Everyone has different “periods” in their life and work. Picasso had his blues, Apron Anxiety has her one-pot wonders, and apparently, I am smack in the middle of a beer braising period. I can’t get enough of marinating huge pieces of cheap, fatty meat in vats of beer for 24 hours and then braising them in said marinade for hours on end.

Because I’ve been home resting for a few days, J hit the grocery store during Sunday’s blizzard, clearly after everyone else in the surrounding areas. He called me from the store, and as he recited the bare bones of what was in the store, I brainstormed. One of the only “decent” meat products left was a huge package of pork shoulder. Done and done. And immediately, a plan was born.

But I can’t take full credit for the insanity of this meal. My inspiration, as often these days, came from the glorious beer fridge in our basement, and more directly, from the beautiful wonder that is Founder’s Breakfast Stout. This beer holds a special place in my heart, mainly because it’s just that damn good. Even my friend Rebekah, who is a self-proclaimed “really only wine drinker” digs this beer. (So much so, that she’ll tell you if you’re ever in the same room with both her and the beer.) If you took the best oatmeal stout and the best coffee stout, made them both 10 times better and then married them, you’d have something that still wasn’t as good as this beer. If you have the opportunity, for real? Try it.

For me, this beer has been begging to be cooked with, but just an ordinary chili wouldn’t do for me. Marinating meat in beer does impart the flavor, for sure, but I needed to bring the flavor of this beer to the forefront of the meal. And that, my friends, meant a sauce. A nice, thick, hearty barbecue sauce.

We ate this on small, sweet, slider rolls, but I wound up eating most of it with a fork. Go with your gut.

So here’s the real trick to making this if you don’t have this phenom of a beer in your grasp. Use your favorite Oatmeal or Coffee Stout. Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal is wonderful, and I love Southern Tier and Bell’s for their Java Stouts. Just taste the beer first, pick out the flavors and notes you want to emphasize and balance, and go for it. For the Breakfast Stout, that meant balancing the bitter with some spice, and adding some sweetness for total domination.

I could literally go on for hours about this particular meal, as I basically did last night while J and I ate. It was one of the rockstar moments for me, which lately I’ve been feeling less and less as I constantly focus on making things perfect…for you! But this was a meal based solely on intuition and love, and it reminded me why I love the two things that are at the forefront of huge importance in my life: beer and food.

This BBQ sauce by the way? I may wind up making 1,000 batches and giving it as gifts. Although that’s a lot of really good beer. The drippings from the braise were so insane that at J’s request, I drained it all into mason jars, saving it for a future chili or stew. Likely soon.

If you’re not a pork lover (ahem, Apron) try this with last week’s beef roast instead. But whatever you do, make it during a snowy day, when you’re dying for your house to smell like wonder and you can’t wait to impress someone.

Especially if that someone is you.

If you have beer-cooking questions, let me know! I’d love to wax poetic for you…

Breakfast Stout BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders (Serves a freaking army)

Pork:

1-4lb pork roast (or beef)

2 12 oz bottles Founder’s Breakfast Stout (or comparable beer)

2 TBSP chipotle in adobo (just sauce)

salt and pepper

1/4 C herbs de provence

2 TBSP light oil (I used soy)

2 medium apples, sliced thick

1 medium onion, sliced thick

6 cloves garlic, chopped

5 sprigs rosemary

5 sprigs thyme

1 C chicken stock (enough to just almost cover meat)





BBQ Sauce

1 12oz Breakfast Stout (or beer used in meat)

1 TBSP olive oil

1 small apple, chopped fine

1 shallot, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 C ketchup

1/4 C molasses

1/4 C dijon mustard

2 TBSP hot sauce

1 chipotle in adobo, chopped

2 TBSP herbs de provence

1 TBSP worcestershire sauce

2 TBSP honey

salt and pepper





Pulled Pork

Measure your roast to the size of your dutch oven or roasting pot. If you need to cut, do so now. (I had to cut mine into 4 huge chunks.)

Season pork liberally with salt and black pepper.

Place roast in a large tupperware or huge resealable bag. Pour beer and adobo sauce over, massaging into meat. Seal, place in fridge for 8-24 hours. I seriously recommend the longer time. You won’t be sorry. Turn meat once, halfway through time.





When ready to cook, remove meat from marinade and place on board. Set marinade aside. Dry meat completely and allow to come up to room temp, at least 30 minutes. Season liberally again with salt, pepper, and herbs de provence.





Preheat oven to 325, and heat oil in a dutch oven (or large heavy bottom pot) on medium-high heat. When oil is rippling, brown meat in sections, not crowding the pan. (I did 2 pieces at a time.) Allow meat to brown fully on each side, approximately 15 minutes total. Remove meat, set aside.

In drippings, add apple and onion, season with salt and pepper. Stir, allow to soften about 4 minutes. Add garlic and herbs, stir.

Stir in marinade, scraping up all burned bits from bottom. Bring to a boil and let boil for 3 minutes.

Add meat, stirring. Add in chicken stock until just almost covers the meat.

Place lid on pot and place in bottom third of oven for 3 hours, or until meat is literally falling apart.

When meat is done, remove from heat, and allow to rest on board at least 15 minutes. Shred with fingers or forks, dress with barbecue sauce, and serve.





BBQ Sauce

Saute apple, shallot and garlic in olive oil in a sauce pot, over medium heat, season with salt and pepper. Let saute 5 minutes, or until softened and translucent.

Add all remaining ingredients, bring to a boil.

Reduce to very low, cover, and allow to simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Taste along the way, adding sweetness or salt and pepper as needed.

Toss over pulled meat, and then drizzle over meat or sliders when serving.