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Grilled Pork Porterhouses with Newcastle Brown Ale and Mustard—A New Holiday Classic

By Steven Raichlen Pork porterhouses on the grill with Newcastle Brown Ale

All photos by Rob Baas.

This blog post is brought to you with support from our sponsor, Newcastle Brown Ale, who provided the samples and advertising support.

Beer and barbecue. It’s not just for summertime. Thousands of members of this barbecue community routinely shovel a path to their snow-covered grills and smokers. And hoisting a cold one with your gloved hands to your lips is an excellent way to defy winter.

The holiday season is a perfect time to celebrate the enduring union between beer and barbecue. And one of my favorites is Newcastle Brown Ale.

First brewed in England’s Newcastle upon Tyne in 1927 by Colonel Jim Porter, Newcastle Brown Ale ranks as the most popular brown ale in the U.S. (according to Nielsen Scantrac). The dark rich-flavored ale is compatible with a broad range of grilled and barbecued foods: from oysters, shrimp, and Asian sates to brisket, ribs, and pulled pork shoulder.

And in the spirit of giving, I’m pleased to share with you a new Raichlen recipe featuring this genial rich-tasting ale. This Grilled Pork Porterhouses with Newcastle Brown Ale and Mustard recipe not only goes together in minutes (we all know how scarce time is during the holidays), but it also delivers big flavors with minimal work. (The hardest part may be saving some of the ale for the marinade.)

Grilled pork porterhouses with Newcastle Brown Ale

Perfect for a weeknight meal or a holiday feast. And grilling gives you an excuse to slip outside to escape some of the seasonal madness. A great thirst quencher whether you’re holed up in Phoenix or Poughkeepsie this winter, but there are other ways to use Newcastle Brown Ale to enhance your barbecue experience. Here are some of my favorite techniques:

  • As a humidifying agent in your grill or smoker. Pour some into your drip pan to keep the environment and your food moist when smoking or indirect grilling.

  • As a mop or spray. Combine with other ingredients, such as melted butter and brush or spray it on. Don’t have a sprayer? Plug the neck of your beer bottle with your thumb, shake vigorously, and pull your thumb back a millimeter or so to direct a thin stream of ale toward the meat. Works exceedingly well with pork, chicken, brisket, etc.

  • As an ingredient in homemade barbecue sauce. Of course, you can use it to doctor up commercial sauces, too. Remember, a little goes a long way.

  • As a soaking medium for wood chips. Submerge the chips for at least 30 minutes, then drain and add to the burning charcoal or to the smoker box on your gas grill. Soaking slows the rate of combustion, allowing the wood to smolder, and contributes a hint of beer flavor.

  • As an ingredient in marinades, such as the mustard-ale marinade in the Grilled Pork Porterhouses with Newcastle Brown Ale and Mustard recipe.

    Pouring Newcastle Brown Ale into marinade

  • And of course, for beer can chicken. Simply pour Newcastle Brown Ale into the stainless steel canister of my Beer Can Chicken Roaster and smoke-roast the bird on the grill.

How do YOU use beer to up your game at the grill? Share your photos, recipes, and tips here.