Jasons Drunken Beer Bacon Mac And Cheese Recipes

JASON'S DRUNKEN BEER & BACON MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• 1. Cook bacon thoroughly, and set aside to cool. Once cooled, crumble the bacon into small bits.
• 2. Boil macaroni according to package instructions, but reduce the time by 1-2 minutes. You want a slightly under-cooked, al dente pasta. Remove from heat and strain excess water.
• 3. LET'S MAKE A ROUX! Melt butter over medium-low heat. Add flour, and whisk continuously to avoid lumps.
• 4. Cook the butter and flour mixture for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning. This will cook away the flour taste.
• 5. Slowly add a full bottle of beer while stirring vigorously. Light beers work well with cheddar cheese. But feel free to experiment with other beers and cheeses!
• 6. Stir in sour cream, and whisk continuously to avoid curds from forming.
• 7. Add shredded cheese to the pot, and stir until you have a nice cheese sauce.
• 8. Add salt, pepper, bacon bits, and mustard to the cheese sauce. Stir until combined. Depending upon the type of cheese you used, you may want to reduce or omit the salt.
• 9. Remove the cheese sauce from heat, and gently fold in the cooked macaroni.
• 10. At this point, you can eat the mac and cheese as-is for a hearty, creamy dish. Or, you can bake it with a golden, crispy crust! Note that if you bake this dish, it will loose its creamy consistency.
• 11. To bake the mac and cheese, pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Pour the pasta into a 9 x 11 casserole dish, and distribute the pasta evenly.
• 12. Combine Japanese Panko bread crumbs with Parmesan cheese, and sprinkle evenly over the top of the mac and cheese.
• 13. Bake for 20-25 minutes until you have a golden crust. Remove from the oven and LET STAND for 5 minutes before serving. This step is crucial since the pasta will continue to coagulate once out of the oven!

BEER BACON MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring an 8 qt covered pot filled with water to a boil over high heat. Once it boils, add a handful of salt and pasta. Reduce heat to medium high and cook uncovered to al dente (has a bite to it). Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat a large 12" skillet over medium-high. Using clean kitchen shears cut bacon into bite-size pieces over the skillet and let them to fall into the pan. Stir occasionally as needed. Cook until crisp.
• Once bacon is cooked through, remove bacon to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Reserve 2 Tbsp of bacon drippings and discard the rest. Wipe the side of the skillet to avoid flame ups.
• Pour reserved bacon drippings back into the skillet over medium heat and add butter.
• Once the butter is melted add flour and whisk to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the flour-y taste to cook off.
• Add spices, beer and chicken broth. Whisk to combine. Allow to come to boil for 3 minutes, whisking occasionally to help pick up the bits on the bottom of the pan.
• Add milk. Whisk to combine. Bring back to a bubble. Once you see the first few bubbles in the pan remove from heat and add cooked bacon, Worchershire and cheese. Stir to combine.
• Add pasta to sauce and stir to combine. Cook pasta in sauce for 5 minutes over medium heat until sauce thickens and the pasta has a chance to absorb some of the sauce.
• Pour into a casserole dish and sprinkle with chives and serve.
• NOTES from Author of recipe Donna Elick :.
• Recipe may be doubled. Simply use 2x the ingredients and follow cooking directions.
• The sauce will thicken as it cools. If the sauce is too thick, add milk a few tablespoons at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
• Reheat instructions: Add pasta to pot with milk. Heat until warmed through, adding 1/4 cup of milk at a time until desired constancy is reached.
• Freezing instructions: Allow pasta to come to room temperature. Place in resealable plastic bag or container. If using a container press a small piece of plastic wrap over top to avoid freezer burn. Will keep for up to 6 months. To reheat, that pasta and follow reheat instructions.