Beer Sausage Food

BEER AND ITALIAN SAUSAGE FONDUE

Steps:

• For the crostini: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Mix the oil, garlic, oregano and fennel seeds in a small bowl. Brush the oil mixture over the top of the baguette slices. Sprinkle lightly with pepper. Bake the baguette slices until lightly toasted but still slightly soft, 12 to 15 minutes.
• For the fondue: Mix together the beer and mustard in a small bowl. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add the sausage, onions, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Break the sausage into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon and cook until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the beer mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Gradually add the Cheddar, fontina and Parmesan, stirring constantly, until the cheese is melted and smooth. Keep warm over low heat. If the fondue becomes too thick, gradually stir in extra beer, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Serve the fondue with the crostini.

BEER BRATWURST

Steps:

• Place the pork and veal on a rimmed baking sheet, transfer to the freezer, and chill until crunchy on the exterior but not frozen solid (30 to 60 minutes).
• Pour the ale into a shallow baking dish, transfer to the freezer, and chill until the ale is semi-frozen.
• In a small bowl, add the salt, sugar, caraway seeds, mustard powder, thyme, ginger, nutmeg, and Cure No. 1 and stir to combine.
• Nest a large mixing bowl in a bowl filled with ice. Grind the meat through the small die (3/16-inch/4-mm) of the grinder into the bowl set in ice. Once all of the meat has been ground, pour the semi-frozen ale through the grinder, into the bowl, which will help push out any meat remaining in the feed tube or wrapped around the auger.
• Add the spice mixture to the meat and stir with your hands until well incorporated; the mixture will look homogenous and will begin sticking to the bowl.
• Spoon 2 tbsp of the meat mixture into a nonstick frying pan and spread into a thin patty. Cook the test patty over low heat until cooked through but not browned. Taste the sausage for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
• Press a sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap directly on the surface of the meat to prevent oxidation, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Alternatively, you can vacuum-seal the mixture.
• Stuff the sausage into the hog casings and twist into links.
• Poach the links in water or lager-style beer until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the sausage registers 145°F/63°C. The poached sausages can be grilled and then eaten immediately, or chilled fully in an ice bath and refrigerated, or frozen for longer storage. When you're ready to eat them, grill again or cook in a pan over medium heat until browned and heated through.

BEER SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Pour the beer into a large pot, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Layer the potatoes into the bottom of the pot, and sprinkle a little Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper over the potatoes. Layer the baby carrots, onion, smoked sausage, and cabbage, sprinkling every layer with a bit more of the Italian seasonings, salt, and pepper. Turn heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.

BEER-SIMMERED GRILLED SAUSAGES

Steps:

• 1. Prick each sausage a half-dozen times with a needle or pin stuck in a cork. Arrange the onion slices on the bottom of a sauté pan just large enough to hold all the sausages. Place the sausages on top and add beer and water to cover (the ratio should be about 3 parts beer to 1 part water). Place the pan over medium heat and gradually bring the liquid to a simmer, not a rapid boil. Poach the sausages until half-cooked, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the sausages to a rack on a baking sheet to drain or drain in a colander. Separate the sausages into links.
• 2. Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to medium-high.
• 3. When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Lightly brush the sausages on all sides with oil and place on the hot grate. Grill until the casings are crisp and nicely browned and the sausages are cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes per side. You may want to rotate the sausages 90 degrees after 2 minutes on each side to create an attractive crosshatch of grill marks. Should flare-ups arise, move the sausages to a different section of the grill. Use a slender metal skewer to test for doneness. Insert it into the center of one of the sausages: It should come out hot to the touch.
• 4. Transfer the sausages to plates or a platter and let rest for 3 minutes. Serve with plenty of mustard.
• Variations: Poaching is optional and not every grill jockey does it. If you omit the poaching, you'll need to grill the sausages 7 to 10 minutes per side.
• For absolutely foolproof sausage grilling, use the indirect method. The sausages will be fully cooked in about 30 minutes.

BEST EVER SAUSAGE WITH PEPPERS, ONIONS, AND BEER!

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Cook sausage until browned on all sides. Remove sausage from pan, and set aside. Pour in 1 bottle of beer to deglaze the pan, scraping up any blackened bits from the bottom. Place the red peppers, green peppers, onions and garlic in the pan. Stir in the remaining beer and the tomato paste. Season with oregano, cilantro, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Cover, and simmer until onions and peppers are tender. Slice the sausages into bite size pieces, and add to the peppers. Cover, and simmer until sausage is cooked through.

BEER-BRAISED SAUSAGES WITH WARM POTATO SALAD

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add sausages and cook until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add onion and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Add beer, potatoes, and 2 cups water; season with salt and pepper and press to submerge potatoes in cooking liquid. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Transfer sausages to a serving platter and keep warm. In a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon oil, vinegar, and parsley. With a slotted spoon, transfer potato mixture to dressing (reserve cooking liquid) and toss to combine.
• Return pot to high heat; boil cooking liquid until reduced to 1 cup, about 12 minutes. Return sausages to pot and cook until heated through, 2 minutes. Place sausages and dressed potatoes on serving platter; drizzle half the sauce over top. Serve sausages and potatoes with remaining sauce alongside.

BEER-BRAISED SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium high. Tear off 4 large sheets of heavy-duty foil. Divide the sausage among the foil sheets and evenly top with the bell peppers, celery, red onion and garlic. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add 2 thyme sprigs to each and drizzle with the beer. Bring two opposite ends of the foil together and fold twice to seal. Fold in the other sides and seal, leaving room for heat to circulate.
• Grill the foil packets, rotating halfway through, until the sausages are charred and the peppers are crisp-tender, about 20 minutes. Carefully open the packets and sprinkle with parsley.

CABBAGE AND SAUSAGES BRAISED IN BEER

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add the sausages and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.
• Add the beer and mustard and simmer until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.
• Add the cabbage, stir to combine, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Stir again and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes until the cabbage is wilted but still green.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

BEER SAUSAGES IN BEER SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut cooked sausages into 1/2 inch slices.
• In skillet combine sausage and beer. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Combine brown sugar and cornstarch.
• Stir in vinegar, horseradish and mustard. Add to sausages. Cook and stir until bubbly.
• Keep warm and serve warm using toothpicks.

BEER-BRAISED BRATWURST & ONIONS

Steps:

• In a large (12-inch) cast iron skillet or nonstick pan with a tight-fitting lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the bratwurst and sear until nicely browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Using tongs, transfer the sausage to a plate; set aside. Add the onions and salt to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are softened and golden brown, about 5 minutes (do not burn; reduce the heat if necessary).
• Place the bratwurst back in the pan on top of the onions, add the beer, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover with the lid, and simmer for 10 minutes (at this point the sausages will be partially cooked through). Remove the cover, increase the heat to medium, and continue cooking until the bratwurst are cooked through and the beer is reduced by about three quarters, 10 to 12 minutes more. Serve the bratwurst and onions on rolls with mustard and sauerkraut, if desired.
• Note: I use Johnsonville Original Brats; avoid any brats already flavored with beer, as the finished dish will taste too bitter. Also be sure to purchase fresh (not cooked) sausages.
• Note: Lager is a family of beers that includes bright lagers, amber lagers, dark lagers, Oktoberfests, and pilsners. I use Sam Adams Oktoberfest, but Budweiser, Bud Light, Coors Light, and Miller Lite are all good options. No need to use anything fancy!
• Note: The nutritional information does not include the optional serving ingredients.