Pumpkin Ale Season
Autumn doesn't officially arrive for another couple of weeks, but the beer season changes on Labor Day when the Octoberfest and other harvest ales begin to show up at good beer bars and stores. A standout this year for me is Wolavers Pumpkin Ale, not because its USDA certified organic (a pretty meaningless designation, but marketing is marketing) but because it's a nicely balance ale that's not overpoweringly pumpkiny but also doesn't taste like a brown ale with only a hint of pumpkin. There are some breweries out there who make the stuff so overpoweringly pumpkin and spice laden that you feel like you've just eaten dessert after having a bottle or a pint. Not good. Wolavers doesn't make that mistake offering just enough pumpkin and spice to remind you of a warm toddy next to the fire and a cool late fall evening without making you run for a glass of water or Pabst Blue Ribbon to clear the coating off your tongue.
It also is pretty darn good to cook with. Yesterday we scored some pork country ribs at the farmer's market and that cut of the pig generally favors a nice, slow braise. So I started with my usual "secret" spice rub. It's secret because I make it slightly differently each time because I forget to write down what I did and I have a horrible memory. Basically it's about 8 parts light brown sugar, 2 parts kosher salt, 1 to 1 1/2 parts chili powder and then 2 or 3 parts of some blend of black pepper, coriander, garlic powder, onion powder, dry mustard, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, cinnamon, dried French thyme and white pepper some or all of which may be present depending on my mood, how many things I can fit in my arms from the spice closet and which ones I remember to include.
In other words, real rocket science. One recommendation though, get your spices via mail from Penzey's or the Spice House. It does make a difference. The products from those purveyors are fresher, better stored and higher quality than what you find in most supermarkets.
I took the ribs out of the package, rinsed and patted them dry, drizzled a little canola oil on them and rubbed the rub on the meat and let it sit at room temp for a while. Then I seared them off in a little regular olive oil in a saucepan for about 3-4 minutes on a side (it's dopey to use EVOO for sauteing, the heat kills all the subtle flavor elements. Sorry Rachael). Put 'em to the side, sweat off some aromatics (think I used just shallots, actually) and then deglaze with the ale. Scrape up the fond, throw in some stock with the beer, bring it to a boil, put the ribs back in the pot, reduce to a simmer, cover and wander off to drink beer and socialize for a couple hours until the ribs are fork tender. Easy stuff and it tasted fantastic; the rub and the ale really complimented each other in the cooking liquid that I spooned over the ribs to serve. A nice meal for a horrendously windy, wet late afternoon.
Today I'll take a pass on the fall ales. It's a beautiful, clear sunny day and we walked around the beach paths and the fishing pier for a few miles spotting some wild turkeys in the brush and noting that some little slivery fish (sorry, I'm not so good with the sea creature identifying if it's not on my plate) seemed to be biting on pier as we saw about 3 of them get reeled in. Didn't look like they were good for anything but bait though.
The beer calendar might've flipped the page, but summer weather isn't quite ready to let go yet.
It also is pretty darn good to cook with. Yesterday we scored some pork country ribs at the farmer's market and that cut of the pig generally favors a nice, slow braise. So I started with my usual "secret" spice rub. It's secret because I make it slightly differently each time because I forget to write down what I did and I have a horrible memory. Basically it's about 8 parts light brown sugar, 2 parts kosher salt, 1 to 1 1/2 parts chili powder and then 2 or 3 parts of some blend of black pepper, coriander, garlic powder, onion powder, dry mustard, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, cinnamon, dried French thyme and white pepper some or all of which may be present depending on my mood, how many things I can fit in my arms from the spice closet and which ones I remember to include.
In other words, real rocket science. One recommendation though, get your spices via mail from Penzey's or the Spice House. It does make a difference. The products from those purveyors are fresher, better stored and higher quality than what you find in most supermarkets.
I took the ribs out of the package, rinsed and patted them dry, drizzled a little canola oil on them and rubbed the rub on the meat and let it sit at room temp for a while. Then I seared them off in a little regular olive oil in a saucepan for about 3-4 minutes on a side (it's dopey to use EVOO for sauteing, the heat kills all the subtle flavor elements. Sorry Rachael). Put 'em to the side, sweat off some aromatics (think I used just shallots, actually) and then deglaze with the ale. Scrape up the fond, throw in some stock with the beer, bring it to a boil, put the ribs back in the pot, reduce to a simmer, cover and wander off to drink beer and socialize for a couple hours until the ribs are fork tender. Easy stuff and it tasted fantastic; the rub and the ale really complimented each other in the cooking liquid that I spooned over the ribs to serve. A nice meal for a horrendously windy, wet late afternoon.
Today I'll take a pass on the fall ales. It's a beautiful, clear sunny day and we walked around the beach paths and the fishing pier for a few miles spotting some wild turkeys in the brush and noting that some little slivery fish (sorry, I'm not so good with the sea creature identifying if it's not on my plate) seemed to be biting on pier as we saw about 3 of them get reeled in. Didn't look like they were good for anything but bait though.
The beer calendar might've flipped the page, but summer weather isn't quite ready to let go yet.
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