Cooking With Sam Adams Beer!

#SamInHand — Cooking with Sam Adams Beer — Banner

Last updated on March 22nd, 2021 at 03:39 am

As a guy who rarely cooks, I’m guessing that God’s having none of that and making sure I can actually provide for my family.

Some time ago, I shared the story of my hatred for cooking, sure I’d avoid the kitchen for the rest of my earthbound years. But with daycare nipping hot at the heels of the East York Palmers, and with it the scheduling unpredictability that comes from a family with two working parents, I had to bite the bullet sometime!

So whaddya know—despite being loath for anything finding me in front of a stove, brands like Samuel Adams put their money where their mouth is (and product where mine is), challenging me to grab an apron and see what I can do to feed myself without calling the number for the local pizzeria—and yes, it is on my speed dial.

Everyone, for your viewing pleasure, I present—Cooking With Beer: Because it’s Not Just Good for Drinking!

Beer-Brined Pork Chops—Deliciousness Just ASKING to be Made!

#SamInHand — Beer-Brined Pork Chops — Sam Adams 6-Pack

Even I know that the difference between good and great cooking are the ingredients. We wanted to make a delicious steak we’d had with a dark lager base, but Stock in Trade was plumb out of hanger steak, so their butchers convinced us to go another way—we had home with a couple of bone-in pork chops and a Sam Adams six-pack from The Beer Store, ready to see what magic we could make!

We used a modified version of Canadian Living’s recipe for Beer-Brined Pork Chops:

Ingredients

#SamInHand—Beer-Brined Pork Chops—Brine Ingredients
  • 2 cups (500 mL) Samuel Adams Boston Lager
  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) sea salt
  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup (250 mL) ice cubes
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2 bone-in pork chops, 1 to 1¼ inches thick

Spice Rub:

#SamInHand—Beer-Brined Pork Chops—Spice Rub Spices
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) paprika
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) pepper
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) garlic powder
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp (2 mL) cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried thyme

Preparation

  • #SamInHand — Beer-Brined Pork Chops — Bone-In Pork Chops
  • #SamInHand — Beer-Brined Pork Chops — Sam Adams Brine
  • #SamInHand — Beer-Brined Pork Chops — Pork Chop Preparation
  • #SamInHand — Beer-Brined Pork Chops — Pork Chop Mixture

In baking dish, whisk together Sam Adams, salt and brown sugar; stir in ice cubes and onion. Submerge pork chops in mixture; cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

#SamInHand — Beer-Brined Pork Chops — Spice Rub Mix

Spice Rub: In small bowl, combine paprika, pepper, garlic powder, brown sugar, cayenne pepper and thyme.

  • #SamInHand — Beer-Brined Pork Chops — Brined Chops
  • #SamInHand — Beer-Brined Pork Chops — Spice Rubbed Chops

Remove chops from brine; pat dry with paper towel. Rub spice blend onto both sides of chops.

  • #SamInHand — Beer-Brined Pork Chops — Chops on the Grill
  • #SamInHand — Beer-Brined Pork Chops — Cooked Chops
  • #SamInHand — Beer-Brined Pork Chops — Cooked Chops Plated

Place chops on greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and grill until juices run clear when pork is pierced and just a hint of pink remains inside, about 4 minutes per side.

Cooking is Awesome in THEORY…

After soaking the chops overnight in Sam Adams brine, I could finally get my cook on the next day! Preparing the spice rub to coat my chops, I went to the backyard on an overcast evening to preheat the barbecue for the deliciousness about to grace its grills. I went in, coating the chops with the rub, and readied myself to hit the grill… on to realize I wasn’t alone.

#SamInHand—Beer-Brined Pork Chops—Damn Raccoon
This jerk was poised right above my barbecue and eventually brought a friend. What could I do but wait them out?

Dusk is not a time for humans to cook outside, braving the elements to sate their appetites. No, dusk is the hour of the raccoon, and a pork chop would be a heck of an upgrade from the leftover scraps they usually eat.

So I waited. I bade my time and made enough noise that they eventually sauntered off, leaving me in relative rainy peace to get my grill on and hope it’d be edible!

#SamInHand—Beer-Brined Pork Chops—Complete Meal with Sam

And it was—oh, it most definitely was! Paired with corn and bean salads that Sarah’d put together for a recent barbecue, and—of course—a tasty bottle of Samuel Adams Boston Lager, I’d totally do this again.

Just with a little less raccoon.

Cooking = Not the Worst Ever.

#SamInHand—Beer-Brined Pork Chops—Sad Onion Face
I’d like to say these are tears of joy, but really, I just really hate cutting onions!

So maybe I’m not completely useless. I’m not opening a restaurant anytime soon (or ever if I have my way), but I’m a little less worried that my family will starve to death on my watch.

The next time you get your hands on a Sam Adams, don’t just drink it — create with it! Beer’s unique flavour compliments all sorts of foods from meats to salad dressing and even cupcakes.

It’s time to get your nom on and do it right—so go cook with beer and grab a bite!

Enjoy your boozy creations,

The second logo for Casey Palmer, Canadian Dad

By Casey E. Palmer

Husband. Father. Storyteller.

Calling the Great White North his home, Casey Palmer the Canadian Dad spend his free time in pursuit of the greatest content possible.

Thousand-word blog posts? Snapshots from life? Sketches and podcasts and more—he's more than just a dad blogger; he's working to change what's expected of the parenting creators of the world.

It's about so much more than just our kids.

When Casey's not creating, he's busy parenting, adventuring, trying to be a good husband and making the most of his life!

Casey lives in Toronto, Ontario.

20 replies on “Cooking With Sam Adams Beer!”

Yo Casey, when are you inviting me over to Palmer household to try some of your awesome cooking? hehe =)

My biggest moment of “twitter fame” was the day I posted that I was making fried pork chops with an Octoberfest sauce and the Sam Adams account replied. I almost printed it out and hung it on the fridge, haha.
I don’t drink too much anymore, so I’ve been racking up recipes to use up the stores of tequila, wine, and vodka in my house… So far it’s been a tasty ride!

You’ve gotta have those moments when you know you’re doing things “right”. How else are you going to know you’re on the right track?

I’m definitely more of a beer drinker now than any hard liquor — my university and clubbing days are long, long, LONG behind me. But in my fridge, you’ll find barbecue sauces with beer, bourbon and tequila bases 🙂

Alcohol. It’s always good for something 😉

Love cooking with beer, Casey, so just had to check out this post. Your recipe looks delicious!! LOL..I burst out laughing when I saw the pic of the raccoon (and the caption underneath). Great post!

Sandy, it was a battle for dominance of my backyard! The raccoons are trying to muscle all us homeowners out of our neighbourhood, but I tell you — we won’t have it! Had to show ’em who’s boss 🙂

Ha ha ha! Thank you, Julie — I was half-decent ages ago, but I’m getting back into the swing of things. I never expected my blog to take a cooking angle, but I guess life is full of curveballs, right?

Beer-battered fish DOES sound delicious, though….

You remind me of husband. He CAN cook and even went to school for it for a little bit, but he hates to cook. If he’s in charge, it’s take out. Which is silly because he can cook well. I don’t usually cook with beer but this looks absolutely delicious!

I tell you, Callista, I’m scarred! You can’t work in a kitchen at your Dad’s restaurant as a teenager without being scarred — I stand by this!

But I’m slowly… wait for it… WARMING UP to the idea 😉

Sounds yummy! The raccoon bit made me laugh..the picture is golden. Just a wee bit afraid of raccoons, eh?

It’s less fear and more… “I don’t want rabies”. I mean, why get sick when I don’t have to, right?

In any case, raccoons are evil. Don’t care what anyone says 😛

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