Grab your favorite sweet—or sour—stout and try your hand at these savory sliders.
Active preparation time: 25 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Serves: 4
1 lb (454 g) ground beef
¼ cup (2 fl oz/59 ml) stout
1 Tbs salt
1 tsp garlic powder
8 slider buns (or stout potato rolls)
Melted butter
1 cup Bacon-Onion Marmalade (see below)
Preheat a grill on high. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, stout, salt, and garlic powder. Mix well by hand until the beef has absorbed all of the stout. Divide the beef mixture into eight 2-ounce (57 g) patties.
Butter each side of the slider buns and toast them on the grill. Cook the slider patties on the grill to your desired doneness. Place a patty on each bun and top with Bacon-Onion Marmalade.
Bacon-Onion Marmalade
Active preparation time: 5 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Makes: About 1 cup (8 fl oz/237 ml) of marmalade
¼ cup (2 fl oz/59 ml) olive oil
2 cup white onion, julienned
½ cup (4 fl oz/118 ml) stout
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup (2 fl oz/59 ml) agave syrup
¾ cup (6 fl oz/177 ml) cider vinegar
½ lb (227 g) bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Just as you start to see whisps of smoke, add the onions and cook, stirring often, until they begin to brown. When the onions start to look light brown and translucent, slowly deglaze the pan with the stout.
Heat until the stout has evaporated completely, then add the brown sugar, agave syrup, cider vinegar, and bacon. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the marmalade becomes thick and syrupy. Remove from the heat and reserve.
Beer Suggestions: Accentuate the sour side of the marmalade with a sour stout such as The Bruery Tart of Darkness (Placentia, California) or Jester King Funk Metal (Austin, Texas). Or lean toward the sweet side with Bourbon County Brand Stout (Chicago, Illinois) or Copper Kettle Snowed In (Denver, Colorado).