Kris: Rauchbier (smoked beer) is a bit of a love/hate beverage. I personally really enjoy it. I think it is a great beer to match with food and it is the perfect ingredient in a smoky, sweet BBQ sauce as a condiment or used to marinate slow cooked pork ribs.

Aecht Schlenkerla Marzen is a 5.1% dark lager, brewed with hickory smoked malt. It has a light body and aroma and flavours of smoked ham hocks. It is not a beer for everyday drinking, but certainly an interesting talking point when you have friends over for dinner.

 Rauchbier BBQ Sauce

Olive oil

1 small brown onion finely diced

3 cloves garlic (minced)

1/2 cup soft brown sugar

1 cup Tomato passata

3 Tbs tomato paste

1 Tbs Worstershire sauce

1 Tbs seeded Mustard

50ml balsamic vinegar

150ml Schlenkerla Rauchbier

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 heaped tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp dried chilli

Salt and cracked pepper

Method

Fry off onion and garlic in some olive oil over a medium heat

Add all the dried spices and mustard and fry for a few minutes

Add the sugar and cook for a further few minutes

Add the passata and tomato paste

Add the Balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and Rauchbier

Simmer for 15-20 minutes until thick

Season with salt and pepper

Marinade 4-6 Pork spare ribs in the BBQ sauce for at least 24 hours ( I left them in the fridge, covered for 2 days)

Reserve some extra sauce for basting and serving with the ribs

Pre-heat an oven to 150 C

Place the ribs in a tray  and cook for 2 1/2 hours

Whilst cooking, turn the ribs every half an hour and baste with BBQ sauce

When cooked, fry quickly in a frying pan or on a BBQ For a couple of minutes each side to caramelize the ribs

Serve with a potato or garden salad

Kris : An IPA, American Brown Ale,Belgian Brune or a Dark lager  works well as a match for the ribs. A lager or Pilsner cuts through the richness of the ribs also.
Kris: I love eating these ribs. They do take a while to cook but it is seriously worth the wait. I have been working on perfecting my BBQ sauce and this is the best one I have made. It’s sweet, spicy and smoky and when used to slow cook ribs it is a perfect dish to enjoy with friends and a few beers. We enjoyed them with some of the Schlenkerla Marzen that I had used in the BBQ sauce. I wish we had more than one rib each, they were so tender and perfectly matched with the Rauchbier.

Caroline : This dinner was great for me. I really feel like Kris mastered the BBQ sauce, which really, is the hardest part. It had the right amount of spiciness, sweetness and thickness, a tough combo to accomplish! The ribs fell apart when you ate them and had just a touch of the crunchy char-y-ness from finishing them off on the grill. Just as good as any ribs I’ve had back home! I even liked the match with the Rauchbier (a beer I do not enjoy by itself), but together, the ribs were even more juicy and smokey. DELICIOUS.