Steakhouse Beer-Battered Onion Rings with Smoky Comeback Sauce

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Thick-cut sweet onion rings soaked in seasoned buttermilk, dredged, then dipped in an ice-cold lager batter that fries into a shattering, craggy shell that actually clings to the onion. A tangy smoked-paprika comeback sauce makes them dangerously easy to keep eating. This is the tall, golden stack you get next to a steakhouse ribeye — done in a single Dutch oven at home.

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet onions (Vidalia or similar), about 1 1/2 lb total
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 tbsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 1/4 cups cold lager or pilsner

• 8 cups peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
• flaky sea salt, for finishing

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp prepared horseradish
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 small clove garlic, finely grated
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• kosher salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Trim the ends off the onions, peel them, and slice crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Push the rings apart with your fingers, keeping only rings about 1 1/2 inches across or larger (save the small centers for another use). You should have 20 to 24 rings.
2. Whisk the buttermilk, hot sauce, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the rings, press to submerge, and soak at room temperature for 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to 4 hours. This seasons the onion and softens its raw bite.
3. Make the comeback sauce: stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup, Dijon, horseradish, Worcestershire, smoked paprika, grated garlic, lemon juice, and black pepper. Season with salt, then refrigerate at least 20 minutes so the flavors come together.
4. Set up your station: whisk the dry dredge ingredients in a wide shallow dish. In a second bowl, whisk the batter flour, cornstarch, baking powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, smoked paprika, onion powder, and cayenne. Set a wire rack over a sheet pan and heat the oven to 200°F for holding.
5. Pour 8 cups of oil into a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven (no more than halfway up the sides) and heat over medium-high to 375°F on a clip-on thermometer, about 10 minutes.
6. While the oil heats, whisk the cold beer into the dry batter mix just until it looks like thin pancake batter with a few small lumps — do not overmix. If it thickens as it sits, whisk in another tablespoon or two of beer; it should coat a ring in a thin, even layer.
7. Lift a handful of rings from the buttermilk, letting excess drip off, and toss them in the seasoned flour until fully coated. Shake off the extra, then dip each floured ring into the batter, drag it against the rim of the bowl to shed the excess, and lower it into the oil.
8. Fry 5 or 6 rings at a time for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once halfway with a spider or tongs, until deep golden and blistered. Keep the oil between 360°F and 375°F, adjusting the burner between batches, and never crowd the pot.
9. Transfer the rings to the wire rack, season immediately with flaky salt, and slide the pan into the 200°F oven while you fry the rest. Let the oil return to 375°F before each new batch.
10. Pile the rings into a tall stack on a platter and serve right away with the cold comeback sauce.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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