How to Cook Deep Fried Beer

Making the Dough

Combine the yeast, lukewarm water, and sugar in a large bowl. Place 1 tbsp (9.45 g) of yeast, 1 cup (240 ml) of lukewarm water, and 1 tbsp (12.5 g) of sugar into the bowl. Use a whisk to mix the ingredients together. Whisk the ingredients until the yeast and sugar have dissolved.

Mix part of the flour into the bowl and let the mixture rest for 5-15 minutes. Place 1 cup (120 g) of flour into the bowl with the yeast, lukewarm water, and sugar. Use a whisk to combine the flour with the other ingredients. Leave the mixture resting until small bubbles appear. The amount of time that it takes for the yeast to start bubbling depends on the temperature of the environment. The cooler the environment is, the longer it will take.

Knead the butter, salt, and remaining flour into the bowl. Transfer 1/3 cup (75 g) of butter, 1 tsp (5 g) of salt, and the remaining 2 1/2 cups (300 g) of flour into the bowl with the yeast mixture. Use your hands to knead the ingredients together. Stop kneading once the butter is evenly distributed throughout the mixture. Keep the ingredients in the bowl while you are kneading.

Roll the dough out on your work surface. Take the dough from the bowl and place it onto a clean work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out until it looks like a thin sheet and is approximately ⁄5 in (0.51 cm) thick. Sprinkle some flour over the work surface if the dough starts to stick. Avoid rolling the dough too thin, otherwise, it may begin to break.

Brush the dough with 3 beaten eggs. Crack 3 eggs into a bowl. Use a whisk to beat the eggs until the whites and the yolks have combined. Coat the dough thoroughly using a pastry brush to spread the egg mixture out. If you don’t have a pastry brush, you can use the back of a spoon to spread the egg mixture out instead. Coating the dough with egg is called an egg wash. This helps to give the dough color and makes it shiny when it is cooked.

Making the Pockets of Beer

Use a ravioli cutter to slice the dough into 12 pieces. Run the blade of the ravioli cutter along the dough. Divide the dough using the ravioli cutter into small rectangles. A ravioli cutter is used to give the dough a distinct wavy edge.

Press the rectangles of dough together to create 6 ravioli pockets. Pair up each of the ravioli pieces. Gently press along the 2 short edges and 1 long edge to create a pocket. Leave the last long edge open as this will be where you pour the beer in. Make sure that the sides of the dough with the egg wash are facing the outside. You may need to hold each ravioli pocket open using your thumb while you press the edges together, to prevent the dough from sticking.

Fill each ravioli pocket up 3/4 of the way with beer. Prop each ravioli pocket up against a cup or a glass so that each one rests upright and the pocket stays open. Open the can of beer and pour a small amount into each pocket. Make sure that you don’t fill the pockets all of the way, as otherwise, the ravioli will not be able to hold the liquid. The liquid beer center remains a liquid once it has been deep-fried. The original recipe calls for Guinness. However, you can experiment with different types of beer if you prefer.

Press each ravioli pocket closed using your thumb. Gently seal the open edge of each ravioli pocket. Try not to press too firmly as otherwise, the dough could break and the beer would spill out.

Deep-Frying the Beer

Heat vegetable oil in a deep pan until it reaches 325 °F (163 °C). Pour 2 cups (470 ml) of vegetable oil into a deep pan and adjust the stovetop temperature to a high setting. Use a candy thermometer to monitor the oil as it heats.

Deep-fry the ravioli pockets in the oil for 20 seconds each. Once the oil has reached the desired temperature, use a slotted spoon to carefully place 1 pocket into the pan. Set the timer for 20 seconds and use a slotted spoon to remove the pocket once the time is up. You may be able to fit more than 1 ravioli pocket in the pan at a time. Just make sure that the pockets aren’t touching, otherwise, they will stick together as they cook. The short deep-frying time of only 20 seconds is necessary so that the deep-fried beer remains alcoholic. The ravioli pockets need to be more soft than crispy when making deep-fried beer.

Place the ravioli pockets on paper towels to soak up the excess oil. As each ravioli pocket is removed from the pan, transfer it directly onto a plate that is covered with paper towels. This will help to absorb the extra oil. Place the ravioli pockets next to each other rather than stacking them.

Let the deep-fried beer pockets cool for 3-4 minutes before serving. When the deep-fried beer pockets have been removed from the pan, they will be hot and may burn you if you touch them. Leave them to cool on the paper towel for a few minutes before enjoying your first taste of deep-fried beer! Hold the deep-fried beer pockets upright as you eat them, otherwise, the beer will spill. You can serve the deep-fried beer pockets with cheese sauce for dipping.