Porter Brined Smoked Pork Shoulder with Cole Slaw and Texas Toast

I had been eyeing this recipe for a while and since I got a kettle smoker for Christmas – I decided to give it a shot. I used the Transporter from the Old Ivy Brewery for the brine. To go with the pork, I made the Not Your Mama’s Coleslaw with St. Agur bleu cheese and some Texas Toast with the beer bread that my wife had baked the night before using Orval.

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After much consternation, I decided to make it a night with Claim 52 Brewing – with bottles of Voyager, Olivia 9 and Glasgow Kiss.

Japanese Style Oysters, Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Yakitori, Spinach Gomaae

Where to begin?

Back in late October, we went down to Brookings for my mother-in-law’s birthday. She really wanted raw oysters. But everywhere we went only had fried oysters. So, I figured I’d learn how to shuck oysters for our trip next year.

But even though I grew up in New Orleans, I never really liked oysters. That is, until I took a friend to a local sushi place called Ichidai. I really like the preparation. So, I did some research and found this recipe.

The Spinach Gomaae is something that we usually order at Ichidai as well. The Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Yakitori is a dish that we used to order at Ru San’s when we lived in Atlanta…

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The only thing I could think of to go with this meal is a bottle of the Amarillo Hose
from De Garde.

Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables and Broccoli Gratin

I have been wanting to revisit the Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables recipe for a while – especially since I discovered Crooked Stave’s Colorado Wild Sage Mountain Saison at the Farmhouse and Wild Ale Festival last year. The Broccoli Gratin seemed a good side to go with the chicken.

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The main reason for this meal was to pair with the Colorado Wild Sage Mountain Saison – a barrel aged wild ale brewed with wild sage – from Crooked Stave.

Beef Stroganoff and a Salad

My wife needed some cheering up, so I fixed her favorite.

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I went with a 2014 bottle of El Cuatro from The Ale Apothecary.

Corned Beef, Braised Cabbage with Slab Bacon, Crispy Rosemary & Sage Fingerling Potatoes

Since my wife had to go out of town, we did our usual New Year’s Day meal on New Year’s Eve. You can find the recipes here.

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And since it was New Year’s Eve, I decided to bust out my 1 litre 2013 Otto from the Wood from Hair of the Dog.