Secrets of a Grill Master: Bourbon & BBQ
Bourbon and barbecue go together like Ezra Brooks and Friday night. On the grill, caramelized bourbon creates sweet, smoky flavors that make meat richer and more delicious. Hungry for more? Grab your meat—and bourbon—of choice and check out these tasty ways to barbecue with bourbon.
Get Saucy
If you’re new to the grilling game, it’s easy to mix spirits into sauce. Gather your usual suspects (brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, Worcester Sauce, spices…) and add your favorite bourbon. With its caramel notes and oak-barrel-aged flavor, you can’t go wrong with Ezra 99. Once you add your bourbon, heat your sauce until thickened and baste it on while grilling.
Worried about getting your ratios right? You can always add a couple tablespoons of bourbon to your favorite store-bought sauce for a deeper, bespoke flavor.
Make it a Marinade
To tenderize your meats and infuse them with a rich, smoky flavor, marinate or brine steaks, ribs, pulled pork or chicken using vinegar, oil, spices and bourbon.
Bourbon acts like a salt, intensifying flavors like spices and aromatics and bonding to fat molecules to bring out smoky, spicy notes. For the best results, marinate your meat overnight or for at least four hours.
Glaze & Blaze
If you want bourbon to be the main event, a glaze adds a caramelized, sweetly sticky coating to your favorite meats. For a sweet and savory punch, heat up a bourbon glaze made from honey, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, butter and bourbon. Before you eat your meat, brush on the glazed goodness in the final minutes of cooking.
Soaked In Flavor
For a subtle, smoky finish, soak your wood chips or wood planks before you add them to your grill or smoker. This technique works best for oak, hickory or cherry wood, so choose your chips wisely.
Give it a Spritz
The rich flavors of bourbon can overpower delicate proteins and sides that need a lighter touch. For a subtle, smoky flavor on veggies, flaky fish and salmon, lightly spray on a bit of bourbon while grilling.
Pick a Side
Bourbon’s caramelizing properties make it the perfect ingredient for side dishes like baked beans, mac and cheese, cornbread batter and caramelized onions. You also can’t go wrong with bourbon-glazed carrots, bananas, pineapples, mushrooms or even greens.
Cook Up a Cocktail
With BBQ season in full swing, enjoy your smoked meats with an Old Fashioned, a Kentucky Mule (bourbon and ginger beer) or a refreshing Bourbon Lemonade.
You can also enhance your cocktails with bourbon-infused garnishes fresh from the grill. Think pineapple, veggie skewers, bacon or even a pork rib as a swizzle stick for your Bloody Mary.
Right Bourbon, Right BBQ
Bourbon makes barbecue better, but a little bourbon goes a long way. Once the alcohol cooks off, you’re left with the complex flavor profile of the bourbon. Different bourbons bring out different traits in your dish, so opt for a quality bourbon with notes of oak and caramel to compliment barbecue’s natural flavors.
With hints of chocolate, vanilla, spice and sweet, oaky tones, Ezra 99 Rye is the perfect match for rich BBQ. Or if you can spare some, Old Ezra, aged in charred, white oak barrels and known for vanilla, cinnamon and buttery notes, is perfect for steaks, ribs and more. However you choose to barbecue, you can’t go wrong with Ezra Brooks by your side.