Wednesday, February 12, 2014

The Unique Processes Used To Create A Bourbon BBQ Sauce

By Jerri Perry


Culinary artists enjoy using a bourbon BBQ sauce to coat a variety of meats because the mixture is full of flavorings that are derived from a wonderful assortment of spices. The coating application that most cooks prefer is to apply the substance with a brush which allows the coating to be spread evenly across the meat. This method will also ensure that all portions of the meat are covered with the coating.

The main ingredients used for these coatings are Kentucky bourbons, a drink that is distilled to produce a caramel flavor and the liquid that remains after the distillation process is complete will result in a amber colored liquor that has a high alcohol content. The sauces that contains this liquid will be dark and rich and sweet. The primary sweetener for this type of coating is brown sugar and it will thicken as the mixture is cooked.

The coloring for these sauces will be affected by the ingredients of the liquor and the items used to create various coatings. The flavors for the liquor will come from the corn mash and the amount of time that is used to cook it. Grains are added to create the bourbon, and the distillation process will meld the rye and barley malt grains to allow yet another flavoring to emerge. While the mixture ferments, outdoor temperatures can cause flavoring to form as the wood contracts.

The mash mixture will be cooked in stages at varying heats during the distillation and fermentation process. Some of those flavors will come from the casks that the mixture rests in during the fermentation process. The character of the sauces will be derived from the method in which the liquor is made, and how long it is aged.

Southerners prefer to use cypress wood to ferment the mash because the wood burns clean and evenly throughout the process. The aging process will give the mixture additional flavors that come from the charred white oak that is used for the barrels as the liquid ages. A detailed cooking process will be undertaken by culinary artists when creating the mixture that will ultimately turn into a delectable coating.

Some sauce recipes will pursue a bolder edge because the ingredients added will be peppers. Some hard core cooks will place a smoke flavoring in the mixture by placing hickory woods that have been used in the smoking process for cooked meats on a previous occasion. Less devoted cooks will take a short cut and pour liquid smoke flavorings into the BBQ sauce mixture.

Tomatoes are peeled and cooked under heat until a puree forms, and cooks can choose to flavor the mixture with paprika and Worcestershire. The mixture will go through a reduction process to remove excess waters, and the cook may choose to add black pepper, vinegar, garlic, and onion add that time to get flavors mingling together. The sauces can be thickened further by the addition of corn starch and sugars.

Some people find that a bourbon BBQ sauce is more robust than others due to the amount of aging that liquor was given. Some cooks believe that their mixture is more powerful if it is allowed to sit in a refrigerated space for a couple of days to allow the full flavor of each spice to come through. Each mixture will be created for flavor, and grilled meats will be moist, tender and flavorful when this coating is applied.




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