Semi-Homemade Wisconsin Beer Ketchup

We're not normally Sandra Lee sort of people. In fact, most days we're pretty eager to embrace the challenge of a new dish -- even if it means delaying the dinner hour to 9pm or later. But, when you've got brats thawing in the fridge, the promise of dinner in less than an hour, and no ketchup in sight, it's time for some creative thinking.

And that, my friends, is how beer ketchup was born.

Ketchup is one of those things that I've entertained making in the past. You know -- on those hot summer days when there are scads of fresh-from-the garden tomatoes just lying there on the counter. I'm hot. And sweaty. And I can dream of nothing more sexy than sitting over a hot stove for three hours while my homemade ketchup reduces into a delicious red paste.

Yeah, it's true. Somehow, I never seemed to get around to starting the process.

The truth is, I tend to think of ketchup just before dinner when I notice that our condiment stash is running low. Not really optimum timing for starting any sort of tomato reduction project. However, on this particular occasion, I was having an unusual moment of clarity. And I happened to remember that I tend to keep a stash of "pre-reduced" tomato product sitting right inside my kitchen cupboard. And I had a sneaking suspicion that it would suffice if I wanted to throw together a quick ketchup.

And, why not throw some beer into the mix while I was at it? After all, we were having some classic Wisconsin bratwurst for dinner. So, I gathered up my supplies. A bit of vinegar, some agave nectar, tomato paste, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, cayenne, garlic, and salt.
And I began to whisk them together in a medium bowl... Not every part of the process really screamed "photo op"... but I thought I'd share with you anyhow.
... because the final product was really quite attractive.
This ketchup was "ripe" with tomato flavor. Just enough of a vinegar tang to keep things interesting. And all the right background flavors. Of course the subtle notes imparted by the beer wasn't bad either. It was GREAT with the bratwurst we ate for dinner -- and was also fantastic in the pot of "baked" beans I threw in the crockpot the next night. I might be tempted to try this with a darker brew next time... or maybe I'll just shake things up completely and use a bit of bourbon. Who knows??

Semi-Homemade Wisconsin Beer Ketchup



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