One restaurant is never enough, said every restaurateur ever. Fortunately, the Pacific Northwest is rich with entrepreneurial chefs and somewhat void in chain eateries, so the stacking figures of restaurants in our great region is largely made up of chef-owned or operated culinary establishments. Having coined the endearment of “Dean of Portland chefs,” Vitaly Paley first launched his Portland restaurateur career with Paley’s Place in 1995, but didn’t tack on his second restaurant until nearly two decades later. Located at the base of the historic Hotel Lucia, Imperial opened in 2012 and continues to thrive as an essential downtown stop, now a sibling to the adjacent Portland Penny Dinner and the sparkling new Headwaters in the landmark Heathman Hotel.
At the helm of Imperial is Chef de Cuisine Matthew Jarrell, a craft beer lover who loaned us his recipe for beer-braised elk shoulder. “Using beer adds another depth of richness and dark flavor to the braise that I feel is more complex than any red table wine that would normally be used for a similar recipe,” Jarrell says.
In this approachable, beer-forward, slightly slow-cooked recipe, Jarrell uses Upright Brewing‘s #6 rye saison — a lot of it, with nearly three bottles used to re-hydrate the prunes and as the braising liquid (if you choose not to reuse the prune-beer). “The Upright #6 is a darker rye beer that has complex notes of wood, chocolate, cherry and pepper,” he adds. “I feel that reinforces some of the bolder flavors present in the braise — the pasilla peppers and prunes shine with the #6. Beer is also a lot more dry and not as sweet as a wine which allows me to control the sweetness of the finished product with more precision.”
A natural pairing, Jarrell suggest matching the same beer with the food when eating — so make sure to get enough of this limited release beer for your personal drinking needs. “The wood and sweet spice elements of this rye saison are enhanced by the sweet and mellow spice in the braise,” he says. “The lean elk meat also does very well with cherry flavors brought to the mix from the [beer].”
If you don’t mind reusing the beer, Jarrell suggests using the prune re-hydrating beer as part of the 4 cups of beer used in the braising liquid.
Beer-Braised Elk Shoulder
By Chef de Cuisine Matthew Jarrell, Imperial, Portland
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 1 ½ – 2 hours
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
1 ½ pound prunes, re-hydrated in 1 750ml bottle of Upright #6 Rye saison
6 cups brown chicken stock
1 quart canned diced tomatoes
8 whole pasilla peppers, seeded and stemmed
4 cups Upright Brewing #6 rye saison (about 1 1/2 750ml bottles)
½ cup molasses
3 onions, brûléed
3 carrots, peeled
¼ cup of sherry vinegar
1 6-pound boneless elk shoulder
Directions:
To re-hydrate prunes, place in a large pot and add 1 bottle of saison, or enough liquid to cover the prunes. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and cover with parchment paper for 30 minutes. Strain prunes from liquid and reserve if reusing for braising liquid.
To brûlée onions, cut each in half along the equator, leaving the skin on. Over an open flame (a gas range, grill or even a torch will work), char the cut face of the onion until it is well charred, or brûléed.
Combine remaining ingredients except for prunes into a braising pan or stockpot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer until desired richness and viscosity have been achieved, about 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the pan.
In a separate braising pan, sear all sides of elk shoulder. Once all sides have developed a golden brown, caramelized crust, deglaze the pan with the braising liquid, making sure to scrape all of the browned bits with a wooden spoon. Add re-hydrated prunes, cover and cook for 1 ½-2 hours at 325 °F until desired tenderness. Remove the shoulder from the pan, cut into portions and serve with your favorite side.
