SERVES: 4 to 6
TOTAL TIME: 50 minutes
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS For tender, flavor-filled onion rings, sweet onions like Vidalia, Maui, or Walla Walla are the way to go—although ordinary yellow onions will also produce quite acceptable onion rings. After testing many different batters in a quest to find just the right consistency, we settled on one with beer, flour, salt, pepper, baking powder, and cornstarch. The beer gave the coating flavor, and its carbonation provided lift to the batter. The baking powder contributed to a coating that was thick and substantial, yet light, while cornstarch added crunch. Before frying our onion rings, we soaked the onions in a mixture of beer, malt vinegar, and salt to soften them and build flavor. We like full-bodied beers in this recipe. Cider vinegar can be used in place of malt vinegar. In step 1, do not soak the onion rounds longer than 2 hours or they will turn soft and become too saturated to crisp up properly. You will need a 6-quart or larger Dutch oven for this recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 Vidalia onions, sliced into ½-inch-thick rounds
- 3 cups beer
- 2 teaspoons malt vinegar
- Salt and pepper
- 2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Combine onion rounds, 2 cups beer, vinegar, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in large bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
- Line rimmed baking sheet with triple layer of paper towels. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Add oil to Dutch oven until it measures about 1½ inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. While oil heats, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in second large bowl. Slowly whisk in ¾ cup beer until just combined (some lumps will remain). Whisk in remaining beer as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, until batter falls from whisk in steady stream and leaves faint trail across surface of batter.
- Drain onions and pat dry with paper towels. Separate into rings. Transfer one-third of rings to batter. Carefully transfer battered rings to oil. Fry until rings are golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes, flipping halfway through frying. Drain rings on prepared baking sheet, season with salt and pepper to taste, and transfer to oven to keep warm. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat 2 more times with remaining onion rings and batter. Serve.
