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Just another pot roast

I know. Is it really necessary to have another recipe for pot roast on the intertubes? Probably not, but the fear of doing stupid unneeded things never stopped me before. Spiked with some of every thinking person’s favorite and frequently over used condiment, Sriracha, and braised in a combo of your favorite beer and beef stock with fragrant spices and ginger, this slightly spicy fall apart pot roast is easy and perfect for the rainy ass early spring still wanting to be winter weekend we just had in Charleston. Serve over creamy grits. Perfect for dinner or add a fried or soft-boiled egg for breakfast. Or lunch. Or late night or whenever you damn feel like it.

Barrel Aged Bigfoot Ale mustard

Making mustard at home seems a lot like cheating. It’s so damn easy that there’s almost no reason to give it a try. It’s also a good way to use any leftover beer (leftover beer, what is that?) you may end up with after a night of overly aggressive bottle opening.  To my embarrassment I ended up with half a bottle of Sierra Nevada’s Barrel Aged Bigfoot Ale leftover one morning, so that spawned looking for a way to use it. Make sure you refridge the mustard for at least a day before using as it allows the mustard to “settle” and lose some of the raw bitterness of the mustard seeds.

Shopping list

• 3 Tbs Yellow mustard seeds
• 3 Tbs Brown Mustard seeds
• 2 Tbs yellow mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/3 cup Braggs cider vinegar
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup Sierra Nevada Barrel aged Bigfoot ale (or whatever malty beer you have on hand)

What to do

1. Soak mustard seeds, powdered mustard with vinegar and half of the beer overnight covered at room temperature
2. add salt and blend mixture in a blender or food processor until desired consistency
3. refrigerate for at least 24 hours
4. taste and adjust salt level and consistency with more beer.
5. slap it on a sandwich or hot dog or bratwurst or whatever you think mustard should accompany

Should keep in the refrigerator for a few months no problem, if it lasts that long.

Brewvival 2013 was one to be remembered. We all knew heading into it that it was going to be raining, hard. Seriously. Warnings were broadcast via Twitter, Facebook and other avenues telling everyone that rain gear was going to be a necessity and to plan for seriously messy conditions. That was no exaggeration. There was some fear of lightning and postponement but Jared at CHSwx ensured us we should be in the clear, for lightning at least. I was shooting the festival so I arrived early to get some set up shots of the brewers and workers and check out the layout. When I sloshed up at 10:00 AM there were already 10-20 people waiting in line in a downpour, all of them excited about the day. Tents set up with people making breakfast in the parking lot, vendors still pouring in, literally,  and ice being delivered to the brewer’s tents. The closer we got to the Noon starting time, the harder the rain fell. This was going to happen.

Jester King from Texas came to Brewvival this year and in doing so also made an appearance at the Charleston Beer Exchange. Needless to say, I grabbed a lot. I know they don’t have a huge production but i really hope they come back more. So good.

Beer is proof that yeast exists, and loves us.