Blackstrap Porter Food

SPINACH SALAD

Steps:

• Slice onions into thin circles, using all of the white and 1/2 of the green. Saute onions and bacon until the bacon is crispy and the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add brown sugar and stir. When that is well blended into a lumpy sticky mess, add the beer. Let this reduce for about 5 minutes, or until it becomes thick and syrupy.
• Add a pinch of salt and several turns of fresh cracked pepper. Add balsamic vinegar and combine well.
• Combine the spinach, cucumber, bell pepper, and Gorgonzola in a bowl. Pour hot dressing over the salad, toss, and serve immediately.
• Measure out all grains using a scale. Run the grain through a mill to crack the husk and release the starch; a supplier can do this.
• In a 6 to 10 gallon boiling pot, with screen in bottom, also known as a false bottom, add the gypsum to 2 1/2 gallons of water preheated to 168 degrees F. Pour crushed grains and wheat into the water and stir until mixed thoroughly.
• Cover the pot and let stand for about one hour periodically checking the to be sure it stays between 146 to 152 degrees F.
• Have available another 6 to 10 gallon pot of water heated to 180 to 190 degrees F also on the stove, about 7 gallons worth.
• Remove grain pots' cover, sparging [spraying], and gently sprinkle the hot water over the grain mixture until you get 2 to 3 inches of water on top of the mixture. Then attach a flexible tube to the outflow of the grain pot (masher) and turn the spigot on. This opens a valve that allows drainage of the sweet liquid (wort) from the bottom. Keep a steady stream of hot water sprinkling over the mixture while allowing a third pot to be filled with the drainage (this takes about 20 minutes).
• Once you have collected about 6 1/2 gallons close the spigot and stop the sprinkling then place this pot on the stove. Bring to a boil (this takes about 25 to 30 minutes). Once brought to a boiling, start a timer, add the molasses, and boil for a total of 15 minutes without any hops.
• At 15 minutes add 2/3 ounce of Cascade hops; for bittering, continue to boil. After an additional 30 minutes add 1 ounce Fuggles hops; for flavor, continue to boil. After an additional 15 minutes add 1/2 ounce Cascade, 1/3 ounce Fuggles and 1/3 ounce Kent Goldings hops; also for flavor, continue to boil. Also add copper chilling coil to the boil at this time to sterilize it (standard home brewing equipment). After an additional 15 minutes add 1/2 ounce of Kent Goldings and 1/3 ounce of Fuggles hops; for aroma, and stir for a few seconds then switch off the heat.
• Remove the pot containing the wort to the sink, attach a plastic tube to the faucet and another to the outflow of the copper coil, and run cold water through the coil immersed in the wort. This will cool down the wort in about 20 minutes to fermentation temperature, approximately 75 degrees F. You could chill the wort by placing it in an ice bath but this would take much longer.
• Next, the wort is transferred into a sterilized fermenter. Shake the container to add air to the wort. Finally, the yeast is added to the fermenter, and an airlock is attached.
• Yield: 5 gallons
• The recipes for this program, which were provided by contributors and guests who may not be professional chefs, have not been tested in the Food Network's kitchens. Therefore, the Food Network cannot attest to the accuracy of any of the recipes.
• Measure out all grains using a scale. Run the grain through a mill to crack the husk and release the starch; a supplier can do this. In a 6 to 10 gallon boiling pot, with screen in bottom, also known as a false bottom, add the gypsum to 2 1/2 gallons of water preheated to 168 degrees F. Pour crushed grains and wheat into the water and stir until mixed thoroughly. Cover the pot and let stand for about one hour periodically checking the to be sure it stays between 146 to 152 degrees F.
• Have available another 6 to 10 gallon pot of water heated to 180 to 190 degrees F also on the stove, about 7 gallons worth.
• Remove grain pots' cover, sparging [spraying], and gently sprinkle the hot water over the grain mixture until you get 2 to 3 inches of water on top of the mixture. Then attach a flexible tube to the outflow of the grain pot (masher) and turn the spigot on. This opens a valve that allows drainage of the sweet liquid (wort) from the bottom. Keep a steady stream of hot water sprinkling over the mixture while allowing a third pot to be filled with the drainage (this takes about 20 minutes).
• Once you have collected about 6 1/2 gallons close the spigot and stop the sprinkling then place this pot on the stove. Bring to a boil (this takes about 25 to 30 minutes). Once brought to a boiling, start a timer, and boil for a total of 10 minutes without any hops.
• Add Willamette hops and 1/2 ounce Fuggles hops; for bittering, continue to boil. After an additional 45 minutes add remaining Fuggles hops for flavor, add the copper chilling coil to sterilize it and continue to boil.
• After an additional 14 minutes add Kent Goldings hops for aroma, stir, and immediately switch off the heat. Remove the pot containing the wort to the sink, attach one plastic tube to faucet and the copper inflow and another to the copper outflow, the other end runs into the sink, and turn on the cold water. Cool it down to fermentation temperature of 75-degrees F. This takes about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Next, the wort is transferred into a 5 gallon sterilized fermenter. Shake the container to add air to the wort. Finally the yeast is added to the fermenter and an airlock is attached. This fermenter is allowed to stand for 1 week prior to the addition of the raspberries.
• At the end of the week, take a large stockpot and add the raspberries and 1 to 2 quarts water. Bring ingredients to 140-degrees F. and allow to stay at this temperature for 30 minutes.
• Set aside and let cool. Once cooled, add this into a 6 gallon sanitized fermenter through a sterilized funnel. Siphon the beer from the previous week into the same fermenter once the raspberries have cooled. If you do not let it cool, you could kill the yeast. Attach airlock and allow it to ferment an additional week.
• At the end of the week siphon the beer off the raspberries into a third fermenter and allow to finish fermentation for 1 to 2 more weeks.
• Yield: 5 gallons