Beer-Battered Onion Rings

A lot of people I talk to have tried to make onion rings and have been disappointed.  Usually, it’s not the fault of the recipe they’ve chosen; but rather, the technique used.  Onion ring recipes are, let’s face it, pretty much all the same.  Some contain corn meal, some use beer or buttermilk, and others have funky ingredients like honey or chili powder – but they’re all basically a flour-based batter.My recipe contains beer, which I think adds a delicious dimension to the batter.  Other than that, it’s fairly standard.Now – here’s the top secret tip to getting the batter to stick to the onion: once you’ve sliced and separated the rings, give them a quick rinse in cold water, and shake off excess.  Next, use a sifter to coat the rings completely with flour.  Be very thorough, since the batter won’t stick to naked onion flesh, only the floured areas.  As for the beer in the recipe, I use something strong and dark (no lagers), and bring it to room temperature before adding it.I’ve recently started eating my onion rings dipped in ranch dressing, ‘cause I like the flavor combination – but these rings stand on their own just fine, which is exactly what you want from a premium onion ring.  And here’s a thought – why the heck couldn’t you use this batter on fish?  Let me know if it works (I have a fish allergy, so I won’t be trying it any time soon). Make only the amount you plan to consume immediately; these things don’t reheat very well the next day.
1-1/3 cup	All-purpose flour
½ tsp	Baking powder
1 tsp	Salt
½ tsp	Pepper
1 Tbs	Canola oil
2	Eggs
¾ cup	Beer
2 large	White or yellow onions
Combine the dry ingredients and oil in a mixer at low speed.Separate the eggs, discard the whites, and add yolks to the flour mixture. Gradually add the beer to the mixture, blend together thoroughly.  If batter is too thick, add more beer (a tablespoon at a time) until consistency resembles pancake batter. Refrigerate batter until thoroughly chilled, 3-4 hours. Thick-slice onions (½”- ¾”), separate into rings, rinse and flour as described above. Dip 2-3 at a time into batter, allow excess to run off.  Use a fork or skewer to remove the rings from the batter. Heat deep fryer to 375 degrees, and fry rings, a few at a time, until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels, and serve hot.