We’ve all had bad onion rings. In fact, I’d wager that you’re more likely to get a basket of greasy, sub-par freezer bag jobs than the real thing. Now even a bad onion ring is pretty tasty, but I suspect we’re all thinking of the same thing right now: you bite in, a slimy onion strand slides out of its armored shell, and you end up having to jam the whole thing in your mouth and hork it down. Repeat 11 times and you’ve got a thoroughly unsatisfying order of onion rings. But fear not – in this case, you can most definitely do it better at home. If a carnival worker can cook onion rings, you definitely can.

This batter – and it is a batter; throw out any recipe that has you dry-bread the onion rings – is exceptionally thick and gets its bubbles from the Guinness. It helps that Guinness is my favorite beer, but I think you’ll also enjoy its application here. The heavy batter protects the onion from overcooking and becoming dessicated. It’s thicker than other batters I’ve come across – there’s a whole lot more flour, for one. The beer keeps it light enough to offer a light, crispy bite. You can also use soda water – it works for texture, but obviously doesn’t offer any extra flavor. The buttermilk softens up the natural stiffness of the onions, so once they come out of the fryer, you can take a bite without the whole onion coming out. It’s a small thing, but you’re really going to enjoy it.

The Setup

- 2 Vidalia onions, sliced 1/2″ thick
- 2 c flour (plus extra for dusting)
- 2 c buttermilk
- 1 egg
- Kosher salt
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 12 oz Guinness stout
- 4 c vegetable oil or other frying oil

This is actually enough batter for a lot of onion rings, so make more than two onions worth if you’re up for it.

Cooking

1. Place the onion ring slices in a medium bowl and cover with buttermilk. Let sit at least 30 minutes in the fridge, up to overnight.

2. Heat the cooking oil to 380 in the deep fryer or (carefully!) heavy pan.

3. Pat the onion rings dry and reserve buttermilk. Dust onion slices with flour, shaking off excess.

4. Whisk together the reserved buttermilk, flour, egg, salt, mustard powder, garlic powder, cayenne, and Guinness.

5. Dip the onion rings in the batter, letting excess drip off. Place a couple of rings in the oil (too many will drop the oil temperature and make them soggy) and cook, flipping a few times, until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate or baking sheet.