Cooking with Beer: Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

I guess the name could also be Pig with a Pig Jacket. I was just finishing up my keg of the Black California Common and wanted to cook a dish that would pair well. This was my first attempt at this dish so please read the next time suggestions at the bottom. So I went back and forth between braising the meat or slow roasting. I decided to roast it because I really wanted the drippings to flavor and cook my potatoes.

Recipe:

Pork Tenderloin or Loin

1/2 lb Bacon to wrap pork

Oil from browning meat

1/2 Onion to saute in pot after browning meat

2-3 Carrots chopped for Mirepoix

2-3 Stalks of Celery chopped for Mirepoix

~4 Potatoes sliced and roasted under the Pork

2 Dark Beers add to deglaze pan after Mirepoix and Roasting Pan

Wrap the tenderloin with as many bacon strips as needed. Using tongs, drop the loin into a hot dutch oven or large pot. Brown all the way around the piece of meat to get a nice crispness to the bacon. Meanwhile, set the oven to 375 F. And start slicing the potatoes, cut enough to fit along the bottom of your roasting dish. Also start cutting up the carrots, celery and onions. Add this Mirepoix to the pot after the pork is removed. Scrap as much goodness off the bottom as possible.
Put the pork into the oven, the only good way to know if pork is done is with a meat thermometer. You are aiming for 145 and with a 10 min rest it should creep up to 150-155.
Caramelize the Mirepoix and then deglaze with a nice dark, roasty beer. Let this simmer covered on low.

Turn the potatoes after about a half hour. And then they should be removed when they a suffienctly cooked through and have a nice crisp (45-60min).
When the pork is done set it on the cutting board and cover with foil. Take the roasting dish, remove the potatoes and hold it over a burner on your stove. With a stiff spoon or spatula deglaze the roasting pan with the other beer. Then add this to the other sauce pot. Here is where you have options, you can strain the gravy or blend it. I tried to blend it in the food processor and was not a big fan of the results.
After allowing the meat to rest for 10 min, slice and serve. And let your guests go crazy with the great beer pan gravy.

Tips for next time:
-Use a thicker pork loin (more juice for sauce and potatoes, plus easier to not overcook, more meat-same amount of work)
-Strain the pan gravy (could sub half the beer for beef stock (wife's suggestion))
-Use kitchen string to improve presentation (needed on thicker pork loin)

Prickly Pear Syrup

I was inspired to look into more interesting ingredients for my beers and I came across this thread at HomebrewTalk.com (thread). They started talking about prickly pear and I was out on a ride that day and started seeing ripe fruit everywhere. Soon after, a nice fellow QUAFFer, Jeff, had some leftover fruit from his yard. His variety of prickly pears are huge, but that makes less work. I plan to try some of the smaller fruit to see how they differ. He told me his way of breaking down the fruit into a syrup, so having no prior experience that is what I went with.

I started with just over 3 lbs of fruit. I held the pears over the stove flame using tongs to burn off the nasty hairs/needles. Be very careful and it would be best to wear gloves in addition to using tongs. The hairs can be very annoying and difficult to remove. (I got a few in my hand while cleaning up). After burning the hairs I cut off the end that had most of the hairs. And then I sliced and diced the rest of the fruit and threw it in the pot.

With all 3 lbs in the pot I added about a cup of water just to insure the fruit wouldn't burn on the bottom. The fruit will produce a good amount of juice on their own. Per Jeff's recommendation I boiled the fruit for 2 hours. This helps to break down the mucus that is found in the fruit.

After boiling I poured it through a strainer and push out as much juice as possible. From there I poured the juice through the some muslin cloth. It happened to be about 16oz and fit nicely into an old water bottle.

I measured the pH to be about 4 and the gravity to be 1.050. The taste was interesting and a bit difficult to describe. It was similar to watermelon but with a little more sour twang. It did have a bit of a cooked flavor which I didn't enjoy too much, so I'm going try to get another variety and use it fresh. I haven't decided if I'm going to add this to a Berliner Weiss or to my sour pale.

Beercation: Stop #2 Pittsburgh, PA

I was in Pittsburgh for business the week after our great Pacific Northwest adventure. While there I thought I would do my best to explore what the city had to offer.

My first side trip started with a trail run through McConnell's Mill State Park (had to earn my beer that night). This place is gorgeous with a nice path along the river in a dense forest. I didn't look at the map very closely and ended up running a lot further than I was planning. I was shooting for 30-45 min and was out for over an hour. But the scenery was a nice distraction. I wish I had my climbing gear because this place is just amazing for rock climbing.

Afterward I headed up the 76 a little bit further into the town of Slippery Rock. I went to check out the North Country Brewing Co. From the outside it has a nice woodsy, country look to the place. And inside is similar but it well put together and was pretty packed for a Wednesday Night. They had about 10 beers on draft and even one on cask. I order the 6 beer sampler and was very impressed with their beer. The beer that really stood out to me was the Slippery Rock Dew which from what I understand is basically a braggot. It had a great wild honey smell and a nice but subtle sweetness. And I happened to hit the place on Wing night (2lbs for $6).

The next big side-trip was my journey into downtown Pittsburgh. The stadiums are amazing, built right next to one another (I'm keeping me fingers crossed that San Diego soon follows suit). I did a bit of exploring through Washington Park (which is the Pittsburgh equivalent of Balboa Park in San Diego). I also got lost driving around but it was a neat way to see the city. I eventually found what I was looking for ...Church Brew Works.
I read about this place and knew I had to go. This is hands down the most amazing Brewpub I have been to. I arrived near twilight which was perfect to see the light coming through the stain glass windows. The church was built in the early 1900s and has high ceilings and a great courtyard with hop vines. All the brewing equipment is out for display on the altar and the bright tanks are located behind the giant bar. This is a must-go. Now onto the beer, had their sampler with 5 regulars and 3 seasonals. The regulars were all good but "Brewpub Safe" (meaning nothing that really impresses the beer fan). But their seasonals were interesting and the Imperial Irish Red was a fantastic beer. I found most of their beers too sweet for me but it worked for the Irish Red. To make this experience complete, I had one of the best pizzas I've ever had. It was a Pierogi Pizza (Pittsburgh is semi famous for their Pierogis, which are traditionally dumplings with potatoes and cheese)