Beer-Braised Beef Hot Pretzels
Food and prop styling by Renee Muller | Photography by Hudi Greenberger
I used brisket in this recipe but feel free to substitute for any meat that braises well — flanken and beef cheek would both be great options. The meat can be cooked a day or two in advance so the actual work is pretty minimal — just stuff the dough brush with baking soda and water mixture and bake!
INGREDIENTS
YIELDS 12 PRETZELS OR 24 PRETZEL BOMBS
- 3 lbs (1 1/3 kg) second-cut brisket
- 3 lbs (1 1/3 kg) pizza dough room temperature
- 1 cup ketchup
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp hot paprika
- 1 cup dark lager or your favorite beer (I don’t have a favorite beer but this helps make it really soft)
- 2 oz (55 g) liquid smoke (optional but recommended)
- ½ cup baking soda
- 2 cups hot water coarse salt for sprinkling
Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup whole-grain mustard
- ¼ cup dark lager
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 325°F (170°C). Combine ketchup brown sugar vinegar garlic powder paprika beer and liquid smoke. Pour over the brisket and cover tightly. Bake for 3 hours or until the brisket is extremely tender. Using 2 forks shred the beef and return to the sauce. This can be made a day or two in advance.
While the beef is in the oven spread the baking soda on a baking sheet and bake for an hour then cool and store in an airtight container (this will keep for several weeks). This will amp up the alkalinity of the baking soda to create that pretzel-y crust on the dough.
For Pretzels
Raise oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Roll each piece out to a thin 3x10-inch rectangle. Lay a narrow strip of meat down the length of the dough and cover forming a long rope. Form a U shape then fold the edges down over the base of the U to form a pretzel shape. Continue with all 12 pieces of dough.
Place pretzels on two baking sheets. Combine the baked baking soda and 2 cups of hot water (some of the baking soda will clump just stir well) and then brush onto the pretzels. Dab excess water off then sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 20 minutes or until well browned. Combine sauce ingredients and serve alongside pretzels.
Note Most commercial food companies use lye (sodium hydroxide) on their dough to get that real pretzel-y flavor. It has an extremely high alkalinity which is a necessary component of the Maillard reaction otherwise known as browning but it’s so strong that it is dangerously corrosive so definitely not safe for home use. The best way to mimic that flavor is to increase the alkalinity in an alkaline product regularly used at home — baking soda. Baking your baking soda increases its potency in a safe and delicious way. Don’t skip this step for true pretzel flavor!
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