Jalapeno Cheddar Beer Bread

Quick breads are a godsend. Always better than that commercial crap out there and takes hardly any skill and time to make. Seriously, just toss in the cheddar, beer, flour, jalapenos, etc, and you got yourself a quick beer bread.

Coop Ale Works "Native Amber"

I used a local amber ale with this. Coop Ale Works “Native Amber” is a smooth brew with grassy hop notes. Great beer to pair with spicey foods and sharp cheddar. The affinity of this beer and bread was fantastic.

Two things to remember with this….mix by hand, or the bread will be too tough when finished. And only mix until just incorporated, or the bread will be too tough when finished.

Ingredients:
2.25 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp chili powder
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1-1.5 cups of fresh grated sharp cheddar cheese (I love cheese)
2 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded, and diced
12oz of amber ale (room temp)

*NOTE* You could also make these into biscuits or muffins. Just reduce the bake time by half or more and check with a toothpick in the center until it comes out clean

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a bread pan with butter and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift in the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, salt, and chili powder. Set aside.

In another large bowl, add in the melted butter, beer, diced jalapenos and cheddar cheese.

Add all the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, a third at a time, mixing between with a spatula until just incorporated. Pour the dough into the bread pan. Smooth out the top just a tad. And top with a little more grated cheese.

Place in oven and bake for 45min, or until a knife inserted in the center of bread comes out clean. And done!

Slice thick or thin. It looks kinda dense, but it’s really not. It’s mainly the cheese. haha. Enjoy with some butter, breakfast, sausages, cheese, some good ‘ol country food like brown beans and ham, etc. And of course, some good brews.

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.