Pretzel Wrapped Sausages with Jalapeno-Beer-Cheddar Cheese Sauce

Pretzel Wrapped Sausages with Jalapeno-Beer-Cheddar Cheese Sauce

I haven't been able to post a tailgatin' recipe recently, but I'm back at it again. And these will be perfect for all the men & women at your parties :) Who doesn't love a good stadium dog? Or a good ole' salty pretzel? Or some of that store-bought nacho cheese? No one. We all love it. Especially while drinkin' at a football game. So why not make them at home and combine them all together? I was so excited when we made these because I knew that I could substitute beer brats for hotdogs, and lemme tell you, soooo much better. And when they are wrapped in soft, pillowy homemade pretzel dough, they are the perfect drunk/football/party food. You of course hav'ta dip them in the cheese sauce that is fully loaded with beer and jalapenos. This is the essential main course to any tailgatin' fiesta, people. And they are hand-held deliciousness!! Enjoy :)

For the Pretzel Wrapped Sausages:

8 Pre-Cooked Sausages, Hotdogs, or Brats

1 ½C Warm Water

1T Sugar

1 Package of Active Dry Yeast

4 ½C AP Flour

2t Salt

2oz Unsalted Butter, Melted & Cooled

For the Bath:

3 ½Q of Water

1C Baking Soda

1 Large Egg + 1T Water, Beaten

For the Topping:

Sea Salt

Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

For the Jalapeno-Beer-Cheddar Cheese Sauce:

12oz Beer

2C Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

1T AP Flour

8oz Cream Cheese, Room Temperature

1 Clove of Garlic, Minced

2T Candied Jalapenos, Minced

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Directions:

1. For the Dough: Combine warm water and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water and set aside for 5 minutes, until mixture is foamy. Add the flour, salt, and melted butter. Using the dough hook, mix on low speed until well combined. Increase speed to medium and knead dough until it is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, creating a ball of dough around the dough hook, about 5 minutes. The dough will be soft, pliable, and just a bit sticky. Remove from bowl, form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Dust the top with flour, then cover with plastic and let sit in a warm place and allow the dough to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Place baking racks in the center and upper third of the oven. Preheat oven to 425° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and lightly brush the paper with oil (Don't skip the oiling, it’s important to brush the paper or the pretzels will stick).

2. For the Pretzel Wrapped Sausages: Combine water and baking soda in a large pot and bring to a boil. While the water comes to a boil, turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly oiled work surface. Divide the dough into eight even pieces (one per sausage). You want to make a rope with each piece of dough. Start with the fingers of both hands in the center of the dough, and roll, moving your hands outward as you go. Roll the dough along the oiled surface until you have about a 24" (for whole dogs) piece of rope. Starting at one end, roll the dough around a hot dog gently (without stretching too much), pinching and sealing each end well. When water has come to a boil, gently lower a few of the dough-wrapped dogs into the boiling water and allow it to boil for 30 seconds. Using a skimmer (flat, slotted spatula), carefully remove them and place on the oiled parchment. Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle each with some salt and pepper. Bake in the preheat oven until they reach a deep, golden brown color, about 12-15 minutes. While they cook, prepare the cheese sauce.

3. For the Jalapeno-Beer-Cheddar Cheese Sauce: Add the beer to a saucepan over medium heat and bring it to a boil. While you are waiting, toss the shredded cheese with the flour. Once the beer is simmering, whisk in the cheese and all of the remaining ingredients. Whisk until all the cheese has melted and you have a smooth, creamy sauce. Keep warm until ready to serve.

4. Serve the pretzel wrapped sausages on a platter with the Jalapeno-Beer-Cheddar Cheese Sauce for dipping.

source: spicy beer cheese sauce. pretzel dogs.

Chili-Cheese-Slaw Dogs with Beer Braised Brats topped with Homemade Mole Chili, Pimento Cheese, Creamy Jalapeno Coleslaw, Fried Onion Strings, & Srirancha Sauce

Here's the next recipe from our Memorial Day meal. I have been itchin' to make chili-cheese-slaw dogs for a while. It brings up a lot of childhood memories from when we would go eat at the Varsity before Atlanta Falcons games, Braves games, and UGA Football games. And I would always get a chili cheese dog with slaw added with a side of fries and a frosted orange. If you have never been to the Varsity, then you are missing out, and I urge you to go. Did you know it's actually the largest drive-in restaurant in the world? That's pretty awesome. Anyway, I decided to take a stab at this all-American classic, but of course, by adding my own signature twist. It was a requirement that I make every component from scratch and my friends, there are a lot of components. So, feel free to use store-bought ingredients to make it a little easier on you. First, I started off by braising from brats in some dark beer and caramelized onions. I have never really been a huge fan of hot dogs, but we love brats braised in beer, so we just had to do it. After they braised, we charred them off on the grill until they were nice & crispy. Then, I whipped up a batch of my homemade mole chili that has a couple crazy ingredients such as cocoa powder, peanut butter, and pumpkin pie spice. It's deliciously sweet, but still hearty & spicy like a traditional chili. I also made my favorite pimento cheese recipe because I mean honestly, what is better than pimento cheese? Nothin' bro. I topped the dogs with my favorite coleslaw recipe, crispy onion strings, and a special, special sauce. I call this sauce, "Srirancha Sauce", because it is a combination of a homemade ranch dressing and my new favorite spice, homemade sriracha powder (that was used in my Pickled Deviled Egg recipe on Tuesday). This sauce is creamy & spicy, but still has that amazing herby flavor that I love. Well, that's it... not too bad eh? Haha, I know it's a lot, however, if you have the time, then definitely make these gourmet dog. You won't regret it!! Enjoy :)

Gourmet Chili-Cheese-Slaw Dogs

Look at all them layers...

The crispy onions are the best, yum-o!

Don't forget a drizzle of the homemade Srirancha sauce :) 

My Mountain Man chowin' downnn. 

For the Beer Braised Brats:

4 Brats

Your Favorite Beer, To Cover

1 Medium Vidalia Onion, Cut into Slices

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Homemade Chili:

2T Olive Oil

1 Medium Onion, Chopped

1T Garlic, Chopped

1lb Ground Beef Chuck (80/20)

2-28oz Can of Crushed Tomatoes

1C Water

1 4oz Can of Chopped Green Chiles

2 Jalapenos, Seeded & Diced

3T Chili Powder

1t Paprika

½t Dried Oregano

½t Cayenne Pepper

1t Cumin

¼t Pumpkin Pie Spice

½t Salt

1t Onion Powder

1t Garlic Salt

2t Brown Sugar

¼C Creamy Peanut Butter

2T Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1-2T Hot Sauce

1t Worcestershire

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Pimento Cheese:

4oz Cream Cheese, Softened

½C Mayo

¼t Garlic Powder, Pepper, & Paprika

2t Hot Sauce

2T Sweet Onion, Grated

8oz Pepper Jack Cheese, Shredded

8oz White Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

8oz Sharp Yellow Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

2 Roasted Red Peppers, Diced

½C Candied Jalapenos, Diced

For the Creamy Jalapeno Coleslaw:

3C Coleslaw Mix

3-5 Green Onions, Chopped (depending on how much onion you like)

2 Large Jalapenos, Diced

2T Candied Jalapeno, Diced (or you can use pickled jalapenos and add a little more sugar)

¼C Mayo

¼C Sour Cream

1t Yellow Mustard

1t White Vinegar

1t Sugar

1t Lemon Juice

Salt & Pepper, To Taste 

For the Fried Onion Strings:

1 Large Vidalia Onion, Sliced Very Thinly

2C Buttermilk

2C AP Flour

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

½t Cayenne

Vegetable Oil, For Frying

For the Srirancha Sauce:

½C Sour Cream

¼C Mayo

Cold Buttermilk (however much to your preferred thickness)

2T Fresh Parsley, Minced

¼C Fresh Chives, Minced

1 Small Clove of Garlic, Minced into a Paste (use a little coarse sea salt to help grind it)

½t Garlic Salt & Garlic Powder

½t-1t Homemade Sriracha Powder

Salt & Pepper, To Taste (I also used a pinch of sugar for a little sweetness, this is optional)

For the Chili-Cheese-Slaw Dogs:

Beer Braised Brats, Grilled

Hot Dog Buns, Toasted

Prepared Chili

Prepared Pimento Cheese

Prepared Creamy Jalapeno Coleslaw

Fried Onion Strings

Prepared Srirancha Sauce

Additional Toppings (raw onion, sauce, etc.)

Directions:

1. For the Beer Braised Brats: Heat some olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add in the sliced onions along with some salt & pepper, and caramelize until golden brown. Once the onions have caramelized, place the brats into the Dutch oven and cover with the beer and any other seasonings that you want. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer until the brats are cooked through. Remove the brats and set aside the beer mixture. Right before you are ready to eat, grill the brats until golden brown and charred. Return the brats the beer mixture until you are ready to serve.
2. For the Chili: Heat the olive oil in a big pot on medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until tender, then add in the garlic and diced jalapenos and cook for about 2 minutes. Next, add in the ground beef and cook thoroughly through. Add in the water, crushed tomatoes, and green chiles. Let this mixture cook for about 10 minutes, then stir in chili powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne, cumin, salt, onion powder, garlic salt, and brown sugar. Let this mixture cook covered on low heat for 30 minutes. After it has simmered, stir in the creamy peanut butter, cocoa powder, hot sauce, Worcestershire, and pumpkin pie spice. Once again, cook on simmer for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Keep the chili warm until you are ready to spoon on top of the dogs.
3. To Make the Pimento Cheese: In a big mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, mayo, garlic powder, pepper, paprika, & hot sauce. Separately, shred the three blocks of cheese and put in the bowl with the cream cheese & mayo mixture. (I use the second smallest shredding side because I like it more that way. It does take more time, but I think it's worth it. But you can do the cheese in the bigger shred if that's how you like your pimento cheese. Toss the mixture together until the mayo is covering all of the cheese. Add in the diced red peppers, grated onion, and candied jalapeno. Toss until it’s evenly incorporated. Refrigerate until ready to use.
4. For the Creamy Jalapeno Coleslaw: In a medium-mixing bowl, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, mustard, sugar, lemon juice, fresh jalapeno, and candied jalapeno. Toss this mixture with the coleslaw and green onions until completely coated. Set it aside until ready to assemble the hot dogs.
5. For the Fried Onion Strings: Slice the onion very thinly. Place in baking dish and cover with buttermilk and hot sauce. Soak for at least an hour. Combine all the dry ingredients and seasonings, and set it aside. Heat the oil to 375 degrees. Grab a handful of onions and toss in the flour mixture, shake off the excess, and then fry in the hot oil until golden brown & crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Repeat until all the onions have been fried. Top the brats with the crispy onions.
6. For the Srirancha Sauce: Whisk together the sour cream, mayo, parsley, chives, garlic paste, garlic salt, and garlic powder until smooth and combined. Add in some buttermilk, starting with a small amount and working up to more to the thickness that you want. Whisk in the Sriracha Powder to your desired spiciness, I used 1t of the powder for a fairly spicy sauce. Taste once again and season with salt, pepper, & sugar to your liking. Pour into a container and refrigerate until you are ready to drizzle onto the hot dogs.
7. Assemble the Brats: Lay the brats into the toasted buns and top with the pimento cheese, homemade chili, coleslaw, crispy onion strings, and a drizzle of the Srirancha Sauce.