Bold Bites: Bó Kho and Beer Pickled Garlic

Prime Pairing - Bó Kho and Beer Pickled Garlic

Photo: Great Divide Brewing Co. 

Great Divide Brewing Co. is one of Denver’s original craft breweries, brewing bold beers since 1994. Bold Bites is Great Divide’s way of combining two favorite things, great beer and great food.

This Bold Bite collaboration is spurred on by executive chef Ryan Gorby from Cho77, the sister restaurant to ChoLon. Gorby created a take on a traditional dish, Bó Kho, that you can make at home using Great Divide’s Hercules Double IPA.

Ingredients:

Bó Kho

• 2 lbs of beef chuck or stewing meat cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
• 2 tbsp ginger, peeled and minced
• ¼ cup fish sauce
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 2 tbsp brown or palm sugar
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 yellow onion (medium-sized), diced
• 4 star anise, whole
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 stalk lemongrass, cut into thirds and bruised
• ¾ lb carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch segments
• 2 cups canned tomatoes, crushed
• 1 ½ cup beef broth
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 bottle Great Divide Hercules Double IPA

Beer Pickled Garlic

• 1 cup rice vinegar
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup Great Divide Hercules Double IPA
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tsp salt
• 8 cloves of garlic, sliced thin

Directions:

Bó Kho

Mix beef with the ginger, curry powder, sugar, and fish sauce. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.  In a medium sized pot, heat the oil gently over low-medium heat. Next, add the garlic, onions and paprika and sweat lightly for about 2 minutes. Add the whole star anise, cinnamon stick and bruised lemongrass pieces to cook for another 2 minutes. 

Next, add in the marinated beef and cook while stirring for about 5 minutes.  After the beef is cooked, add in the carrots, tomatoes, broth, salt and the beer to cover the beef. Bring to light simmer and cook uncovered until the beef is tender. When you are ready to serve, remove the lemongrass, cinnamon stick and star anise pieces to avoid any surprises while eating. 

Serve with shaved red onion, scallions and beer pickled garlic (see recipe below) over rice or with slices of fresh baguette.

Note: 2 tsp of Chinese five spice powder can be used in place of the star Anise and cinnamon stick, but it should be added to the pot when the beef is added.

Beer Pickled Garlic

Combine all the ingredients, except for the garlic, in a small pot and gently heat while stirring.  Heat just until all the sugar and salt have been dissolved, cool the liquid to room temperature and pour over the sliced garlic. Allow the garlic to pickle for at least 8 hours before using.

Pair with

Great Divide’s Hercules Double IPA

Great Divide brews up a truly balanced double IPA. A robust, malty profile provides a sweet and smooth base layer of this aggressively hopped ale. Brewed with a huge amount of hops, Hercules is a perfect addition to Cho77's heroic take on a Vietnamese favorite.

Ryan Gorby is executive chef and owner at Cho77 in Denver. He spent eight years in New York City working in the city’s top restaurants under chefs such as
Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Michael Symon and Lon Symensma. When chef Symensma to open his own restaurant in Denver, he tapped Gorby to be his right-hand man at the new Southeast Asian inspired hot spot ChoLon. ChoLon became a staple in the Denver dining scene with many accolades and some very loyal fans. Turning to Asia for inspiration, chef Gorby traveled from the mountains of northern Thailand to the sweltering streets of Singapore, and now shares a little piece of Southeast Asia with South Broadway at Cho77.