It’s October finally…and Fall…and cooler weather…our birthdays kick off this holiday season. What better way to start off the holidays with our first ever cheat meal! We always get together and cook our own Oktoberfest. Last year, we made homemade sausages. This year, we decided to make a fun cheat meal so that you can all indulge with us! How do homemade sausage slider burgers sound? Oh yeah, and they’re smothered with beer-braised onions and beer-cheese sauce! We also made Guinness mustard for fun! Don’t forget to make a side of German potato salad! PROST! (That’s “cheers” in German)!

-Tammy & Melanie

Health tips:  No healthy tips for this! It’s cheat day! Enjoy!

Ingredients (8 PLUS servings)

Sausage Ingredients:

• 1 ½ lbs. ground pork (We actually made our own ground pork because bone-in pork loin was on sale for .99 a pound! But feel free to buy the already-ground stuff)
• ½ lb. ground beef (we used 93/7 ratio)
• 1 egg
• ½ cup German lager beer
• 1 tsp black pepper, ground
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp paprika(I use smoked)
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 2 tsp dry mustard
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp sage, ground
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 1 tsp onion powder

Beer-Braised Onion Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large onion, sliced thin
• 1 bottle German lager
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Beer Cheese Ingredients:

• 1 bag (8 oz.) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• ¼ pound Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup German lager
• 2 tsp spicy brown mustard
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Olive oil
• Hot sauce and Worcestershire to taste

• 8 slider-size pretzel buns (Preferably no salt added on top)

Guinness Mustard Ingredients: (Optional)

• 1/2 cup coarse-grained Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons regular Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons Guinness stout or other stout or porter
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 teaspoon golden brown sugar

Steps:

Make the sausage first!

1. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and beer together until well blended.
2. Add dry ingredients and mix.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground meat and wet mixture until well incorporated.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours, up to 24. The longer the better. When ready to cook, make hamburger-like patties out of them. Make 8 patties. These are pretty big. You can probably make 10 smaller ones out of them.

Guinness Mustard and Beer-Braised Onions:

1. If using Guinness mustard, make this next by whisking all ingredients together in a small bowl. Let set, covered for a few hours. About an hour before making the meal, make beer-braised onions. Add thinly sliced onions and about a tablespoon of butter to a medium-sized frying pan.
2. Sauté the onions until soft and translucent.
3. Add sugar, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and pour in your entire bottle of beer.
4. Cook over medium heat until the onions caramelize and most of the liquid has been absorbed (this will take about 30 minutes or a bit more).
5. Turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.

When you are ready to grill the burgers, make the cheese sauce:

1. In a saucepan, heat a little oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until light golden brown (only about 1 minute). Add lager and bring to a boil.
2. Bring the heat down to simmer and add cheese mixture slowly. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon to melt the cheese evenly.
3. After the cheese is completely melted, add a tablespoon of brown mustard and a few drops of each hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce.

Assemble:

You can either toast the pretzel buns or serve as is. Add sausage patty, then top with onions and beer cheese. You can add Guinness mustard to the bottom of the bun if you want. ENJOY! And walk an extra mile the next day!