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Pretzel Dogs and Beer Cheese

Pretzel Dog Ingredients

  • 1 tube Pillsbury pizza dough
  • 1 package Lil Smokies sausages
  • 2 tablespoons baking soda
  • 1 egg
  • pretzel salt (or coarse sea salt)

Beer Cheese Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1 cup beer (I used Blue Moon. Use whatever beer you prefer.)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 tsp whole black peppercorns
  • 1-2 whole cloves
  • Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1-1.5 cup cheddar cheese, grated
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions For the Pretzel Dogs

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add two Tablespoons of baking soda.
  2. Unroll pizza dough and cut into 1 inch strips, about 2 inches long. Stretch it out longer, and wrap around the sausage. Pinch the end of the dough into the dough that is already on the sausage. Continue until all sausages are wrapped. If there is leftover dough, I like to cut it into small pieces to make plain pretzel nuggets.
  3. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
  4. Preheat oven to 425° F.
  5. Drop pretzel dogs into boiling water, letting them cook for about 30 seconds. They will rise to the top when they are ready. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on the prepared sheet pan.
  6. Beat one egg in a small bowl and add a couple teaspoons of water.
  7. After all pretzel dogs have been boiled, brush with the egg wash and sprinkle sea salt on top.
  8. Bake for about 8-12 minutes. They are done when they are a golden brown color.

Directions For the Beer Cheese

  1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
  2. Add the chopped onion and bay leaf and cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
  3. Add a pinch of salt and the flour, stirring to coat the onions completely, and cook, stirring constantly for about 3-4 minutes.
  4. Slowly add the beer to the roux, whisking constantly.
  5. Next, slowly add the heavy cream, again, whisking constantly and breaking up any clumps of flour that may have formed..
  6. Bring the mixture to a gently simmer, and add the peppercorns, cloves, and nutmeg, and cook, whisking occasionally, for about 30 minutes.
  7. Using a small slotted spoon, remove the peppercorns and bay leaf from the mixture (if you leave a couple of the peppercorns in, it's ok. Just be sure you know this before you take a big bite of cheese.)
  8. Remove the sauce from the heat and slowly whisk in the grated cheese, adjusting the amount of cheese to your desired taste and thickness.