Pale Ale Drunken Drumsticks

People say chicken is boring. I say they don’t know what they’re talking about…..or they’re doing it wrong. There's literally thousands of ways to do chicken. Take, for example, this recipe. Summer time. People are using their grills. Pale ales in hand. One of the best examples of the style....Marshall Brewing's "Arrowhead" pale ale. Citrusy, fruity, hoppy, grassy, awesome. Great with grilled meats. Today though, we're going to make a spicy, peppy glaze to go on some drumsticks.

Ingredients: (serves 4-6)
1 lg pkg of chicken drumsticks (12-16)
1 12oz bottle of pale ale
1/2 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
Juice of 1 lime
2 chipotle chile en adobo
3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tbsp cilantro
2/3 cup ketchup
1 tbsp molasses
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp honey
Pinch of ground allspice
Pinch of cayenne
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

FYI, my grill is busted. So, I'm doing this in the oven this time.

Preheat oven to 450. Grease baking sheets. Salt and pepper the chicken. Bake for 40 min.

For the glaze....add the beer, OJ, lime, chile, garlic, and cilantro in a blender. Puree till smooth.

Pour the puree in a pan. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk well. Bring to a quick boil, then reduce to medium-low and let reduce for 30 minutes (roughly same time the chicken will be done). Taste and adjust with salt and pepper.

Note- Reducing intensifies flavors. Reducing pale ales and IPAs will bring out more bitter hoppiness, which isn’t necessarily good. If the sauce is too bitter, then add some more honey to balance it out.

When chicken is done, take out of oven, and turn on the broiler. Dip chicken into the sauce and get nice and coated. Place chicken back on the baking sheets and into the oven. Broil for just a couple minutes until dark brown and done.

The skin is citrusy, spicy, smoky, and has a faint hoppy background to it. It’s scrumptious! Pair this dish with the same pale ale. The hops will draw out the heat, the carbonation will lift the skin and fat off the palate, and the maltiness of the beer will play nicely with the meat itself. Serve a zesty black bean and corn salad on the side if you want too.

Beer Brined and Roasted Chicken

Nothin like a simple, roasted chicken with crispy skin....unless, of course, it's gone through a brine first. Brining is a great way to pack moisture, and flavor, into meats. Try it with a whole chicken. You will definitely not be disappointed.

Ingredients for Brine:
1 whole chicken (3 to 4lbs)
3-4 bottles of pale ale (I used Sierra Nevada)
2 quarts of water (or 1 quart of water and 1 quart of ice reserved)
1 orange, halved
5 sage leaves
5 bay leaves
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp black pepper corns, crushed
couple sprigs of thyme

Ingredients for Roasting:
Kosher Salt and fresh ground black pepper
fresh chopped thyme
pinch or two of ground sage

Here is the really hard part! Put all the ingredients for the brine, minus the chicken, into a pot. Bring to a simmer for 10min. Take off heat and let it cool to room temp. Or, do what I do, and add in the other quart of ice to help it cool faster.

I like to put the brine and chicken in turkey bags, set back into the cooled pot, and surround the bird with a little ice before I set in fridge. Seems like work, but it's not, and it's a good way to keep the balance of beer and water in check by not letting the extra ice melt into the brine. Let sit in fridge for 12 hours. For super duper hoppy beers like Stouts and IPAs, I’d cut the brining time down to 6-8 hours. You don’t want the bird to taste like a stout or a pine cone.

Take bird out of brine. Rinse. Pat extremely dry inside and out with paper towels. Let sit 30-40min so it can come to room temp. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Dry outside of the chicken again. The paper towel method is good way to ensure crispy brown skin. Season with salt, pepper, thyme, and sage. Truss the bird for even cooking. Place on a roasting rack or a skillet. I like the skillet. Pop in oven on middle or lower-middle rack. Roast for about an hour till the bird reaches 164 degrees.

When done, take the chicken out and let rest for about 15min to allow juices to redistribute. Carve that thing up and done. Look at that skin!