Do you ever find yourself with one extra beer that just didn’t quite make it to the party? Or if you’re like me, just a wide variety of leftover beers that you just can’t find it in yourself to get rid of? I mean really don’t you feel a little bad watching that beer go down the drain? ESPECIALLY an UNOPENED beer? This recipe provides a solution to your problem.
All You Need Is:
- 12oz of any Dark Beer
- 2 Medium Onions, Sliced
- 3 Tbsps Unsalted Butter
- 8oz White Mushrooms
- 8oz Baby Bella Mushrooms
- 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
- Roughly 1lb of Ground Beef (I had 18oz, just slightly over one lb)
- Olive Oil, about 2 – 3 Tbsps
- Salt and Black Pepper
- Small – Medium Sauce Pot
- Medium Pan
Now the only dark beer I had on hand was a Coffee Porter from Harpoon. So I went into this one a little nervous about if the bitter coffee flavor would take over, but I was surprised to learn that it did not matter, the meal was delicious nonetheless. So you really can use any dark beer you have lying around (and I will be making this one again, I have another dark beer in my beer graveyard in the back of the pantry – those poor forgotten beers).
Step One: Similar to my first post, we are going to begin this lovely meal by caramelizing some onions! (I promise, this is not a theme of the blog, I just freaking love onions.) So you’re going to want to grab a small / medium sauce pot (with a lid!) and melt about 3 Tpsps of Unsalted Butter in there over medium heat. While that melts, get out 2 Medium Onions, and slice them up. Get them in the pot, stir to make sure they are all buttered up and cover your pot. Let caramelize, stirring occasionally for about 30 – 40 minutes.
This recipe SEEMS like it’s going to be long and labor intensive but in reality it’s really quick after the onions are done! I made this one Monday night after working until 6 and managed to be eating around 8:30 – I think that’s a successful weeknight dinner! Plus, I got to relax a little bit while the onions did their thing (always a bonus while cooking, am I right?)
Step Two: In the meantime, rinse and chop the mushrooms into thick slices. Set aside.
Step Three: After your onions are golden – dark brown, remove them from your pot. Set aside in a small bowl. Add 2 -3 Tbsp of olive oil into the pot, and dump all 16oz of those mushrooms in there. Can you tell I also love mushrooms? Cook your mushrooms over medium heat until they are nice and soft, then add your minced garlic. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes.
Step Four: Pour half of your beer into the pot. Let the mixture simmer slightly until thickened, I turned the heat up just a tiny bit at this point to get the simmer going.
Step Five: Add the onions back into the pot, and pour the rest of the beer in there too! Bring back to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently for about 15 minutes.
Step Six: While your sauce is simmering, there’s time to get the Salisbury steaks ready, returning every few minutes to give you sauce a quick stir. Generally the longer a sauce like this sits, the better (and thicker) it is.
I whipped out our little kitchen scale and measured out 3 equal balls of ground beef (around 6oz each). I made three but the sauce could have EASILY stretched over a fourth. Flatten out the balls slightly and put a little salt and pepper on each, gently folding it into the meat (careful not to over handle them.) Then, flatten the balls into patties, like you would if you were making a hamburger. Heat a medium pan over medium – to high heat. Melt a sliver or two of the unsalted butter in the pan, just slightly coating it. Once the butter starts to bubble slightly get those patties in there! Cook each patty about 5 1/2 minutes on each side. Make sure not to flatten the patties out with the spatula while they cook, you’ll squeeze out all the juiciness!
To determine if they are done, you can either cut into one, or use a meat thermometer. If you like it rare, they should be about 125°. Mine were about 135° – 140°, and still had some nice rareness to them in the center.
When your patties are done, plate them and smother them in that wonderful boozy mushroom sauce. If you like a thicker sauce, like me, toss a pinch of cornstarch into there and give it one last stir before serving.
Happy stirring! I served this paired with these Smashed Potatoes with Blue Cheese.
Recent Comments