Recipe Re-do: Jalapeno Ale Mustard

Spring has sprung it seems- and soon (as soon as I get my "outdoor kitchen" set up like I'm wanting) the grill will be busy with browned and sizzling brats and other delicious meaty treats. I am such a mustard lover, as you know, if you've been reading RTK for a while, I make a lot of mustard myself. Every one is an experiment in texture and flavor. Some are spicy and robust, others are smooth and not as chunky and kid-friendly. I have always loved German-style mustards and love the flexibility of making my own.

I've done some taste-testing with other foodie friends who I consider to be pretty much expert level at judging and we all agree, some of them were a little TOO grainy and lost some smoothness in the canning/aging process. I need to add some additional liquid during some part of the process and have been mulling options over in my mind. I've made some adjustments to my basic recipe formula and we're trying again with a whole new brew.

Whenever I am out and about and see a store that sells beer singles, I always check out the selections. If something grabs my attention, I grab one, and hoard it away for future mustard or sauce making. Today I am working with Bent River Brewing Company's Jalapeno Pepper Ale. According to their website, fire roasted jalapenos are added to the mix, and upon trying it- it has a NICE pepper bite! It's hot! Not hot-sauce-hot but for a brew- definitely hot. It smells like fresh peppers and has a beautiful amber color. I wouldn't want to drink a six pack of it, but it's a fun beer to try just cuz you can.

The basic mustard mixture includes:

1 1/2 cup mustard seed  (I used 1 cup yellow and 1/2 cup brown)

1 12 ounce beer

1 cup apple cider or white vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl, cover and refrigerate at least overnight. I always soak 2-3 days. 

The mustard seed will plump up and absorb most of the liquid. Transfer mixture to food processor, process to desired "graininess". Jar up and store in fridge. However, if you want to process for canning (more on that later) you will need to make some adjustments, as the heating and aging on the shelf makes the mustard a little too thick.

Because I have had some issues with mustard being too thick after processing in the water bath, this time I am going to add additional beer. After 24 hours of soaking I can already see the difference that additional amount of beer has made. Longer processing in the processor and the extra beer are going to solve my problem with too thick of a consistency. There is plenty of extra liquid still with the seeds and I can always add another splash or so if I need to. I ended up using an additional 1/2 a beer (about 6 oz) and 2 TB additional vinegar.

Now, another thing I want to mention- add-ins. Add ins are a great way to add some extra color or flavor to your mustard. In this case I am going to add:

freshly ground black pepper

2-3 cloves fresh garlic, very finely minced

additional jalapeno pepper- a few slices of pickled jalapeno finely diced will work perfect
extra beer for moisture

Another thing I am going to do this time is process the mustard a little longer so it's less chunky and more "spready." Once that's done all you need to do is pack the mustard in sterilized jars (i use the 4 oz jelly jars for mustard), fix lids and rings and process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes. If you don't want to process in a canner you can store in fridge or even freezer but they won't be shelf stable.

Now, let's go get that grill started!