Beer-Battered Onion Rings

2015-02-28 · by · in Fried, Sides

I’ll just come out and say it – Onion rings are awesome, whether on a burger, or as a side.  I mean, deep-fried onions, am I right?  Well, deep fried nearly everything.  Deep.Fried.  *drools a little*

At some point I’ll make some super-fancy version, but for now I’ll go with the basics.  This recipe can easily be tarted up a bit if you like.

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Shopping List (serves 4-6)

  • Large onion
  • 12 oz beer (I like Newcastle)
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1-1/4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • vegetable or other frying oil

 

The onions want to chill out in the batter to meld the flavors, so we need to get this going in advance – get the onions into the batter before you do anything else in your dinner plans.

First, slice up a large onion or two into rings.  Thick or thin, your choice.  I prefer mine on the thicker side. If you’re like me, you’ll also end up with a lot of onion “strings”, but that doesn’t really matter. They all taste the same.

For the batter, combine in a bowl: 12oz beer – I use Newcastle, but pick your favorite. Just remember that it has a lot of effect on the taste. Add 1-1/4c flour, 2 egg yolks, 1 tsp paprika, and 1 tsp garlic powder Mix thoroughly and adjust the thickness of the batter by adding more flour or beer (as necessary). Thicker batter will yield thicker coating on the rings. Once the batter is done, add the sliced onions and toss to coat them. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 1/2 hour.

If you’re using a deep-fryer, fill it with oil (I use vegetable oil, but whatever you normally use will probably work) and crank the sucker up to 375F.  Do this in advance so it’ll be up to temperature when you’re ready.  Unfortunately I can’t give you a time on this because it varies machine-to-machine. 

If you’re pan-frying, heat the oil until a few droplets of water dance across the surface.   I use vegetable oil in  the deep-fryer, but any neutral-flavored oil with a high flash point (the temperature at which it spontaneously catches fire) will do.  

Cook the battered onions in small batches until they’re golden brown.  It should be 3-5 minutes per batch.  Let them cool on a paper towel to remove any residual oil.

Serve with your favorite burger or whatever as a side.