Beer Poached Sausages

Ingredients: 

• 3 pounds chicken sausages, such as Italian or Cilantro
• 3 cups beer, as needed
• 6 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 
  

Method: 

Prick each sausage a half-dozen times with a fork or thin kabob skewer. Marinate sausages in beer and garlic for about an hour in the refrigerator. 
Arrange onion slices on the bottom of a sauté pan just large enough to hold all sausages. Place sausages on top and add leftover marinade to cover. Place the pan over medium heat and gradually bring liquid to a simmer. Poach sausages until half-cooked, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer sausages to a rack on a baking sheet to drain or drain in a colander.

Meanwhile, set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to medium-high. Oil the grill grate. Lightly brush sausages on all sides with oil and place on the hot grate. Grill until casings are crisp and nicely browned and sausages are cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Insert a thin metal skewer into the center of a sausage to check for doneness: It should come out hot to the touch.

Transfer sausages to a platter and let rest for 3 minutes. Serve on toasted buns with condiments of your choice.

Nutritional Info: 

PER SERVING:Serving size: 1 each, 550 calories (260 from fat), 28g total fat, 15g saturated fat,160mg cholesterol, 360mg sodium, 23g carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 4g sugar), 49g protein

Beer Can Chicken

from Weber’s Big Book of Grilling™ by Jamie Purviance and Sandra S. McRae Prep time: 10 minutes Grilling time: 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours Serves: 4 to 6 Rub 1         teaspoon dry mustard 1         teaspoon granulated onion 1         teaspoon paprika 1         teaspoon salt 1/2      teaspoon granulated garlic 1/2      teaspoon ground coriander 1/2      teaspoon ground cumin 1/2      teaspoon freshly ground black pepper         1         whole chicken, 1.5kg to 2kg 2         teaspoons vegetable oil         1         can (475ml) beer (tall boy)     1. In a small bowl combine the rub ingredients. 2. Remove and discard the neck, giblets, and any excess fat from the chicken. Rinse the chicken, inside and out, under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Lightly brush or spray all over with the vegetable oil and season, inside and out, with the rub. 3. Open the beer can and pour off half of the beer. Set the half-full can on a flat surface and slide the chicken over the top so the can fits inside the cavity. Transfer the bird to the grill, keeping the can upright. Carefully balance the bird on its two legs and the can. Grill over indirect medium heat (180°C to 230°C) until the juices run clear and the internal temperature reaches 75°C in the breast and 80°C in the thickest part of the thigh, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours. Keep the lid closed as often as possible during grilling. 4. Wearing barbecue mitts, carefully remove the chicken and the can from the grill, being careful not to spill the beer—it will be hot. Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes before lifting it from the can. Discard the beer. Cut the chicken into serving pieces. Serve warm.

Cooking with Beer Tips and Hints

Belgium is famous for its Carbonnade à la Flamande, a thick stewof beer, bacon, onions, and brown sugar. Many home cooks prefer their shellfish and hot dogs steamed in beer. 

Beer also has wonderful tenderizing properties, making it an excellent choice for a marinade for tougher cuts of meat. Baked goods using beer have a more moist texture and a longer shelf life.

Used in a glaze or baste, beer adds wonderful flavor to poultry and ham. In batter coatings for fried foods, the yeast in the beer acts as a mild leavening agent, causing the batter to puff up, as well as adding a distinctive enhancing flavor. 

The hops, barley, and/or malt flavor imparted by the addition of beer to foods will naturally depend on the amount and strength of the beer. Dark beer, such as stout and porter, have a much stronger flavor than a light Pilsener. A good recipe using beer will have a distinctively light, not dominating flavor in the finished dish. 

Non-alcoholic (alcohol removed) or light/lite (low-calorie, less than .5% alcohol) beers can usually be substituted (except in baking), but keep in mind that the flavor may not be as desirable and the texture may have less body.

Beer and Alcohol Burn-Off

The premise that all the alcohol cooks out of the dish during the cooking process is not necessarily a true one. 

Alcohol is indeed sensitive to heat, and the longer the dish cooks and the higher the cooking temperature, the less alcohol in the finished product. For example, take a look at this chart compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture using wine as an example. Keep in mind that wine has a higher alcohol content than beer, and the chart shows percentages of percentages. 

So, although some alcohol may remain in the finished dish, the amount is most likely not worth worrying about to the general consumer. However, the considerate host should advise guests when cooking with beer since even a minute amount of alcohol could prove to be a problem for recovering alcoholics. 

Standard commercial beers contain about 3% alcohol. For a listing of alcohol and calorie content of a large list of commercial brews, take a look at thischart.

Beer and Health

Believe it or not, taken in moderation, beer is actually a very healthy food. It's full of vitamins and minerals which are good for nerve production, help you concentrate, increase blood circulation, and stimulate the metabolism. The hops, low alcohol content, and carbonation help relax the body. 

A glass of beer has less calories than the equivalent amount of whole milk or apple juice, and much less than the empty calories contained in harder libations. Alcohol raises the levels ofHDL (good cholesterol) thus benefiting the heart and circulatory system.

See more at: http://homecooking.about.com/od/alcohol/a/beertips.htm

Beer Bread

Lets start off with something simple and utterly delicious. This can be eaten as a meal with the topping of your desire, or it could be eaten as a snack with a big dollop of butter. 

Ingredients

500g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
125g cheddar, cut into small cubes
340ml beer (a can in South Africa, ,)
50ml water
1Tbsp salt
50ml sesame or sunflower seeds
Coarse salt to sprinkle on top

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180C  Grease a small loaf tin.

Sift flour and salt together in a mixing bowl.  Stir in the beer, cheese, water and thyme.  You can add a little water if the dough is too dry.  Mix until all the flour has been moistened and the dough forms a cohesive mass.

Transfer the dough to the loaf tin, sprinkle with seeds and coarse salt and place in the pre-heated oven.

Test with a skewer after about one hour when the top is golden brown – if the skewer comes out clean, remove from oven. Serve with plenty of butter.

NB – leave to cool for a few minutes or so before you slice!!