Food Thread: Beerslinger Returns! A Beer Primer[CBD]

Now here I go dropping science about beers; ales and lagers.
Well...maybe we can skip the science, what with all the postulating theorems formulating equations, this is, after all, a primer, and, it's a Sunday.

Ales and lagers are the two broad categories of beer. Each of these categories offer a variety of styles. The basic differences are the yeasts used and the temperatures at which these yeasts are fermented.

The bitterness, sweetness of the beer, colors and alcohol content range in a large spectrum for both, ales and lagers.

Ale yeasts are fermented at warmer temperatures which cause the yeast to ferment on the top of the beer. Lagers are known as bottom fermenters as the cooler temperatures allow the yeasts to ferment at the base. Kind of like crayfish, carp and career politicians. Please, no offense intended to you lager lushes out there and /or career politicians.

Ale flavors tend to express more fruity and spicy notes which are derived from the warmer fermentation of the yeasts. However, lagers can also be fairly full bodied, such as is found in wheat beers with notes of cloves or bananas.

For the most part, lagers are clean, crisp and refreshing.
With lagers your going to taste more of the grains and some hops.
With the ales, your tasting mostly the yeasts and hops.

It's not science, it's just beer (unless you're a brewer).

So, which do you prefer? And, what style of that category does the horde prefer?

Ale Street News

This is from Cooks Country, which is a solid, if irritating (they want your credit card #!) site for fail-safe recipes.

For a substantial crust, don't break up the Melba toasts too much, and coat the chops well with mayonnaise. Although an instant-read thermometer takes the guesswork out of determining when the meat is done, you can use the "nick-and-peek" method: Use a paring knife to make a slit in the top of the pork chop and take a look at the meat's interior. The Melba crumbs can be made weeks in advance and stored in the freezer. Applesauce is a natural with these chops.

1 (5-ounce) box Melba toast , broken into rough pieces
1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon sugar
6 tablespoons mayonnaise

4 center-cut boneless pork chops , 3/4 inch to 1 inch thick (each 6 to 7 ounces), patted dry with paper towels

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Place Melba toast pieces, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, thyme, and sugar in heavy-duty zipper-lock freezer bag. Seal bag and pound with heavy blunt object (such as a rolling pin) until Melba toasts are crushed but still have some crumbs the size of small pebbles. Add 2 tablespoons mayonnaise to bag and work mayonnaise evenly into crumb mixture by gently squeezing outside of bag. Transfer Melba crumb mixture to large plate.

2. Using your fingers, coat 1 chop with 1 tablespoon mayonnaise. Transfer to plate with Melba crumbs, sprinkle top of pork chop with some Melba mixture, and press down firmly on chop to adhere crumbs. Flip chop and repeat, making sure that thick layer of crumbs coats both sides and edges. Transfer breaded pork chop to baking rack set over rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chops.

3. Bake pork chops until juices run clear and instant-read thermometer inserted into center of chop registers 145 to 150 degrees, 16 to 22 minutes. Remove chops from oven and let rest on rack for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

posted by Open Blogger at 04:15 PM

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