Pickle Vegetables With Beer
I was never cool enough (?) To get invited to a kegger in college, but I drank a lot of beer and threw a few parties. Since every visitor would often bring a box of whatever cheap lager they liked, I would often find many bottles and cans of beer scattered around the apartment the next morning that I really didn’t want to drink. (That is, I drank, but I would like to make beer pickles too.)
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You probably already know that beer makes a great liquid for removing icing , but you may not be familiar with its ability to pickle. Using it to season and preserve vegetables is a great way to use up any beer you might not want to drink. (Just kidding. I know you guys always want to drink all the beer, but these pickles are really good.)
The pickle is fairly simple – beer, vinegar, salt and sugar, and any other flavorings you want to add. I used this pickle for pickling both onions and corn, and both were delicious sweet and sour and filled with easy fun. To make it yourself, you will need:
- Your choice is the amount of pickle to cover one small onion, one large cucumber, or two cobs of corn kernels.
- 3/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup beer (Choose your poison! I used IPA this time, but lagers and stouts are delicious too.)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
Chop the onion into strips, chop the cucumbers, or remove the corn kernels from the cob. Place prepared foods in a pint-sized glass jar or soup container and set aside. If you want the pickles to taste good, cut the jalapeno peppers in half and add them there too.
Add remaining ingredients to saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. When the sugar and salt have dissolved, pour the hot brine over the vegetables, cover them loosely and let the liquid cool to room temperature. Put the pickles in the refrigerator overnight to cool, then place them on top of your sandwiches, sausages, and leftover pizza (for a very collegiate experience).