chicken to be sure the beer is not overflowing on the grill.

11.  Cut the chicken down the middle to be sure all of the meat is fully cooked.

12.  Remove from the grill and remove from the craft beer can.

St. Patrick's Day is my second favorite holiday of the year, only behind Thanksgiving.  This year, I decided to take a crack at some good ole homemade beef stew, with a Guinness flavor.  Very simple to make and low maintenance.  The total cooking time in the crockpot was 8 hours set on low.  

8 -10 red potatoes , skin on, quartered

6  carrots, peeled, sliced into thick chunks

2 stalks celery, cut in chunks

3 bay leaves 

3 lbs stew meat , cubed 

2 cups of flour

1 dash salt

1 dash pepper 

1 dash garlic powder 

2 -3 tablespoons olive oil 

1 medium onion, diced

4 large garlic cloves, minced

8 ounces baby portabella mushrooms , halved

2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce 

10 ¾ ounces beef broth 

1 (13 g) envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1 teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon creole seasoning 

1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning 

(4) 12 ounce beer  (Guinness)

Directions:

Put potato, carrot, and celery chunks in the bottom of crock pot. Top with 2 bay leaves. Add one beer for the veggies to begin to soak the Guinness flavor.

Season flour with a dash of salt, pepper and garlic powder and coat the beef with the flour mixture. Heat a couple of tbsp of olive oil over med-high heat in a large skillet and add 1 bay leaf. Sauté beef in batches, just until browned. Remove and set aside. Add 1 bottle of beer while cooking beef.

Add onion and garlic to the same pan and sauté over med heat for a few minutes, then add about half the can of beef broth to deglaze, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.

Add meat and onions to crock pot, top with mushrooms.

Mix remaining beef broth with tomato sauce, onion soup mix, remaining seasonings, and add to crock pot. Pour in 1 bottle of Guiness.

Dogfish Chickory Stout stuffed green peppers and Dogfish 60 Minute IPA sautéed mushrooms.

Ingredients: 1.5 Pound ground meat 1 cup of rice 2 cups of spaghetti sauce 1 bottle of Dogfish Head Chickory Stout  1 bottle of Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA Salt & Pepper  6 large green peppers 1 Large onion