Amber Ale is not the best beer to cook with; it’s the perfect beer to cook with. The malty sweetness is strong enough to cut through and enhance the sweetness and acidity you’d find in most desserts.

The roasted flavor from the malt combined with the slight bitterness from the hops pairs beautifully with savory dishes. It’s great with pork and chicken, particularly these Amber Ale Pulled Pork Sliders.

– Kristofer McDonough, Bell’s Eccentric Café Executive Chef

Amber Ale Pulled Pork Sliders

Ingredients

• 6-8 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 2-3 inch cubes
• 2 tbs fennel seeds
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced
• 8 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bottle (12 oz.) Bell’s Amber Ale
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1⁄2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp ground mustard
• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
• 2-3 tbs vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a large pot, heat the 2-3 tbs of vegetable oil until shimmering and lightly smoking. While oil is heating, toss the cubed pork in salt and pepper to season. Sear each side of the pork in the pan until nice and golden. Remove pork from the pan and set aside.
• In the same pot, roast the fennel seeds for about 1 minute (or until fragrant), hen toss the onion, apple and garlic in to sweat. Add the ground mustard and brown sugar.
• Return the pork to the pot and deglaze the pan with the Amber Ale. Add vinegar and enough of the stock until the pork is almost covered (if you don’t have enough stock, you can use more Amber Ale).
• Bring the pot to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Simmer on the stove, covered, over low heat, checking regularly for 2 hours (or until the pork is tender enough to be pulled). You can also cook the pork covered in the oven at 400oF for 4 hours.
• Once pork is done, pull it apart and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with Amber Ale Mustard BBQ, pickles and slider buns!

Chef Notes: Make It Vegan

You can also put all ingredients into a slow cooker, cook on medium heat for 5-6 hours, and have a nice, no mess pulled pork. This can also be made as a wonderful vegan alternative by substituting jack fruit and vegetable stock for the pork and chicken stock.