Sulae @ beerandiron.com - Beer And Iron

January 16, 2023

Low and Slow Roast Beef, Pork, Lamb, Wild Meat in a Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Recipe Low and Slow Cast Iron Dutch Oven Roast

Dinner, Game, Lamb, Meal, Meats, Pork, Supper, Uncategorized

by Sulae @ beerandiron.com

January 2, 2023

Rusty Cast Iron on a Cedar Fence – A Story

I first saw that old, rusty skillet hanging on that old, tattered cedar fence. It’d been there since the 70s. And then one day…

Stories

by Sulae @ beerandiron.com

December 11, 2022

Creamy Beer Mac and Cheese with Greens and Chicken

A friend asked me the other day, “Sulae, what’s your go-to mac and cheese recipe?” My granddad gave me my first cast iron skillet in 1987 and after 35 years of cast iron cooking, I ain’t ever made a pan of mac and cheese. I was almost a little embarrassed when she asked me about my go-to mac and cheese recipe; I felt my skin get all flushed. Got a little mad at myself and pushed out my bottom lip a bit. And, what did I tell her?

“Yeah. Sure. No worries. I’ll get that to you lickety-split.”

Ahhh, truth be known…I’d been thinking about a nice mac and cheese recipe for some time and this recipe request got a fire lit under me. So, I pulled out the old 14-inch and got to cookin’.

There’s a story behind that old 14-inch cast iron skillet. It used to hang as decoration. Old-looking and rusty with some of that old pan’s “essence” in the form of rusts, running down old and sun-faded cedar boards that made up an old fence.

Now it’s a go-to skillet that has been my friend for all the years since it’s rescue. There’s about that old skillet if you’re interested:

Also, this article has affiliate links.

I prepare this meal in a 14-inch cast iron skillet. You will need to reduce the amount of ingredients in this recipe if you are using anything less than a 12-inch cast iron skillet (even with a 12-inch cast iron skillet you should expect some spillage before the recipe thickens up). You could use a 5-quart cast iron Dutch oven, a 7-quart cast iron Dutch oven, or larger; that would work very nicely. For this recipe, deeper (like in a 5-quart Dutch oven) is not better…but will work.

Here’s a link to a 14-inch by Camp Chef (Amazon.com affiliate).

I’d didn’t know Lodge made a 13.25-inch skillet: https://amzn.to/3FIIaws

We have our trusty 14-inch cast iron skillet we use for this recipe (long story behind that dude…what do you know…here’s the story: HERE).

Do you have a grill pan? We use ours all the time: https://amzn.to/3VWmIdk

1 Tablespoon Measuring Spoon
1 Teaspoon Measuring Spoon
Grater or Shredder
1 Cup Measuring Cup
Cutting Board
Knife
Wooden Spatula
Salad Spinner (optional but very nice to have)

You don’t want to add too much “more” flavor to this recipe. That’s a strange thing to say; seems flavor is like money. How is “too much” part of that sentence?

Cheese is like bacon…it’s a flavor that has SO MUCH flavor that it’ll “dress up” any meal. It’s like the add-all to any recipe to really give it body and to enhance the flavor. Alone…yeah…it’s like bacon…rich, tasty, yummy!! But, like bacon, it’s rich and so bold that there is the possibliety of “too much.”

Because there is SO MUCH cheese in this recipe as well as rich cream and oil, we’ll keep our beer on the lighter side. We want the cheese to be the hero of our dish and not the beer. Yes, the beer will add a wonderful layer of flavor, but we want to keep it mild.

A simple beer of the Corona-kind will work A-OK.

use anything seasonal like pumpkin, spruce, or flavored porters. I’d stay away from porters and stouts unless you are drinking a porter or stout with this meal; they pair very well.

For the Chicken:

3-4 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts Tenderized and Brined (see Beer and Iron How To Tenderize Chicken and How to Brine Chicken Breast).
Paprika (Smoked or Not)

For the Mac:

2 Bunches of Finer Chopped Kale or Spinach (De-rib Kale, Wash, Chop, Have at the Ready)
10 ounces Uncooked Elbow Macaroni (Give or Take and Ounce or Two)
1 Yellow Onion Chopped
4-8 Cloves of Garlic Chopped or Minced
1 Jar (about 9-10 oz Sun Dried Tomatoes IN OIL – SAVE the oil)
1 12 oz Can of Beer (Separate Out ⅓ – ½ Cup)
3 Tablespoons Flour
1 32 ounce Box of Chicken Broth (Separate out 1 cup and reserve the rest – we’ll likely use some but will not use all 32 ounces…usually)
1 16 oz Carton of Heavy Cream or Half and Half Cream
2 teaspoons dried Italian Herbs
1+ Cup Fresh Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1+ Cup Fresh Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Optional: Fresh Parsley Chopped
Salt and Pepper to Taste

I tend to write WAY more steps on the website itself (here) than I do in the printable recipe page(s). If you are anything like me, the first time I cook a new recipe, I need a nice clear roadmap…recipe-map…to make sure I cook it and am successful the first time. When I make it again, all I really need are the “landmarks” and the small, tedious steps will come back to memory.

Step 1: Tenderize and start brining your chicken breast. Here’s How To Tenderize. Here’s How to Brine. We’ll let the chicken brine while we get our ingredients prepared. Preheat your oven to about 250° Fahrenheit or 100° Celsius. Place a grill pan in the oven. This is where we will place our skillet-ed chicken breasts to finish and get up to temp while we cook our pasta.

Step 2: Open the Jar of Sundried Tomatoes. Separate and SAVE THE OIL. There will be a lot of oil still on those tomatoes.

Step 3: Chop the Sundried Tomatoes…not too fine and not too coarse. Using some paper towels, squeeze out much of the oil from the chopped sundried tomatoes. They should be a squashed ball of very dark red pieces. The paper towels should have a nice, brighter, red color as they soak up all the excess oil (did you know that oily paper towels make for a great fire starter?).

Step 4: Chop the onion and the garlic.

Step 5: Prepare the greens. I like Kale. It’s got a bit more “bite” to it and will “hold up” better in this cook. You will need to remove the rib (that hard spine of each leaf). We use a variety called Black Magic. But, only consider that variety a reference and not that you have to find that particular kale. The Black Magic variety de-ribs very easily.

Chop the kale, spinach, or whatever green you decide to use and have them at the ready.

Step 6: Shred your cheeses. You could buy the cheese already shredded. But, there’s that anti caking substance to deal with. Trust me on the fresh shredded cheese.

Step 7: Measure out your 3 Tablespoons of Flour, 2 teaspoons dried Italian Herbs, and pepper with the pepper amount per your preference. Hold on to the salt for later.

Step 8: Everything is measured and ready for the cook. If your chicken breasts have been brining for the past 45-75 minutes, remove the chicken breast from the brine and pat dry. If you need more brining time then now is a good time for a 2nd beer and time with the family.

Step 9: Pour the oil that you reserved from the jar of sundried tomatoes into the skillet. Place over a nice medium to medium high heat. Your chicken breasts are already out of the brine and have been pat dry (not to over-dry it…there will still be a glistening and moisture to the meat…we are just patting off the excess moisture). Pat dry it only to where it is not dripping when you hold it up.

Step 10: While the oil heats, sprinkle the paprika over both sides of the raw chicken breast. Just a nice, per-your-taste dusting. Don’t batter the chicken with paprika.

Step 11: The oil should now have wisps of smoke (just barely) rising from the pan. Lay your chicken breast in the pan and let the chicken cook for a bit. Once one side is good and seared, turn the chicken breast over for the other side. By the end of this skillet-ing, the chicken breast should be getting close to done temperature. I usually pull mine at about 120°-130°ish Fahrenheit or 50°-55°ish Celsius. Then place the seared chicken breast in the preheated oven and on the preheated griddle to continue to cook while you get your pasta ready. We want it to all come together at the same time.

Note: When skillet-ing the chicken, don’t crowd the chicken breasts in the skillet or pot. If you have to sear in two batches, then that’s okay. Start with the biggest pieces; they will take longer to finish cooking in the oven.

Step 12: After you have seared your chicken breasts, pour off much of the oil (if much remains) and leave about a tablespoon or two (if there’s that much left in the skillet). Don’t “clean out” your pan; we need all of those bits and pieces for flavor.

We’ve just finished searing the chicken and the chicken is continuing to cook in the oven. Now it’s time to get the pasta going.

The skillet should still be hot.

Step 13: Add the chopped onions and the garlic to the hot pan and start to stir them about. They will naturally deglaze that pan and pull the bits and pieces free. Saute’ them to a nearly translucent appearance.

Step 14: Turn the heat down to medium to medium low, add the separated ⅓ to ½ cup of beer to the pan. If it’s cold beer, add it slowly.

Step 15: Add the flour and mix about until all the flour is mixed in. I add only part of the can of beer at this point to make sure get all the lumps of flour dissolved. Too much liquid and you may be “chasing” the tiny lumps. It’s going to start to thicken up.

Don’t add the flour with the cream; you’ll be hard pressed to visually make sure the white flour mixes completely with the while cream.

Step 16: Add the cream, the remaining amount of beer, the cup of chicken broth, the Italian spices, the chopped sundried tomatoes, and the pepper. It’s going to thin out quite a bit but will thicken up as this recipe cooks.

Step 17: Now the pasta. Add your noodles and mix them in well. Let them cook and add more chicken broth as needed to keep the liquid just so as to create a sauce and not a soup. A little at a time. Slowly but surely.

We have a lid for our 14” skillet and a lid helps hold in the moisture but also keeps it from steaming off and thickening up (as quickly). It will thicken up. No worries. This is the purpose of separating out the chicken broth. We will use that initial cup of broth in the cook and keep the rest ready for adding to our skillet if our sauce gets too thick before our pasta cooks enough.

Step 18: Stir the dish every few minutes to keep an eye on it and to make sure it does not stick (a little stickage is A-OK…it’s expected). Check the saltiness and add per your taste. See How to Salt a Dish HERE.

Step 19: Once the pasta has cooked to what we call, “Al dente,” it’s time to add the chopped greens. Mix them in and let them wilt.

Al dente (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_dente). “Molto al dente is an Italian culinary term that describes slightly undercooked pasta.” It’s the point in the cook where we need to add and cook other ingredients and we don’t want to cook those ingredients for as long as the pasta itself. So, we’ll cook the pasta like we did the chicken…just enough and not all the way done. This way the pasta can cook more while the greens cook and wilt and the cheese melts and blends.

Step 20: The greens will wilt pretty quickly in this recipe. Once the greens are well mixed in well, check the pasta for doneness. You know what the mouthfeel of cooked pasta is. If you like the consistency, it’s time to add the cheese.

Step 21: Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and add both cheeses to the pasta and mix in until all the shredded cheese is melted in. You can add chicken broth if things are getting too thick.

Step 22: Check the temperature of the chicken. It needs to be at a minimum 165 degrees. Add the cooked chicken on top of the noodles and serve! Add the chopped parsley to really bring it home visually.

Mac and cheese is comfort food. My go to with a nice meal of Mac and Cheese is a not-to-heavy porter or stout. Not too sweet (or not sweet at all). Mac and Cheese is a wee bit heavy (a good thing). I’ll avoid the porters / stouts that are “sippers” like those of the barrel-aged variety.

Sulae’s Suggestion: Porter / Stout

There’s not many options for a dish that has it all. Protein and starch AND THE VEGETABLE…this dish is LOADED. It’s one-pat-perfection.

Cauliflower Rice – There’s an idea. It’s like TWO starches in one meal. But, a quick go-to if you are thinking about adding a side.

Salad – You know as well as I do that a salad is an all-around go-to side for any meal. It’s easy and boring. That beer mac and cheese is what “they’ll” be reviewing anyway.

Nothing at all – And yes, no side is always an option for a recipe like this one.

Near ’bouts anything you can cook in your home oven you can cook in a cast iron Dutch oven.

This is a one-pot, one-plate, feed-’em-all recipe. You can’t go wrong with this one.

This is BOTH a “Frying” recipe and a “Baking” recipe. Frying to sear the chicken and baking when you are ready to cook the pasta. Just remember when baking that the heat source is primarily on the top of the Dutch oven.

When you add your chicken to the recipe, you can lay it flat on the top of the cheesy pasta and then flip it over to coat the chicken in the cheese sauce.
If your pasta is done and ready for the chicken and the chicken is not quite done yet, place the slightly under-done chicken on the top of the pasta and put the whole pan in the oven to finish off.

Creamy Mac and Beer Cheese with Greens and Chicken

Seared Chicken Breast on a Bed of Creamy Mac and Beer Cheese with Bits of Greens Blended Within

Print Recipe

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 30

Servings: 6

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Calories: 629

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

3-4 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts Tenderized and Brined – see Beer and Iron How To Tenderize Chicken and How to Brine Chicken Breast.
Paprika For Dusting – Smoked or Not

For the Mac:

2 Bunches of Finner Chopped Kale or Spinach De-rib the Kale, Wash, Chop, Have at the Ready
10 Ounces Uncooked Elbow Macaroni Give or Take and Ounce or Two
1 Yellow Onion Chopped
4-8 Cloves Garlic Chopped or Minced
1 9-10 oz Jar of Sun Dried Tomatoes IN OIL IN OIL – SAVE the oil
12 Ounces Beer Separate Out ⅓ – ½ Cup
3 Tablespoons Flour
32 ounce Chicken Broth Separate out 1 cup and reserve the rest – we’ll likely use some but will not use all 32 ounces…usually.
16 Ounces Cream Heavy Cream or Half and Half Cream
2 teaspoons Dried Italian Herbs
1 Cup + Cup Fresh Shredded Mozzarella Cheese A little more is okay
1 Cup + Cup Fresh Shredded Cheddar Cheese A little more is okay
Fresh Parsley Chopped
Salt and Pepper To Taste

Equipment

1 One Tablespoon Measuring Spoon
1 One Teaspoon Measuring Spoon
1 Grater or Shredder
1 One Cup Measuring Cup
1 Cutting Board
1 Knife
1 Wooden Spatula
1 Salad Spinner (optional but very nice to have)
1 12-15 Inch Cast Iron Skillet

Method

Step 1: Tenderize and start brining your chicken breast.
Step 2: Preheat your oven to about 250° Fahrenheit or 100° Celsius. Place a grill pan in the oven. This is where we will place our skillet-ed chicken breasts while we cook our pasta.
Step 3: Open the Jar of Sundried Tomatoes. Separate and SAVE THE OIL.
Step 4: Chop the Sundried Tomatoes. Using some paper towels, squeeze out much of the oil from the chopped sundried tomatoes.
Step 5: Chop the onion and the garlic.
Step 6: Prepare the greens. Removed the ribs/spines from the leaves. Chop the kale, spinach, or other green.
Step 7: Shred your cheeses.
Step 8: Measure out Flour, Italian Herbs, and pepper (to taste). Hold on to the salt for later.
Step 9: Remove the chicken breast from the brine and pat dry. Dust the paprika to both sides of the chicken breast.
Step 10: Using the oil from the jar of sundried tomatoes over a medium to medium high heat, sear your chicken breasts.
Step 11: Remove the chicken from the skillet to an internal temperature of about 120°-130°ish Fahrenheit or 50°-55°ish Celsius. Then place the seared chicken breast in the preheated oven and on the preheated griddle until later.
Step 12: After you have seared your chicken breasts, pour off all the oil but about 2 tablespoons.
Step 13: Add the chopped onions and the garlic to the hot pan and saute’ them to a nearly translucent appearance.
Step 14: Turn the heat down to medium to medium low, add the separated ⅓ to ½ cup of beer to the pan.
Step 15: Add the flour and mix about until all the flour is blended in well. It’s going to start to thicken up.
Step 16: Add the cream, the remaining amount of beer, the cup of chicken broth, the Italian spices, the chopped sundried tomatoes, and the pepper.
Step 17: Add your noodles and mix them in well. Let them cook and add more chicken broth as needed to keep the liquid just so as to create a sauce and not a soup.
Step 18: Stir the dish every few minutes to keep an eye on it and to make sure it does not stick. Check the saltiness and add per your taste.
Step 19: Once the pasta has cooked to what we call, “Al dente,” or almost cooked, it’s time to add the chopped greens. Mix them in and let them wilt.
Step 20: Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and add both cheeses to the pasta and mix in until all the shredded cheese is melted in. You can add chicken broth if things are getting too thick.
Step 21: Check the temperature of the chicken. It needs to be at a minimum 165°F / 75°C. Add the cooked chicken on top of the noodles and serve! Add the chopped parsley to really "bring it home."

Notes

When you add your chicken to the recipe, you can lay it flat on the top of the cheesy pasta and then flip it over to coat the chicken in the cheese sauce.

If your pasta is done and ready for the chicken and the chicken is not quite done yet, place the slightly under-done chicken on the top of the pasta and put the whole pan in the oven to finish off.

Chicken, Dinner, Uncategorized

by Sulae @ beerandiron.com

December 9, 2022

How to Tenderize Chicken Breasts

How to tenderize chicken breast.

Chicken, Meats, Uncategorized

by Sulae @ beerandiron.com

November 7, 2022

How To Create Roux

How to Make Roux, light roux, brown roux, dark roux, red roux

Chili, Soup, Soups, Stews, Uncategorized

by Sulae @ beerandiron.com

November 6, 2022

Salt to Taste

“What does ‘salt to taste’ mean anyway? Just give me a measurement that works, right? After all, I am reading your recipe and need to know what works!”
– My Past Self

Salt. Alone it’s overwhelming to the senses, leaves you thirsty, and lingers on the palate. Even after a pinched taste, that saltiness just won’t go away. But, add just enough salt to any dish and the flavors come alive! Salt is like a light in the darkness that illuminates the flavors of food. But, shine a bright light in your eyes and it’s overwhelming. Add too much salt and the dish is ruined. Or, add too little salt and the recipe is mediocre. The question is: how much salt is “enough?”

That’s a very subjective question. What’s salty to me may be too salty to you; or what’s salty to you may be too little salt for someone else. The goal in this article is not to be given a volume of salt to add to a recipe but to give you the tips to know when to add salt; the quantity is up to you. Hence, “salt to taste.” When to add salt is very objective; the quantity of salt is very subjective. I can tell you when to add salt, but how much salt is up to you and your taste preferences. Hopefully this article will simplify this all just a bit.

It is worth noting that this method of salting food works with most soups, stews, chilis, and bisques. I will usually designate the salt specifics for foods that are baked, roasted, or grilled.

My salty is not your salty.”
– Chef Sulae

Almost every recipe has salt. Think about that for a bit. Almost every recipe has salt as an ingredient. From cakes to chilis, we add salt to just about everything. Some of the recipes on Beer and Iron will have a defined amount of salt like a brine mixture recipe. Other recipes will suggest “salt to taste.”

If the soup, stew, chili, or bisque recipe does not define the amount of salt, don’t add any salt initially. Prepare and add all the ingredients and have the food cooking first before adding salt. Keep your kosher salt nearby and follow these steps:

Step 1: Prepare all the ingredients and add them to the pot as suggested by the recipe.

Step 2: Let the meal get warmed up in the pot.

Step 3: Using a spoon, press down from the top of the liquid and gently let the liquid spill over into the spoon. Don’t let too many of the ingredients fall into that spoon (preferably just broth).

Step 4: “Blow” on the spoon just enough to cool it down so it does not burn you. A burned mouth will be miserable and you’ll temporarily lose the ability to accurately “taste” saltiness to some degree. Basically, don’t burn your “taste-er” or it will be “out of whack.”

Step 5: How does it taste? Initially, it will likely be lacking in saltiness. And, depending on the recipe, you’ll add a certain volume of salt. I may add a whole teaspoon during this first taste when I am making a gumbo or something similar and then add only a ½ teaspoon later on the second taste test as well as subsequent tastes.

Step 6: After adding your determined volume of salt, stir it into the recipe. Stir from the bottom. I use a wooden spoon or wooden spatula to pull from the bottom-to-the-top.

Step 7: Wait a few minutes and return to the pot. Taste test it again. How is it? If it’s spot on then rock on! If it’s lacking, add salt as you determine and return to the pot after a few minutes to check again. Eventually you’ll taste it and say, “PERFECTION!”

Step 8: About 10 minutes before your food is ready, taste test it again. Is it still perfect? AWESOME!

Never measure salt over the food you are about to salt. Inevitably, the salt will dump into the pot of food. Whoa is any chef who measures ingredients over the preparing/prepared meal.
If you are in doubt, ask someone to taste-test it with you. Remind them that you are not looking for a compliment on the food’s taste. You are looking for what they think the saltiness is like. Free them from the feeling that they need to offer a complement.
Consider the ingredients you are preparing. Don’t forget that some salt is naturally found in foods we eat. And, we often add salt-brined foods to our recipes. Salting a ground beef chili is different from salting a chicken stew with previously beer-brined chicken meat. That brined chicken meat has salt already deep in the meat…some salt will “move” from the meat to the broth.
During the meal, ask about the saltiness. If others are enjoying the meal and they think the salt is spot on, then remember how much you put into the recipe as a guide for next time. BUT, don’t use this as gospel. Next time there may be a factor that changed but you did not notice. Remember how much salt you used this time and use that amount as a guide the next time you create this recipe.
I know it’s a pain in the rump, but jot down all the ingredients and amounts you used when you created the meal…including the salt. Replication of awesome meals is only possible this way. Otherwise you are leaving your meals to chance and luck.
Consider the salt content of different herb and spice mixtures that are added to recipes. A liquid ingredient we love to add to our meals is very salty. We usually start “salting” with these mixtures until we get enough of the herb then we go to our kosher salt.
Cold food will trick you. Never determine the saltiness of cold food. It may taste like it’s lacking salt. This is due to the salt being introduced to a temperature that is not warm enough for the salt to fully dissolve. Cold food may taste as if it’s lacking in salt, or the spoonful you tested has too much undissolved salt and tastes too salty.
Never determine the saltiness of the food itself. Always taste the liquid and not a bite of the food. Let’s say that you are cooking a meal with half slices of zucchini. Your meal is on the stove and has started to bubble a bit. Tasting a bite of zucchini that is still in the cooking process will taste like salt needs to be added. Just taste the liquid; the zucchini will follow suit to the broth during the cooking process. If the broth is perfect, the food will be too.
Add the salt during the cooking process. Don’t just serve meals that have not had salt added during the cooking process. Like our zucchini example, that zucchini will still not have enough salt “inside” the bite. Adding salt afterwards is okay (and often necessary for those of your family that love LOTS of salt vs another member who needs much less). But don’t rely on at-the-table-salting as your method of choice. Your meals will not taste consistently awesome.
When adding salt, if you determine caution is necessary and you’ll add only ¼ and ½ teaspoons at a time, check the saltiness more often during the cooking process.
About 10 minutes before your food is ready, taste test it again. The unsalted liquid from many of the ingredients will have been released into the food and at the same time, some of the salt will have “gone into” that food. Check a few minutes before the dinner bell to make sure it’s still okie-dokie.
Never shake salt into the pot. Shaking salt only happens at the table. Always measure your salt (see Salt in the Palm Challenge below).
Better to have under-salted food than over-salted food; just sayin’. But…
At the same time, avoid the fear of over-salting but don’t let that fear cause you to under-salt. Taste it as you cook; add as you cook. You’ll get this right!

Measure a teaspoon of salt. Now, pour that teaspoonful into your palm and study it for a bit. How does it look sitting there in your palm? We’re not looking at the salt specifically. We’re looking at the way this volume of salt looks in our palm.

Next, pour the salt back into the container. With a brushed off palm, pour that same amount into your palm straight from the container. Don’t measure it with a spoon; just eyeball-it. The challenge is complete after you pour that salt into a teaspoon and see if you were short, on target, or were a bit too full.

Eventually, you’ll develop an eye for what a teaspoon looks like in your hand and you’ll dang-near get the exact amount each time you “measure” salt if given enough time to “learn” how a teaspoon of salt (or other ingredients like herbs) “looks” in your own palm. Suggestions: from now on, when you need to add a teaspoon (or tablespoon) of anything to a recipe, pour that ingredient over into your palm and study it for a second or two.

However, when in doubt, always measure for exactness.

You will likely get the “salt to taste” on the 2nd or 3rd taste test. I seldom need to add salt a 3rd time. However, initially as you get used to this process, you may need to add salt multiple times and in smaller amounts until you get the feel…the taste for it. Remember, when in doubt, too much salt is worse than too little. Go slowly. You will eventually, given enough meals, learn to know how much salt to put into a recipe as per the volume of food you are cooking.

Stories, Uncategorized

by Sulae @ beerandiron.com

November 5, 2022

Beer and Chicken Bone Broth

Does making your own broth take time? Sure, it does! So does eating a meal. But, I can “Guar-Ron-Tee” dat eating a bad meal takes longer than eating a good meal. Do you want them plates and bowls to end up at the sink with…

Beer, Chicken, Chili, Dinner, Iron, Meal, Meats, Soup, Soups, Stews, Supper, Uncategorized

by Sulae @ beerandiron.com

November 4, 2022

Meal Prepping and Planning

This article will not teach you how to divvy up meal-sized portions and stow them away for lunches all week. We’re planning to eat and eat well! And planning for meal to be cooked is how we better ensure that our after-the-day-is-done time is spent…

Stories

by Sulae @ beerandiron.com

May 30, 2022

Beef Cookie Treats for Dogs

We’re creating treats for the pups in your life with left over parts and pieces that we cast iron chefs would just have thrown away otherwise. This is a beef and whole wheat treat you can make as easy as cookies.

We make a lot of bone broth. Seems there’s always a jar in the fridge with a brown-colored liquid filling most of the bottom of that jar with a “cap” of a white-ish fat just under the lid and resting on top of that brown liquid. It doesn’t look very appetizing; that’s for sure. But, the soups, stews, chilis, and even gumbos we create with that broth…well…they are memorable moments for sure!

Don’t Eat That!

Once upon a time, I am finishing up a broth and my wife comes home, “Ohhh, something sure smells good in here.” There’s a colander of steaming “meat” and, before I could say anything, she picks a piece up and is about to “enjoy” the before-dinner, sneak-a-bite. Luckily, she paused for a moment. After taking a closer look at what she had in her fingers and two inches from her mouth, “What is this?!”

And not one of those, “what is this that you are cooking because it’s so amazing” questions either. This was a “what is this that you are cooking and please tell me this is not for dinner because there’s other stuff in here that ain’t meat” accusatory questions.

Beef Bone Broth Recipe: https://beerandiron.com/2022/05/beer-beef-bone-broth-recipe-in-a-cast-iron-dutch-oven

Chicken Broth Recipe: https://beerandiron.com/2023/03/beer-and-chicken-bone-broth

It’s not Meat; It’s a Meat-ish Mix

It did smell good in the house. For sure. That broth was all jar-ed up and ready for the fridge, and that colander of meat-ish stuff sat there ready for the trash but I always had a hard time tossing it. It looked like meat and smelled like meat. But, it sure ain’t meat…at least most of it ain’t meat. I’d even save some of it to give to the dogs as is; you know, a bite-at-a-time. Even storing in the fridge, the hassle of reaching in that greasy zipper bag and pulling out a piece as a bite-at-a-time treat resulted in the dogs really not getting much and then eventually the this-has-been-in-here-too-long worries start. Then…trash.

Dog Cookies!

So, eventually I created this dog cookie recipe that has been such a success with our dogs. I figured I’d share it with you all. No, there’s no beer in these cookies…none that “survived” the cooking process. This recipe is just lagniappe… Bon Appetit! to the pups in your life!

P.S. Dare you to try one…

The Cast Iron

Most all y’all gonna have a large, flat cast iron reversible grill/griddle.

(affiliate links in this article)

These work best; you can really load up the cookies on all that cast iron “real estate.”

However, piece of cast iron you have will work just fine. A large cast iron skillet will work well to…or a small one with multiple batches.

The Supplies

Food Processor – You’ll be hard pressed to create this recipe without a way to grind the meat-ish mix into the flour and parsley mix.
Rolling Pin – To roll the dough out for cutting.
Fork – Optional to score the raw cookies
Cookie or Biscuit Cutter – I can totally see someone getting a bone-shaped cookie cutter LIKE THIS ONE to cut these cookies out.
Wax Paper – Optional. We use it to keep the cookies from sticking to the counter top. But, given enough oil, you’ll likely not have any stickage.

Ingredients

1 – 1 ½ Cups of Meat-ish Mix
1 ½ Cups Whole Wheat Flour
½ Teaspoon of Salt
¼ Cup of Oil or Fat
1 Bunch of Parsley (cut the stems off; they will not grind very well)

Prepare the Ingredients

Step 1: Measure all the ingredients out and separate the dry from the wet.

Step 2: Get the food processor at the read.

Step 3: Pre Heat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.

The Dry Stuff

Step 4: Add the 1 – 1 ½ Cups of meat-ish mix to the food processor first. Order is not that important but if you start with the thicker materials and add the flour afterwards, the processing part will work a bit better.

Step 5: Add the Bunch of Parsley. Dogs may like the meat flavor but some of their breath compares to that of Satan himself. Holy moley! Parsley is like a tic tac for doggies (well…not really).

Step 6: Add the 1 ½ Cups Whole Wheat Flour

Step 7: Add the salt. This is optional but encouraged; it’ll enhance the flavor (yes…I have tried one or two).

Step 8: Run the food processor for a few moments until the mixture resembles a crumbly, dry cake mix texture.

The Wet Stuff

Step 9: Add the two eggs. This is the “glue” to hold the cookies together.

Step 10: Add the fat. You could just add some beef fat that you’ve been saving or some bacon fat. You’ll not need too much. We use ¼ of a cup and add more fat if the cookie dough does not form or is too crumbly.

Step 11: Process all the ingredients to a semi-sticky dough ball. Trust me; you’ll have to be patient as the dough comes together. I’ll take a few minutes.

If you add any more “wet stuff,” it’ll just get gummy, and you’ll have to add more flour. If the dough is just not coming together then add more flour. Feel free to drop me an email if you are having trouble with this process. It’s the same process we use to make a pie crust.

Once you start seeing the “wad” of dough start to “orbit” around those food processor blades, the dough is ready to pull out.

Step 12: Remove the dough ball from the food processor and roll the dough flat on an oiled surface. We use oil on wax paper or parchment paper to keep the cookies from sticking. Wetter cookies will be stickier. If the dough is sticking to your fingers; it’s too wet.

How thick do we roll the cookies out?

I like a thinner cookie; it gives the cookie a “crunch” and, as the theory holds, will help keep the dog’s teeth a bit cleaner. But there’s nothing wrong with going from “cookie” to “biscuit.” A thicker cookie (like in the video at time 4:20), will be softer and easier to chew…a good choice for your older, “dentally-challenged” pups.

Step 13: Cut the cookies out. Any shape is A-OK. I suggest not cutting them in squares of you plan to toss them to the dog for catching. Ever had a corn chip “hook” sideways in your mouth? Those edges will cook harder than the center and will likely poke the inside of the dog’s mouth.

Step 14: (Optional). Use a fork to score the cookies for more even cooking. They will not rise; there’s no soda or yeast in these cookies.

Step 15: As round shapes go, there are always those bits and parts left from cutting the cookies. Stack the cut and scored cookies up and gather all the bits and pieces. Roll them back up and cut more cookies out. Keep going until all the dough is cut out into cookies.

Step 16: Place them on the cast iron griddle (the flat side). You could add some oil but it’s not usually necessary unless your cookies are a bit sticky.

Step 17: Bake the cookies in the oven for about 30 minutes. After about 20 minutes you could give them a turn, but this is not necessary.

Step 18: After they are baked, pull them out for cooling. You can either use a cooling rack (LIKE THIS ONE), lay them out on a towel, or you can just let them cool on the griddle surface.

And that is about as easy as it comes.

Beer and Iron’s Beef Cookies for Dogs

We’re creating treats for the pups in your life with leftover parts and pieces that we cast iron chefs would just have thrown away otherwise. This is a beef and whole wheat treat you can make as easy as cookies.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes