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Thursday, September 10, 2009

The Cook with Beer Challenge Update

On September 7, I challenged myself to a Julie & Julia-like challenge. In my case: 78 recipes cooking with beer in 116 days.

My intention was to start the following day; however, one nagging “you’ll never finish it” thought after another prompted me to pick a couple of recipes from BeerCook.com, hit the store, and COOK WITH BEER.

Even though it was already late in the day, I seasoned a couple of good-sized whole chickens, stuffed a can of beer of each birds arse, fired up the Big Green Egg (my ceramic smoker grill), and smoked them using beer soaked hickory chips (recipe 1 of 78).




As the birds were being smoked (yes, they are hard to keep lit), I coated some mushrooms and cauliflower in a beer fritter batter and deep fried them in peanut oil (recipe 2 of 78). This is actually a recipe from the classic American cookbook first published in 1896, The Fanny Farmer Cookbook (I bet that Lucy of BeerCook.com won't mind).



Lady Suzanne with a lap full of light, sweet and beery, delectable goodness

It was about that time that I thought to return a call/message from Sir James of Taylor who had called and left a message earlier in the day:

Sir James: What are you doing?
Sir Bowie: Oh, just smoking some chickens and deep frying some vegetables for a starter. Have you eaten?

Sir James and his wife Wendy were over faster than a pint of ale past my gums on a warm summer’s eve!

It turned out to be perfect timing as the chickens had reached their cooked -- still moist and succulent thanks to the beer -- state of juicy perfection.



A toast to our newest Knight: Lady Gwendoline of Kensington at the Kuhn Diner!



For dessert I presented one more deep fried dish: Beer Batter Bananas sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and then drizzled with chocolate sauce.



All and all, a meal fit for a king – at least a few Knights.

So, there you have it, recipes 1 and 2 (I guess I could count the bananas as a third, but I don’t want to claim to be more gluttonous than I already am).

The next two questions: How to cook leftover chicken… with beer?

And what strong ale compliments the wild ambrosial of grilled feline?




Another blog for another day.


I hope Lucy Saunders of BeerCook.com will be proud of me.


Sir Bowie “76 Cooking with Beer recipes and 115 days to go” of Greenbriar

9 comments:

  1. Ahh, a royal feast fit for a brother-in-law! It may have just been a slip of the "n," but deep fried dishes are indeed deep friend dishes also.

    Keep practicing, maybe even go to two-a-days, and good luck!

    Sir L

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  2. The Knighthood is mighty proud of you Sir B... I am reading this at Lunchtime UK and am now suffering drool meltdown.

    Yes i am indeed ordering Lucy's book from Amazon.. ( for the Pagan Yule festivities in December )

    Is it me...or do those two Chucks look like they are almost enjoying the cook-off ...looking like two folks sat in a jacuzzi??

    Yay to the KMSA Pussycat... the first Sighting... he/she looks to be in kitty heaven with all that food there...I can feel a caption comment coming on :))

    Sir D ( who is now tooo hungry for words ) of O

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  3. Sir Lance,

    Typo Fixed.

    I stand coreccted!

    Fried bananas are your friends.

    Sir Bowie

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  4. Baby Princess White Sox is the outdoor cooking mascot of 15 years

    and yes, Sir B always shares with her
    and Uli
    (our little "mighty one" white dog)

    We are enjoying this challenge immensely!

    Lady Suz,
    off to church and then Clabber today, then
    home to see what the newest creation will be!

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  5. Thanks so much - I'm truly honored! And I'm a bit envious of your big Green Egg - have always wanted to cook on one of those since seeing one in action at the Ohio Brew Week festival of BBQ.

    I'm very proud and happy about your noble endeavor - did you know that I catered a Medieval Feast in college instead of writing a final paper for my Middle English class? We ate off bread trenchers (bread dough baked over an inverted pie plate - made 80 of them)

    Your project has inspired me to update the site with more recipes from the archives, cheers, Lucy

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  6. A huge WELCOME to Lucybeercook - from one who is enjoying the process greatly!

    More recipes means more lovely meals at our house!

    Lady Suzanne,
    whose own Lady Lucy will be 20 years old tomorrow : )

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  7. What's that you say, a new member Lady Gwendoline of Kensington? A very hearty welcome to her. I'm sure that's what you all meant to post. :-)

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  8. Yes, How unknightly of us.....Welcome Lady Gwendoline...

    Looking forward to your new Comments and even Blogs :)).....

    Now pick up the Cat and run run run like the wind...


    Sir D ( So full of Chivalry it gets in the way of me sword..) Of Oxenfordhireness

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  9. I still can't believe, or maybe I do because it's me, that no one picked up on the Bud Light enema that the Chicken was receiving next to the Green Egg!

    What goes in must come out!

    Sir Hook Who's Always Blowin' It Out My Arse of Warrick

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