Beer & Italian Dressing Steak Marinade for the Charcoal BBQ

Recently we looked at a method of grilling cuts of steak like rib-eyes or T-bones on the charcoal BBQ. Here we are also going to be charcoal BBQing steaks, but this time using more inexpensive but tougher cuts like flank or round and marinading them to make them more tender and flavourful.

There are lots of steak marinades out there -- and we have shared some on The Left Chapter before -- but this one uses beer and Italian dressing to great effect.

The amount of marinade here was used for 4 flank or round steaks.

Marinade Ingredients: 

- 450-500 ml of Italian Salad Dressing (I like to use the classic thick style, that I would actually never use on salad, as opposed to the "fancier" options)
- 250 ml of beer - This should be a pale lager that is not too hoppy. I used a Polish beer, Tyskie
- 1 tablespoon of hot sauce - Use whichever one use like but I used Cholula
- 2 teaspoons each of Soy Sauce and Worcestershire sauce

Prick your steaks in several places with a fork and season them liberally with garlic salt and black pepper. Place in a large bowl and cover with the marinade. Make sure all the steaks are fully submerged.

Put them in the fridge and leave them to marinade for around 4 hours.

About a half an hour or 45 minutes before cooking take your steaks out in the marinade and let them sit in the bowl and marinade at room temperature.

Meanwhile, prepare your BBQ as usual.

Place your steaks on the grill over hot coals. You can pour a little of the marinade over the steak at the very beginning of cooking but should not do so after this. Be careful not to dampen your coals should you chose to do so. Discard all the rest of the marinade after this.

Cook the steaks about 3-5 minutes a side depending on thickness. While I am a fan of rare steak, I think this marinaded steak is better in both texture and flavour when cooked to medium-rare. (Again, if you are nervous about such things, Health Canada says a steak is medium-rare when it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.).

After cooking let your steaks sit for around 3 minutes. Then cut them into thin strips slicing across the grain.

Serve on a platter topped with fresh basil and mint. These make a perfect backyard BBQ finger food or meal. Terrific with everything steak is good with including cold beer, red wine and friends.

Enjoy.

UFCW calls for sober second thought on beer in Ontario's corner stores

After the total fiasco of Doug Ford's "buck-a-beer" distraction attempt his austerity government is now looking to turn attention from their vicious, petty cuts by putting beer and wine in Ontario's corner stores.

While many find this attractive as it could presumably mean greater short-term consumer convenience, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) are pointing out that it would have a serious impact on jobs, prices and the environment. 

The UFCW, in a post entitled Support good union jobs at The Beer Store, notes that:

The evidence is clear: expanding beer sales to convenience, big box, and other retail outlets would result in major job losses, higher beer prices for consumers, the end to a vital recycling system, and massive costs to Ontario taxpayers. It’s time to say “NO!” to Doug Ford’s irresponsible, job-killing plan for beer sales. 

The union is distributing flyers (pictured here) at The Beer Store and is calling on people to sign an online petition in opposition to the government's plans. 

See also: Ford and all his MPPs took away your rights at work. Tell them how you feel about it!

See also: Why not make Ontario's Beer Store public?

Beer Chili with Spaghetti -- A new take on an 80s recipe from Georgia

Flipping through the 1989 Best of the Best from Georgia Cookbook (which I plan to feature on a Vintage Cookbook TBT post soon) I came across a recipe for "Beer Chili". What I found intriguing about it was both the use of beer and that, like Cincinnati Chili, you are meant to serve the chili with spaghetti. I am a big fan of chili and have featured several of my chili recipes on The Left Chapter in the past (such as Yellow Pepper, Beef, Mushroom Caribbean Style Chili or Campfire Beef Chili with Nachos and Homemade Cheese Sauce) so I wanted to give this one a try.

While the recipe looks ok as is I thought that with a few changes I could jazz it up and make it even more interesting. My take turned out to be both delicious and a real crowd-pleaser, so here it is. 

As you will see I have added several ingredients, used more ground beef, kicked up the spice level and made a couple of other changes along the way.

Ingredients:

2 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 large Cubanelle pepper sweet (not hot), chopped
2 cups sliced mushrooms
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 - 6 ounce can tomato paste (with basil if available)
1 - 700 ml. bottle of tomato puree or passata (with basil leaf if available)
1 jar pickled jalapenos
6 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 - 500 ml. can of lager, pilsner or light/pale ale beer - I used a can of the Polish beer Tatra 
1 can kidney beans
cooked spaghetti 
salt and black pepper to taste

To start, heat some olive oil in a large saucepan and saute the onion, pepper, garlic and mushrooms over medium high heat for 5-8 minutes. Season them with salt and pepper to taste as you go.

Once they have softened and browned, add the ground beef. Break it up and stir all the ingredients together as you brown the beef. While you are browning the beef stir into the mixture the chili powder, cayenne pepper and more salt and pepper to taste.

Once the beef is browned add the jalapenos, beer, tomato paste and tomato puree. Stir it all together, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours.

With about 15 minutes to go add the (drained) can of kidney beans. Also, at around this time you should start to cook your spaghetti separately as you generally would make spaghetti.

While the original recipe calls for stirring the pasta into the completed chili, I don't like to do this as I don't like what it does to either the texture of the chili or the pasta. Also, different people like different proportions of pasta to chili.

Instead I would plate the spaghetti in large serving bowls and serve with the chili spooned over top.

The use of the beer adds a very distinct, and very good, flavour that is not common in chili.

This dish goes really well with more ice cold beer, red wine and some company for a board game or sports night!

Enjoy.

See also: Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Southwestern Pulled Beef and Tacos

See also: Bistecca alla Pizzaiola with Mozzarella

The Ale Your Great-Grandfather Drank: Great Moments in Canadian Capitalist Advertising

Well, if he is having one....

But "The Ale Your Great - Grandfather Drank" really seals the deal.

Clearly 1938's best Canadian advertising slogan.

The Saint Louis Cookbook with Catfish Creole, Chimi-Churri Oysters, Bourbon BBQ & more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Vintage Cookbook: The Saint Louis Cookbook (Bicentennial Issue)

Publication Details: Cookbook Collector's Library, 1964

The Saint Louis Cookbook is an example (and a very good one) of a whole sub-genre of cookbook that is centered around a city, state, town or province. These were especially popular in the mid-20th century and usually would combine recipes with some connection to the history and cuisine of the region with little bits of history, legend, etc.

In this case there are a lot of recipes and, despite the fact that the cookbook is from 1964, many of them are both really good and not as dated as one might expect -- something that is all too often the case of books from this era. At over 300 pages it is a substantial one with recipes divided into sections like Appetizers, Breads, Cookies, Meats, Soups, etc. Given that this is about St. Louis there is also a large section dedicated to BBQ and BBQ sauces.

It was issued for the bicentennial of the city and has various illustrations and photographs of city buildings and landmarks as well as many anecdotes in among the recipes, a fair number of which are -- needless to say with St. Louis' history of breweries -- related to beer!

Today we are looking at a relatively small sampling of the recipes (given the book's size) and I have included a number of BBQ ones, a beer cheese soup (of course) and could not resist a bourbon based recipe.

Also, Chimi-Churri Oysters because Chimi-Churri Oysters!

(Click on images to enlarge)

Editor's Notes: While not the same, there are a couple of things you can replace MSG with. Some sea salt, fish sauce or soy sauce if you like, or simply leave it out. Also, while the BBQ sauce here is pretty good, if you are going to make it in this quantity you should be sure to use properly sterilized jars to store any sauce for any length of time in a jar in your fridge.

Editor's Note: I would skip the meat tenderizer altogether and simply try to chose a roast that will turn out as you like it.  

See also: Corn Flakes Break'n Bake w. Parmesan Pork, Apricot Chiffon Pie & more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

See also: The Farmhouse Cookbook w. Raised Doughnuts, Puzzle Cake, Beef Stroganoff & more -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Vintage Cookbook TBT List

Black Lives Matter, Canada Post, Tory Austerity & more -- June and July on The Left Chapter in review

June and July saw 43 posts of various kinds on The Left Chapter.

Overall the numbers were the strongest of any two month period for the blog so far and many of the articles that did not make this round-up's list would have easily made those of a few months or a year ago.


In fact, Black Lives Matter is right -- The police are the oppressor was our most read piece so far this year and among the top three in The Left Chapter history!

Thanks to all our readers and contributors.

Here are the top seven posts in terms of hits:

1) Black Lives Matter is right -- The police are the oppressor

You know, it is always appalling to see some oblivious white idiot walking around with the horrifically racist Cleveland Indians logo on their chest or on some sign of some kind.

I did not see this specific idiot in the picture, but saw another entitled white idiot, strolling down the platform of the Go Station after a Jays-Indians game this year with this disgraceful caricature on the front of her jersey.

Read More!

2) Canada Post's 'problems' are driven by the neo-liberal assault on public services

The "problems" facing Canada Post are entirely ideological.


Canada's politicians and media have bought into a long-term project driven by right-wing notions of society and the economy that seeks to re-frame public services as "businesses" that should be run "efficiently" along the lines allegedly followed by the private sector.

Read More!


3) Full austerity jacket -- The gloves come off in Tory's Toronto

With Toronto City Council's reaffirmation of its commitment to the staggeringly wasteful $3.2 billion one-stop Scarborough subway extension while also backing Mayor John Tory's plan to force all city departments and agencies to slash 2.6% in spending, the gloves have truly come off in Tory's austerity Toronto.

Read More!

4) You cannot 'discriminate' against the police. They are agents of discrimination.

One of the most depressing realities to be made clear by the entire backlash to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest at the Toronto Pride Parade this past weekend is just how many white people are simply clueless as to the continuing day-to-day actuality of systemic racism in our society.

Read More!

5) The new TTC youth fare rules are a revolting attack on children

The TTC and its sad Toronto City Councillor overlords have come up with a brilliant idea -- children as young as 6 will need to have cards to get free transit, children between 10 and 12 will have to have photo ID that they will have to pay for to ride for "free" and adolescents will have to display ID, even when they are OBVIOUSLY teenagers, to get a measly dollar off the fare.

Read More!

6) Rejecting the lesser evil -- Why you should not buy into mainstream narratives about voting

As the upstart and surprising Bernie Sanders campaign appears, sadly, to have lost to corporate Democrat Hillary Clinton (who I have noted in the past in anything but a left candidate), the calls for leftists and progressives in the United States to rally around her Presidential candidacy to "stop Trump" are getting louder and louder.

Read More!

7) The Blairites and NDP leadership share the same contempt for their party members

By Jesse Zimmerman

Across the Pond...

The past few weeks have been, to say the very least, intense in the UK.  As most of us know, following the Brexit vote, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has been facing a challenge against his leadership by key Members of Parliament, blaming Corbyn for the result of the EU referendum.  This is absurd, and it has been demonstrated that Corbyn is not responsible for the LEAVE vote winning.  Of course, for Blairites and New Labour, facts have never mattered.

Read More!

Although published prior to the period the post Strongest?: Teaching Children About the Power of the People - A Vintage Soviet Children's Story got so many hits in June due to a reddit thread that it would have been second on this list had it been posted in June! It gets an honourable mention instead.

This month's top "food" post overall, and one of the most read we have ever published, was The beers of Muskoka Brewery -- Canada's first 'living wage' brewery, while the top food post that was specifically a recipe was BBQed Rainbow Trout with Herbs-de-Provence & Garlic Butter.

Do you have a left point-of-view or opinion, a recipe or a story you want to share?


Send them to The Left Chapter via theleftchapter@outlook.com!

See also: NDP "Democracy", Ontario Liberal Injustices, Etobicoke Thrift Shops & more -- April and May on The Left Chapter in review

See also: Bernie Sanders, the Ghomeshi Verdict, the Calgary Police & more - February and March on The Left Chapter in review

BBQed Spice Rub Pork Ribs

Today we are going to take a look at a way to make delicious, smokey pork ribs on a standard charcoal BBQ that is actually, with a little practice, very easy.

This technique works with either baby back ribs or side ribs, although side ribs need to be cooked longer.



We are also making them with a spice rub as opposed to a sauce, though they can, of course, be served with any BBQ sauce you like.

To begin we have to prepare the ribs for the BBQ and you want to do this at least 4 hours before you cook.

First, take your racks of ribs and remove the thin membrane from the back of them. This is generally very easy to do, and while some dispute whether you should or need to do this, for ribs being done with a spice rub I think it is a must. (If buying your ribs from a butcher you can ask them to remove it for you.)

Then cut your racks in half to make them more manageable.

There are countless spice rub variations out there that you can use, or you can buy some store bought ones, but the one I used had the following ingredients:

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup paprika
1/8 cup garlic powder
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 or 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you want them)
2 tablespoons Montreal style chicken spice

Blend all these together thoroughly and then spoon onto and rub into the ribs so that it covers them entirely. This is a slightly spicy blend full of flavour.

The amounts given above should work for 2-3 racks of ribs.

Place the seasoned ribs in a container, covered, in the fridge for at least 4 hours. If you can leave them for as long as 12 hours, all the better!

When you are almost ready to get started prepare your charcoal BBQ to cook using the indirect method. As we have covered in a previous post, this means separating your coals or briquettes into two piles, one on each side of your BBQ, with no coals in the middle.

When your coals are ready, put your seasoned ribs in the middle of the grill where there are no coals.

Open a cold beer, turn on some music, and enjoy the summer while your ribs cook! You want to cook baby backs around 1 1/2 hours and side ribs 2 to 2 1/2 hours, turning the ribs once. There is absolutely no need to turn them more than once, so don't!

You want to regulate the smoke and heat by opening and closing (with the flue still open) the lid periodically. I find 5 minutes open followed by 10-15 minutes closed (repeating continuously until done) is the formula that works best.

While it should not be necessary with such a relatively short cook time, if you need to you can add charcoal to the sides as required.

These ribs will be smokey, tender and an absolutely perfect patio or backyard summer dish.

Let sit around 5 minutes and slice into individual riblets. Serve with BBQ sauce on the side if you wish. These go best, in my opinion, with classic ketchup style sauces, but it is, of course, up to you! They are also terrific on their own (which is actually how I prefer them).

Needless to say, they go great with beer!

Enjoy.

See also: Standing Prime Rib Roast done two ways: On the BBQ or in the oven with mushroom gravy

See also: Beer Can Chicken with "French Fried" Asparagus on the BBQ!

The beers of Muskoka Brewery -- Canada's first 'living wage' brewery

On June 24 Muskoka Brewery, a central Ontario cottage country beer maker, became the first brewery in Canada to commit to paying its workers a living wage:

Muskoka Brewery and the Poverty Reduction of Muskoka Planning Team – known as PROMPT- announced at a press conference Friday morning the company had become Canada’s first brewery to commit to a living wage for its employees.

What is a 'living wage'?

Different from the minimum wage, a living wage is based on the principle that full-time work should provide families a basic level of economic security above the poverty line. 

The living wage calculation includes the cost of living in the local community and social inclusion. The result is a decent quality of life and the ability to live healthier lives. 

PROMPT and Muskoka Brewery have joined forces to launch Muskoka’s living wage initiative to create “a better standard of living for the people in Muskoka and to educate local employers on the benefit for community, businesses and workforce,” according to a press release issued at the press conference.

To celebrate this step we are going to take a look at some of their line of truly excellent craft beers.

Craft Lager

Their Craft Lager is an unfiltered brew that is very easy to drink. Unfiltered beers may have a haze and a bit of sediment that is a totally normal part of this brewing method. Perfect for a hot afternoon, it is smooth and yet very flavourful.

An excellent introduction to their line for those who generally drink the big brewery beers.

Mad Tom

No, this is not named after the leader of the NDP!

This delicious beer is an India Pale Ale (unfiltered as well) that makes the most of the Chinook and Centennial hops for a full bodied and robust brew.

Kirby's Kolsch

Named after a friend of the brewers who passed away, Kirby Evans, this a really easy-drinking and fruity beer.

Its can features an illustration of a hammock by the lake, which would be a perfect setiing to enjoy it in!

Cream Ale

I am a huge fan of Cream Ales and this is one of the best I have had. Unfiltered, it hits all the right Cream Ale notes and is exceptionally smooth.

It is an award winning beer and if you have never had a Cream Ale, there could not possibly be a better one to start with.

You can see the full line up of their beers at their website.

So this summer if you want to enjoy top-notch craft beer with a side of social justice, check out this terrific brewery and what they have to offer.

See also: Lake of Bays Brewery combines beer, football and a good cause with its Pigskin Pilsner

Dark Ale Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder with Sauerkraut

You can make a lot of great dishes with beer and sauerkraut!

Previously we took a look at a slow cooker sausage dish that used these two fine ingredients, and today we are going to look at a way to slow cook pork shoulder with them both that is delicious and simplicity itself.

It has the added bonus that pork shoulder is generally quite inexpensive and can be used to feed a large number of people on a small budget!

First, you want to line the bottom of your slow cooker with a jar of your favourite sauerkraut Once you have spread it out evenly sprinkle 1 tablespoon of brown sugar over it and place 4-5 whole cloves in the sauerkraut spread out as evenly as possible.

Then pour one full can (433-500 ml.) of a dark ale or beer into the sauerkraut. I used a can of Dab Dark Beer. Finally add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce.

Place a 3-5 pound pork shoulder on top of the sauerkraut mixture. One side of a shoulder roast will generally have a fat layer and you want to place the roast fat side up. Do not remove the fat layer!

Season the top of the roast liberally evenly with black pepper and paprika. Then as well with 1 tablespoon mustard powder, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of Vegeta seasoning (if you have it...otherwise just leave out) and sea salt to taste.

Cover your slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8 hours.

When done remove the roast to a platter, let sit for 10 minutes and slice to taste (I like pieces not too thick). Ladle some of the juices from the slow cooker over the roast and then serve with the sauerkraut (removing the cloves).

The pork and sauerkraut are really flavourful and go especially well with a side of egg noodles tossed with salt, better and some parsley, or with mashed potatoes.

Enjoy.

See also: Slow Cooker Beer and Sauerkraut Sausages

See also: "Green Bay Packer" Wisconsin Beer Brats with Sauerkraut & Mixed Vegetables

Slow Cooker Beer and Sauerkraut Sausages

Today we are going to take a look at doing a slow cooker sausage dish that works perfectly for a party or a big sport's game. It also produces some of the most delicious sauerkraut that you will ever taste!




To start, you want to line the bottom of your slow cooker with a bed of sauerkraut. Season this generously with black pepper and then add to it 3-4 cloves of minced garlic or 2 teaspoons of minced garlic in oil, spreading the garlic around evenly.

Pour half a large bottle (500 ml.) of a European style lager  or pilsner into the sauerkraut. I used the terrific Polish beer Tyskie.

Then place 8-10 fresh or frozen sausages (or more if you have a large or party sized slow cooker) on top of the sauerkraut/beer mix to make a single layer.

You can use any type of large sausage, but my favourites are hot Italian style or Oktoberfest style German sausages. I often use half of each.

Once you have added the sausages top them again with another layer of sauerkraut, seasoned exactly the same as the first, and then pour over this the remaining half of the large bottle of beer.

Set your slow cooker to low and cook for 4 1/2 - 5 hours for fresh sausages and six hours for frozen.

This dish can be served either as sausages topped with the now seasoned and beer infused sauerkraut (it is really tasty) with various sides or, of course, on a bun with your favourite toppings.

Perfect with another cold Tyskie or two!

Enjoy.

See also: "Green Bay Packer" Wisconsin Beer Brats with Sauerkraut & Mixed Vegetables

See also: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches in a Carolina Vinegar Sauce

From Wisconsin with Love with a Beer-Cheese Soup and Fondue, the Hodag & the Packer "Crunch"! -- Vintage Cookbook TBT

Vintage Cookbook: From Wisconsin with Love by Laurie Gluesing and Debra Gluesing

Publication Details: New Boundary Designs, 1984

There are an entire category of cookbooks that are centred around specific geographic areas -- usually states or provinces, cities or towns, etc. The one we are looking at today is almost a love poem to the food and tales, some of them tall, of the State of Wisconsin.


I love this cookbook for many reasons. Its folksy illustrations, the fact that many of the recipes are prefaced with interesting anecdotes, and, of course, the fact that much of the cooking is centred around two of my favourite things, beer and cheese!

The food here is hearty fare, using usually readily available ingredients, and is, overall, really delicious. You find recipes like "Corned Beef with Horseradish Sauce" and "Wurst-Beer Salad". When the ingredients are a little more off-the-beaten track they cover things like "Venison Stew".

The book is divided into six sections and today we are sharing one recipe from each as well as the tale of the Hodag.

Also, as many of my regular readers may know, I am a big fan of the community owned NFL Green Bay Packers of Wisconsin. So, of course, I share a Packer related recipe as well -- the Packer Crunch!

(Click on images to enlarge)

The Hodag in all its fiery glory!

In honour of the glorious Green Bay Packers -- 

The only major league community owned team in the United States!