Oktoberfest Pork Chops

I've posted these before, but hey, it's the season for it. Oktoberfest. An awesome time full of beer and food and dancing and silly music. Speaking of beer and food....Marshall's Oktoberfest is one of my favorites and it has a natural affinity for pork. So, lets brine some tasty chops with it!

Ingredients:
4 bone-in pork rib chops (1 to 1 1/4 inches thick)
2 cups of warm water
2 cups of cold oktoberfest/marzen beer (plus 1/4 cup for later use)
1/4 cup of kosher salt
1/4 cup of brown sugar

Fresh sage leaves
Fontina cheese (thin sliced)
2-4tbsp of olive oil
1/4 cup of oktoberfest/marzen for deglazing
2tbs of butter
Juice of half a lemon
kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Yield: 4

As simple as it sounds….Put the rib chops in a large plastic bag. Mix the salt, sugar, and warm water in a bowl and mix well until the sugar and salt dissolved. Then add in the cold beer. The cold beer will obviously drop the temp and prevent it from cooking or raising the temp of the pork. Pour all over the pork. Seal and toss in the fridge for 4 hours. May need to flip the bag one time. Simple as that.

When done, take the chops out of the fridge. Rinse them off and pat them dry. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place a large cast iron skillet, or other oven proof skillet, on a burner on med-high.

Cut a small pocket in the chops and stuff them with the cheese and 1-2 leaves of fresh sage. Add olive oil into the pan. Sprinkle chops with a tad bit of salt and pepper on both sides. Pan sear one side for 2 minutes. Flip the chops over in the pan and place in oven. Continue cooking for another 5-6minutes.

When done, take out of the oven. Place chops on a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Put skillet back on stove. Deglaze with the beer and scrape bottom of the pan. Add in the butter and lemon juice. Let reduce a bit and pour over the pork chops. Serve with some wilted greens to be simple. Or maybe a big hunk of mashed taters to sop up those juices. 

Pair this dish with your favorite Oktoberfest brew.

Spicy Pumpkin Ale Chili

This pumpkin chili has it all. Beer, pork, beans, peppers, and that Thanksgiving spice that makes everything nice. A dollop of pumpkin yogurt adds the perfect balance of sweetness to the chili, which pairs perfectly with your favorite porter.

Battered Boar Brewing "Chucks Pumpkin Ale"

 Ingredients:

4 lbs pork shoulder, trimmed and cubed into 1/2" pieces
24 oz of your favorite pumpkin ale
1.5 cans pumpkin puree or pure pumpkin
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large yellow onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced
2-3 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and diced
3-4 chipotle peppers, diced with adobo sauce
1/3-1/2 cup fresh ground shili powder (adjust to your taste)
3 Tbsp + 1 tsp mexican oregano
1 Tbsp pumpkin spice
1/2-1 oz bakers chocolate, finely chopped
kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
pinch of cayenne
flour for dusting

Place a large dutch oven over med-high heat. Add a bit of oil. Dust pork with flour. Toss pork into dutch oven and brown in batches.

Drain. Add pork back in the dutch oven. Add in the beer, 1 tsp mexican oregano, chile powder, and chipotle peppers with sauce. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

 While pork is simmering, in another skillet over med-high heat, add in the poblano, serrano, garlic, onion, and crushed red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 7-8 minuntes, until soft. Add in tomatoes and pumpkin puree. Cook for another 5-6 minutes.

 Dump veggie mixture into pork mixture. Add in remaining oregano. Simmer for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, add in all the beans and most of the pumpkin spice. Then add in 1/2 oz of chocolate. Cook for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust. Both chocolate and pumpkin spice go a long way. So add in a bit at a time after, taste, and adjust if you need.

Ladle into bowels. Garnish with a dollop of pumpkin yogurt (mix 1 cup greek yogurt, 1/4 cup pumpkin puree, pinch of cinnamon). And remember, chili is always better the next day.