Stout Beer Cherry Sauce
If you know me, you know I like to make simple dishes while using craft beer. One of the most simple ways that I have found to incorporate beer into a recipe is to use it to make a sauce. I made this stout beer cherry sauce using an Alberta porter beer from Theoretically Brewing, and used it to glaze a grilled pork loin. And you guys, it was so good! So good and so easy!! The recipe below is for the sauce alone. We seasoned our pork loin with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and then when it was done, smothered it in this awesome stout beer cherry sauce!
The cherries we used in this recipe come from our cherry tree! We live in Alberta, which is not known for a great growing season, especially when it comes to fruits other than apples. Last year was the first year our tree produced, and we were surprised and stoked! This year the production doubled! Maybe we could be cherry farmers in the future, from our little city backyard… and one tree!? HA! Not! Either way, it’s nice to be able to grow a little batch of these cherries and then make a delicious sauce from some of them!
The Brewery
Theoretically Brewing is from down south in Lethbridge, Alberta. Their beers are hand made, hand bottled, and hand capped and labelled. They use local ingredients, such as water from the Oldman River. You can find out more about Lethbridge’s best kept secret on their web, facebook, instagram, and twitter!
The Brew
The beer I used for this stout beer cherry sauce, is their BHB Stout. This beer pours a dark clear black-ish colour with caramel coloured fluffy head. The smell is of dark chocolate, coffee, hints of licorice, vanilla, and some earthiness. The flavours are close to the smell with coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, earthiness, and some bready/biscuit flavours, with a mild dry hop bitterness at the end. The mouthfeel is a bit thinner than I expected and a low to medium carbonation.
The Recipe
The stout beer cherry sauce is great for pork, but would also be very good on a beef tenderloin or some char-grilled steaks.
Stout Beer Cherry Sauce
A great tasting rich sauce good for pork and beef
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1-2 clove garlic, minced or 3-10!
- 2 Tbsp onion, minced
- 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 cup cherries pitted, fresh or frozen
- 1 can porter beer
- 1 tsp honey to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Heat the butter in a sauce pan. Add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat for 2-4 minutes until softened.
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Add paprika and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
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Add in the cherries and cook, while stirring occasionally, until broken down, about 10 minutes.
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Add in the porter beer and honey, and let simmer until the alcohol cooks off and the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.
Recipe Notes
- If you like a more sweet sauce, add a little more honey. If you like a tangier sauce, hold back on the honey.
- Use any porter style beer.