The last in my beer/food pairing re-caps is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Louisiana Pulled Pork Sandwiches. I was most familiar with Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale. It seemed to be the college keg choice amongst my foodie and restaurant friends. According to Molly, it’s their most popular beer. It’s a beautiful amber color and full bodied. Generous quantities of Cascade hops give the ale its fragrant bouquet and spicy flavor. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is the flagship beer, the one that made Chico, CA famous. It’s been a gold medal winner numerous times at the Great American Beer Festival. I still think my favorite was the Summerfest. I should probably pick some up, because it’s seasonal and at the rate time is flying by this Summer – it won’t be on the shelves much longer.

Ingredients:

One pork shoulder roast (5-6 lb.) – aka pork butt, shoulder butt or Boston butt)
1 Tablespoon Paprika
2 Tablespoons Cajun Seasoning
1 Tablespoon Garlic Granules
2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
2 Teaspoons Dried Oregano
2 Teaspoons Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
2 Teaspoons Sea Salt
One large Sheet of Parchment Paper
Aluminum Foil
13″x9″ Metal Pan

In a small bowl combine the spice rub ingredients. Place pork shoulder on a large sheet of parchment. Rub the spices over the entire piece of meat and fold the parchment around the pork shoulder, tightly sealing it. Cut a piece of foil large enough to cover the pork shoulder and wrap it up like a package.

Soak 1 1/2 cups of smoking chips in hot water. Start up the BBQ or smoker to a temperature of 300 degrees F, arranging coals into an indirect heat configuration. Place wrapped pork into the metal pan and place onto the BBQ. Wrap about 1/2 cup of drained smoking chips in aluminum foil, leaving a small opening on one end and place directly onto the coals. Cover the BBQ.

Cook pork shoulder for 1.5 to 2 hours wrapped. Open up parchment and foil and leave pork shoulder sitting in its wrapper. Continue to cook shoulder at a temperature of 250-275 degrees F for 5-7 more hours or until pork is fork tender and almost falling apart. Baste meat with pan juices that have accumulated in the parchment. You will need to add more coals to maintain the proper temperature. Add more smoking chips as needed to keep a nice amount of smoke going. (Chef Dio said change the chips about every 45 minutes).

Allow pork shoulder to rest for 20-30 minutes or until it is cool enough to handle before shredding the meat. Shred meat removing any excess fat and season with a bit of salt and pepper if needed.

The pork was served on buttered/grilled buns with a side of slaw and OMG, it was awesome! There was no drippy sauce, it was just super moist with a wonderful smoky flavor.

Note: the pork can be BBQ’d 1-2 days in advance. Warm meat in a 300 degree oven for 6-8 minutes before serving. You also might need to take out a small loan if you have a gas BBQ – thinking you’ll be going through a lot of propane, hah!

Yuba John…I know you have that new smoker… hint, hint!

So that’s it for the food and beer pairings. No more cooking classes for a while, so it’s back to me experimenting in the kitchen. I also have a few product reviews coming up.

Hope everyone had a good weekend, I know I did.

Dish 3 of the the beer and food pairing was Sierra Nevada’s Torpedo Extra IPA and Korean Beef Short Rib Bulgogi. According to Molly and Sierra Nevada, Torpedo Ale is a big American IPA; bold assertive and full of flavor and aromas highlighting the complex citrus, pine and herbal character of whole-cone American hops.  Torpedo Extra IPA is the newest addition to Sierra Nevada’s year round roster of beers.

I could definitely taste the ramped up hoppy flavor – 3 times the amount of the other beers we tasted. I learned that when pairing beers and food, the hop bitterness balances the sweetness and richness (fat) in foods and it emphasizes the spiciness (chili heat).

It was really interesting to learn how the beer flavors interact with the food. The sweetness and maltiness of a beer balances the spiciness and acidity in food. The roasted malt, carbonation and alcohol all balance the sweetness and richness like the hop flavor does. Molly recommended the following book: Tasting Beer – an Insider’s Guide to the World’s Greatest Drink by author, Randy Mosher. The book has a good section on food and beer pairing.

We switched into food mode after the beer talk.

Chef Dio showed us what Korean Beef Short Rib meat was and then he got started on trimming the beef and making the marinade.

Ingredients:
3 lb. thin cut beef short ribs (Korean Style)  – you can get them at Asian markets or specialty markets – he used Prather Ranch organic beef chuck flanken style ribs.
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Teaspoon toasted sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, put through a press
1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons Mirin
1/2 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Sea Salt to taste
Optional – chili pepper flakes to taste
Canola spray for grilling

Trim off excess fat from the meat. Combine the marinade ingredients and add in the meat. Mix well and marinate for 6-8 hours or overnight. (Chef Dio did ours overnight).

Preheat grill to high heat. Remove meat from marinade and pat dry with paper towel. Spray meat with canola spray and then grill meat for 2-3 minutes per side, slightly charring the meat. Brush meat as it grills with the marinade.

Chef Dio prepared a salad of red leaf lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, cilantro, green onions and kim chee. I thought the meat tasted great. It had a wonderful flavor and teaming it with a light salad was the perfect compliment. A few swigs of the Torpedo Extra IPA and we were onto the next thing.