Saltwater Brewery - What's Brewing

Five Thursdays, one German table

October had five Thursdays, so German month closes with a roundup: our four core beers, four dinners, one page. Three of them you may have cooked already. The fourth, Passion Pit in an apricot glaze on grilled pork tenderloin with warm German potato salad, was planned for last Thursday and didn't make it out, so it's here in full. The brewery has no kitchen (food on site comes from the rotating food trucks), so every one of these is for your stove or grill.

October at the Thursday Night Table

• Oct. 1, LocAle: beer brats with beer cheese. Brats simmered in the can, then a cheese sauce built on the same beer.
• Oct. 8, Screamin' Reels: IPA-brined pork schnitzel. The beer stays in a cold brine and never gets boiled down.
• Oct. 15, Sea Cow: beef goulash. The whole can, two-plus hours in the oven.
• Oct. 29, Passion Pit: apricot glazed pork tenderloin, below.

The beer: Passion Pit, Fruit Ale, 4.2% ABV / 12 IBU

Passion Pit is our Fruit Ale, 4.2% ABV and 12 IBU, the lowest bitterness of the four. That makes it a glaze beer: simmer it down with apricot preserves and there is no hop bite to concentrate, just fruit, sugar and a little tang. A splash also brightens the warm bacon dressing on the potato salad.

Shopping list

Serves 4. Prep: about 20 minutes. Cook: about 40 minutes.

For the pork

• 2 pork tenderloins (about 1 1/4 lb each), silver skin trimmed
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp neutral oil

Passion Pit apricot glaze

• 3/4 cup Passion Pit Fruit Ale
• 1/2 cup apricot preserves
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• Pinch of red pepper flakes

Warm German potato salad

• 2 lb small Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
• 1 tbsp kosher salt, for the water
• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp Passion Pit Fruit Ale
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp whole-grain mustard
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

About the can. 3/4 cup goes in the glaze and 2 tablespoons in the dressing, which leaves about half a cup. Pour that for the cook.

Step by step

1. Make the glaze. In a small saucepan over medium heat, simmer the Passion Pit, preserves, Dijon, vinegar and pepper flakes for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until syrupy and reduced to about 2/3 cup. Set a third of it aside for the table.
2. Boil the potatoes. Cover the potatoes with cold water, add the tablespoon of salt, bring to a boil and simmer 12 to 15 minutes, until a knife slides in. Drain and keep warm.
3. Heat the grill. Heat the grill to medium-high, about 425°F, and oil the grates. Pat the pork dry, rub it with the oil, and season with the salt, pepper and smoked paprika.
4. Grill. Grill the tenderloins 12 to 15 minutes, giving them a quarter turn every 3 to 4 minutes, until the thickest part reads 135°F.
5. Glaze late. Brush on the glaze, turn, and brush again for the last 4 to 5 minutes, until it caramelizes and the pork reads 145°F. Rest it 5 minutes on a board.
6. Crisp the bacon. While the pork cooks, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium 6 to 8 minutes, until crisp. Lift it out and leave about 3 tablespoons of fat. Cook the onion in it 3 to 4 minutes, until soft.
7. Make the warm dressing. Add the vinegar, 2 tablespoons of Passion Pit, the sugar and mustard to the skillet and bubble 1 minute. Add the warm potatoes, bacon and parsley, toss, and season with salt and pepper.
8. Slice and serve. Slice the pork 1/2 inch thick, spoon the reserved glaze over it, and serve with the potato salad while it's warm.

No grill? Sear the tenderloins in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high, 2 minutes a side, then roast at 425°F for 12 to 15 minutes, brushing on the glaze for the last 5.

Why it works

Tenderloin is lean, so it dries out fast once it passes 145°F, which is USDA's safe minimum for whole cuts of pork with a 3-minute rest. Pull it there and let it sit. The glaze goes on late because apricot preserves are mostly sugar, and sugar on a hot grate for 15 minutes burns instead of caramelizing. And the potatoes get dressed while they are still warm, when they soak up the vinegar and bacon fat instead of just wearing it.

On the table with it

Drink what you glazed with: Passion Pit, cold. For anyone skipping the beer, top sparkling water with a splash of apricot nectar; it picks up the same fruit as the glaze.

What the beer leaves behind

A short simmer keeps more alcohol than a long braise. USDA's Table of Nutrient Retention Factors puts the alcohol left after 15 minutes of simmering at about 40 percent, and the dressing only bubbles for a minute. Spread over four plates, that is a small amount from a 4.2% beer, but it is not zero. Want none at all? Use 3/4 cup apple juice in the glaze and an extra tablespoon of cider vinegar in the dressing.

Thursday Table: 15% off all four to-go

Coming by? See what's on at the brewery this weekend before you head over.

Where to find Passion Pit

Passion Pit gets around South Florida, so ask for it wherever you buy beer, and if it isn't in the cooler, ask the shop whether they can order it. Or pick it up at the taproom at 1701 W. Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach, FL 33444, the first building off the I-95 Atlantic Ave exit.

Taproom hours: Mon 1–7 · Tue–Thu 12–10 · Fri–Sat 12–11 · Sun 12–8.

We don't ship beer or sell it online. The website is merch only, shipped within the USA.

Next Thursday, November 5, Southern month opens with LocAle in a Lowcountry shrimp boil.

Please drink responsibly.