Smoke and beers
<editor's note> Lucy Saunders, beer cook, writes for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. See this month's Adventure's in CyBeerSpace for a link to Lucy's website. </editor's note>
Smoke and beers Unique process uses beer-soaked beechwood chips By LUCY SAUNDERS Special to the Journal Sentinel Last Updated: Aug. 20, 2002 When barbecuing with beer, most people think of marinades, sauces, mops and bastes infused with the flavors of fresh ales or lagers. But in an unusual twist, a Wisconsin native, Joseph "Joe" Durante, pioneered a new way to barbecue with beer-bathed wood - using smoke from the beechwood used in brewing Budweiser beer."We call it 'signature smoke,' " says Durante, now the executive vice president of the four-diamond Kingsmill Resort, a luxurious facility in Williamsburg, Va., that includes a conference center, premier golf courses, a tennis center, spa and fitness club. The resort's posh Eagles at the Golf Club is the sole site for the signature-smoked prime meats and seafood. The Kingsmill Resort is one of the Anheuser-Busch Companies, and shares 3,000 acres along the James River with the regional brewery and Busch Gardens. Durante began his career in the culinary arts in Milwaukee at the Pfister Hotel, as an apprentice to German master chef Uwe Henze. "Marcus had just renovated the Pfister when I started in the kitchens, right out of college," he says. "At that time, the English Room was the most phenomenal place to start a culinary career. Within a year, I was entering culinary competitions with the Pfister team. "I always felt that cooking would beat working for a living," adds Durante. "Growing up in West Allis with the Radonski family for neighbors, we always pitched in to help their Executive Catering Company." Snapping croutons, basic prep work and just being in the kitchen felt like fun to the young Durante. After moving from Milwaukee, the chef worked in hospitality operations from boutique hotels to large Marriott International properties. Durante found new challenges when he became the executive chef for the Kingsmill Resort in 1995. Kingsmill's 110 cooks and chefs prepare a wide spectrum of meals, from hand-held fare for 100,000 fans during PGA events at the golf courses, to elegant dinners for executives at the resort's conference center. "The Eagles clubhouse is a gorgeous location, but we wanted to bring a new dimension to the restaurant menu, which was mostly chophouse specialties, such as steaks, veal and seafood," Durante recalls. After touring the nearby Anheuser-Busch brewery, Durante wondered what happened to the beechwood after its use in the brewing process (beechwood is used in the lager fermentation tanks). For a brewing operation that receives beechwood shipments by the truckload, sparing a few handfuls was no problem for brewmaster Dan Driskill. Durante experimented with the flavor produced by cold-smoking beechwood into prime beef, imported seafood and Provimi veal. Beechwood strips are soaked in Budweiser for the seafood, Michelob's Amber Bock for the beef and pork. The cold-smoke process uses convection ovens from Alto Shaam of Menomonee Falls. That way, smoke circulates throughout the temperature-controlled chamber and more of the flavor permeates the food and is not just charred on its surface. Nearly eight years later and after thorough testing and refining, Durante's brainstorm to adapt the wood chips for cooking has produced a one-of-a-kind signature smoke. It was launched in the Eagles restaurant this summer - to sizzling reviews. Eagles starred in the local Hampton Roads magazine's feature on golf course dining. Though mesquite, hickory, maple and other types of wood including beechwood are often used for barbecuing, charcoal cooking and smoking, only Durante has access to the Bud-bathed beechwood. So, for home cooks in Wisconsin, Durante recommends cold-smoking with milder fruit woods, and finishing grilled foods with beer-based marinades, mop sauces and barbecue glazes. "We rub our Budweiser chickens with barbecue spices before grilling them," says Durante. "This Labor Day, we are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Williamsburg brewery with a giant barbecue. And on our two 6-foot-long rotisserie grills, we'll have Bud-injected turkey breasts roasting and some locally made beer brats. "It'll be my own little piece of Milwaukee, imported to Williamsburg," says Durante. Kingsmill Resort's Barbecue Spice Rub 1 tablespoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon ground white pepper 1/3 cup chili pepper (choose mild Anaheim, medium chipotle or a blend of your choice) 2 tablespoons ground cumin 2 tablespoons onion powder 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons kosher salt Mix together all ingredients. Use as a rub on chicken, pork or ribs. Makes 1 cup. Eagles Barbecue Sauce 1/2 cup white vinegar 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, peeled and minced 1 cup white onions, peeled and minced 1 cup ketchup 6 ounces beer (Eagles uses Budweiser) 1 cup bottled barbecue sauce 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce 2 tablespoons bourbon Heat vinegar, sugar and pepper flakes over medium heat and cook until reduced by half. Add garlic, onions, ketchup, beer and barbecue sauce; simmer 20 minutes. Add hot pepper sauce and bourbon; simmer 15 minutes more. If necessary, thicken with cornstarch. Baste on grilled chicken or ribs during the final 15 to 20 minutes of cooking over indirect heat (the sauce is sugary and will cause flare-ups if applied while over direct fire). Makes about 3 cups. Note: This recipe was cut in half from the original. Doc Otis Beurre Blanc 1/3 cup minced green onions 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced 1/4 cup peeled and minced shallots 1 tablespoon olive oil 12 ounces Doc Otis lemon malt beverage 2 cups whipping cream 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature Salt and pepper to taste Cook green onions, garlic and shallots in olive oil in heavy skillet over low heat; sweat until shallots are translucent. Add lemon malt beverage and reduce by half over medium heat. Whisk in cream, and let sauce reduce by a third. Remove from heat, and add butter. Whisk until smooth, then strain out solids. Adjust seasonings and serve as glaze with grilled fish or smoked shrimp. Makes about 3 1/4 cups. Appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Aug. 21, 2002.
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