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.