Mahi Mahi Burgers Glazed with IPA-Hoisin Barbecue Sauce | #BeerMonth

Although I don't limit cooking with beer to once a year, I always look forward to April when Sophia from NY Foodgasm holds her annual #BeerMonth event! There are so many varieties and producers of beer, from big box to the small artisan, that I love seeing which one everybody cooking along will choose to use and what flavors they will be paired with.

I chose a hoppy Lagunitas IPA to cook with today. For anytime drinking, I normally gravitate towards stouts, porters, or dark ales, but when I'm in the mood, I can drink the heck out of something really hoppy and "bitter". This particular IPA, made with 43 different hops and 65 various malts, is a bit carmely and very easy to drink. It cuts fatty or heavy components of a meal easily, making it a nice accompaniment to a meal.

Beer Braised Pork Carnitas | #BeerMonth

I'm usually pretty traditional in my cooking of carnitas (or literally, "little meat")—pork, salt, and a little bit of water is really all it takes to make the best carnitas you'll ever eat in your life. Be it the traditional stove-top method of combining water and pork lard and simmering chunks of pork in it until the water evaporates and leaves the now-tender meat to crisp up in the lard, or my preferred oven-roasted method that uses the fat rendered from the pork bits themselves to baste and crisp them up. Either way, tender meat enclosed in salty crisp and sticky bits are little morsels of heaven on earth.

But today, in honor of beer month, I decided to step out of my puritanical-carnitas box and do the braising of the pork in a good, amber lager. I also added some spice beyond salt. It's gettin' crazy up in here. Crazy delicious.

Simple, rustic food is what I tend to gravitate towards, and this version of carnitas really fits the bill. A stove top braise in a fragrant beer bath and about 90 minutes is all it takes to achieve a plate piled high with tender pork. Once it is tender, you remove the lid and let the liquid evaporate and concentrate, inviting the whole garlic cloves and strips of lime zest to melt into it.

Salted Honey-Bourbon-Beer Caramel Sauce | #BeerMonth

I have absolutely no clue where the month of April went, but I'll be closing it out in style with one last #BeerMonth post. Since I went in a savory direction for my last post, I steered towards the sweeter side of things this time. For the most part, I knew that I was going to make caramel. I just wasn't sure if I was going to make actual caramels or caramel sauce.

If I was going to make caramels, I had to find a couple of things that, with more time, wouldn't have been a problem. But I got a late start (go figure), and decided to move the caramels to the back seat for now. But I've got big plans for them in the future, so keep your eyes peeled.

So, moseying on up to the front seat was some trusty caramel sauce. I've used beer to make caramel sauce before, so it wasn't an entirely new concept. It would be my choice of beer that made the difference. I wanted something that was a bit bold. I decided on Shock Top's Honey Bourbon Cask Wheat.

Sweet 'n Tangy Beer-Glazed Chicken | #BeerMonth

If it's not your first time here, you probably know that I enjoy cooking and baking with booze. I'm even the resident Boozy Food Fanatic over at Food Fanatic. While I usually turn to my liquor cabinet shelves, I also include wine and beer in that category. Yes, I also drink booze, but bring it into the kitchen with the same fervor. I love matching the nuances of a particular drink with smells, flavors, and ingredients to turn them into something tasty.

These simple chicken breasts are one example. I started with an amber beer. Or should I say, una cerveza ámbar - Dos Equis Amber Lager. Mustard and beer are natural companions, but I also wanted some sweet and tangy flavors to add to the sauce. For the sweet, I turned to Piloncillo; those lovely brown cones of unrefined cane sugar. To balance out the deep, rich flavor of that, I added some cider vinegar.

Once all of those flavors bubbled and thickened a bit, I finished with handful of cilantro for a little brightness in every bite. I found the perfect accompaniment to be just some plain white rice, because it soaks up the juices and sort of mellows out the whole thing perfectly.