Beer Batter Onion Rings

Well, Walla Walla Sweet onions are out as are Vidalia. It's that time of year. Sweet, sweet delicious onions anywhere. BBQ them, grill them, use them in marinades etc. Also, gotta have some beer batter onion rings. Yeah, it's a bit of a hassle to mess with the oil and all but it is worth it every once in a while. This is a simple basic recipe that makes for an extremely light coating.

2 or 3 large Walla Walla Sweets or Vidalia onions, peeled, and sliced and separated
vegetable oil for frying. If you have a deep fryer fine, but if not, I use a smallish cast iron
pan and it works just fine. I just make two or three at a time. Don't crowd them, and take
your time.

Batter:
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
dash of pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 cup of beer (a dark beer is best, I use Beck's Dark, but Guinness would work also)
Thousand Island dressing for dipping

Beat eggs well. Add pepper, baking powder, oil, and seasoning salt and mix well. Add beer and flour and mix thoroughly. Place in refrigerator and let chill for 30 minutes.

Heat oil to approximately 370 degrees.

Dip onion ring in batter, drain a bit and immediately add to hot oil. Repeat with other rings
but leave plenty of room, don't crowd the cooking process. Let cook, attended, until one side is puffed and golden, turn and cook until golden on the other side. Immediately drain on paper towels. Repeat with all onion rings, giving a few minutes in between batches to allow oil to reach proper temperature again.

Serve warm with Thousand Island dressing as a dip. Oh, a cold beer might be a nice addition also.

Enjoy!