Hot Oil Fondue
What is Hot Oil Fondue?
Hot oil fondue is much like having a personal deep fat fryer on your dining room table, for all your guests to use, cooking their meal, or them cooking it for you. Try this style of fondue as an alternative to the traditional cheese fondue or broth fondue. Hot Oil Fondue can be served alongside a cheese fondue, to add a different culinary element to the shared dining experience.
Using hot oil instead of cheese requires a type a few different steps and ingredients. First, cut up and marinate some different meats ahead of time (beef | pork | lamb | bison | venison), seafood (fish | prawns | scallops), and poultry (chicken | turkey | duck | fowl) into small thin bite-size pieces, to help ensure cooking the protein fully. Any food added to the hot oil should also be as dry as possible, to minimize the splatter and popping of hot oil, that can cause burns. It is very similar to cheese fondue, as all the ingredients need to be prepared beforehand, so they can just be enjoyed and take the pressure off the ‘chef’ of the night and transferred to your guests.
When serving hot oil fondue, it’s a good idea to have two plates for all your guests, one plate for raw food, while the second is for cooked food. It’s also helpful to have other forks | skewers for people to use to eat what they create, as the fondue fork may be too hot to use, while also the ‘double-dipping’ isn’t as sanitary.
A standard fondue pot can be used for Hot Oil Fondue. Sterno, alcohol gel, or an electrically heated unit will get to the desired cooking temperature. It is important to make sure the area around your fondue pot is clean and clear of anything potentially flammable.
What Type of Fat | Oil To Use with Hot Oil Fondue?
The type of oil used for a Hot Oil Fondue is important, as it becomes the cooking medium. I suggest rendered fat over oil, as it has more flavor, the moisture has been removed, and usually has a smoke point. My favorite fats to use are rendered duck fat (the most flavor, IE duck fat fried potatoes), rendered pork fat, or beef tallow. For oil, it is important to understand the smoke point of refined vegetable oil. Not all oils are equal when it comes to heat, as the oil can burn, denature, and not be as good for you. I suggest Avocado oil (520°F | 270°C), rice bran oil (450°F | 232°C), refined peanut oil (445°F | 231°C) or coconut oil (450°F | 232°C). These oils have a higher smoke point or higher temperature, to prevent the oil from burning. Do not use canola oil, vegetables (corn safflower | sesame), extra virgin olive oil, or other GMO oils that have high amounts of Omega 6, as they can easily burn or go rancid faster.
This page shares a few different Beer Cuisine | cooking with beer-inspired marinades for meat, poultry, and seafood. Once these proteins are cooked at the table, there are three different sauce recipes for your guests to finish off their creations. These marinades and sauces open up a wide variety of beer pairing options for the ultimate table dining experience.
Another addition to the smorgasbord of food items that can be cooking in a Hot Oil Fondue is Brazilian Chicken Coxinhas | Croquettes.
Serves: 6 as an entrée
Hot Oil Fondue Special Equipment:
1 each All-Clad Stainless Steel Fondue Pot
1 each Sterno Cooking Fuel
Adapted from BeerAdvocate Magazine: Cuisine à la Bière | Feb 2008 | Issue #13
Check out my other Beer Fondue recipes.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 6 guests | 15 minute |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 5 minute | 2 hour |
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Hot Oil Fondue: Having pre-cut and marinated meat | seafood | chicken | vegetables | bread to dip into the hot oil, invites your guests to become chefs of their own meal.
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- 5 - 6 cup oil, such as rendered fat (duck | goose | chicken | beef), avocado, rice bran or coconut oil
- 12 ounce Rauchbier, such as Rauchbier or Smoked Porter
- 2 each garlic, cloves peeled and minced fine
- 1 teaspoon salt, sea
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns, black freshly cracked
- 24 ounce beef, Kobe or American Kobe, sirloin or filet
- 12 ounce Witbier such as <a href="http://www.allagash.com/beer/white/?ao_confirm" target="new"Allagash White or other Witbier
- 1 tablespoon sugar, organic
-
1 teaspoon
orange zest, freshly grated on a Microplane Zester/Grater
- 1 teaspoon salt, sea
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander, seed toasted and ground
- 1 1/2 pound prawns | shrimp, large, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 cup sour cream | Mexican crème | crème fraîche
-
1 tablespoon
beer mustard, such as Sierra Nevada Stout & Stoneground Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Dijon style mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns, black freshly cracked
- 1/2 cup cream, heavy or whipping preferably not ultra pasteurized
-
1 - 2 teaspoon
horseradish, fresh, peeled and grated on a Microplane Zester/Grater
- 1 tablespoon onion, green, washed and sliced thin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, kosher
- 1 cup butter, unsalted
- 1 each garlic, clove, peeled and minced
- 1 tablespoon herbs, fresh, a mix of tarragon | thyme | parsley | sage | basil | cilantro, minced
-
1 each
orange zest, grated on a Microplane Zester/Grater
- 1 teaspoon salt, kosher
- In a cast-iron fondue or medium heavy-bottom pot, fill half full with oil of choice. Place the pot over high heat, warm oil to 375˚F | 191°C. Carefully move the hot pan to the fondue stand or a portable burner. Keep the heat on low, checking temperature to stay around 325°F | 163°C - 375˚F | 191°C. A candle will not keep the oil hot enough to use as a cooking liquid. Use Sterno Cooking Fuel
or a portable Butane stove
to keep the oil hot enough to cook the prepared food.
- Place the prepared and marinated beef and prawns near the oil pot. Take a fork skewer and spear a piece of meat, place it carefully in the hot oil between 30 seconds (rare), 45 - 60 seconds (med-rare) to 90 seconds (well-done). Remove from the oil, letting oil drip off for a second, then dip into a sauce (Stone-Ground Mustard Sauce | Horseradish Cream | Herb Butter)
- For the Witbier Marinated Prawns, cook for 90 seconds to cook completely through. Precooked potatoes also work well with this style of fondue.
- If serving without a cheese fondue, served with a garden salad and fresh bread.
- Warnings: When using hot oil at the table, more safety precautions should be taken. Make sure the fondue stand or burner is flat on the table | counter and the pot sits level. Have a fire extinguisher close by, just in case. Keep any flammable materials away from any open flame.
or a 
to keep the oil hot enough to cook the prepared food.- Trim the meat of any fat or sinuous tissue and cut into thin strips, cutting across the grain. In a medium bowl, add beer and beef, seasoning with salt and pepper. Let rest at room temperature for at least 2 and up to 24 hours. Remove the meat from the beer and pat dry to reduce spattering when frying. Lamb, venison, buffalo, bison, or other game meat can be substituted for the beef.
- In a medium bowl, combine the <a href="http://www.allagash.com/beer/white/?ao_confirm" target=" new"Allagash White, salt and sugar, mixing until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Cut prawns in half lengthwise and add to the brine for 2 hours. Remove the prawns from the brine and pat dry. Scallops, lobster, crayfish, or other fish can be substituted for the prawns.
- In a small bowl, mix all ingredients until combined. Pour into a serving bowl and place it with the other fondue items. This sauce can be made in advance, refrigerated for up to a week.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the whipping cream until soft peak stage. Mix in horseradish, green onions, and salt. Transfer the sauce to a small bowl and let sit for at least 1 hour refrigerated, before serving.
- In a small pan, melt butter with garlic, herbs and orange zest over low heat. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small bowl and keep warm.
Beer Cheese Sauce | Fondue Tips:
- A wonderful loaf of sourdough bread is a great accompaniment to any fondue. Try different local or homemade bread to further individualize the meal.
- Blanching vegetables makes them easier to skewer and sometimes tastier. Take a large 10 - 12 quart pot of water adding in a 1/4 - 1/2 a cup of salt (water should taste like seawater) and bring to a boil. Cook each prepped vegetable separately for 2 - 3 minutes, then remove from the pot and add to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
- Vegetables that benefit from blanching: cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, green beans, and asparagus.
- But I don't have a fondue pot, don’t worry. Try a heavy-bottom pot, double boiler, or a ceramic baking dish like a soufflé dish.
- If the cheese is not melting smoothly, add a few drops of lemon juice or malt vinegar to help break down the cheese protein.
- Not enough fondue fork | skewers, use bamboo skewers are a substitute.
- If the fondue is too thick, add more beer, one tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- Keep the fondue over low heat, if using Sterno Cooking Fuel
- If using flame heat at the table, be prepared in case of a spill and have a fire extinguisher on hand.
More Beer Cheese Sauce | Fondue Recipes:
