I’m not sure that I’ve ever been more thrilled about a poll result than when I saw that bourbon won last week’s poll. This excited me for a number of reasons.
1) I already have bourbon. I always have bourbon. So I didn’t have to go to the booze barn.
2) I very regularly sneak bourbon into all kinds of stuff because I find it delicious. Cakes, scones, sauces, whatever. Put bourbon in it.
Instead of giving you a single recipe for a bourbon thing, I decided to give you a recipe that you can use on dozens of things. When I say this is an all-purpose, any time glaze, I mean it.
Put it on chicken, pork, beef, or even grilled tofu. It’ll be great.
All-Purpose Bourbon Glaze
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 c. bourbon
- ½ c. brown sugar
- ½ c. ketchup
- 2 tsp. Braggs, or worcestershire sauce
- ½ lemon, juice only
- ¼ c. apple cider vinegar
- 1 Big Pinch salt and pepper
Instructions
- Combine all the glaze ingredients into a small pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Simmer, stirring regularly for about 20-25 minutes until the glaze reduces to about 1/3 of it’s original volume.
- Remove the glaze and let it cool slightly.
- Put it on anything!
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Bourbon Glaze Recipe
It’s all about proportions
The key to any good glaze is nailing the proportions. You want a good base flavor which, in this case, is bourbon obviously. You need something that will give the sauce some body (ketchup). You want something sweet and something sour (sugar/vinegar). You want some acids as well.
Because this is mainly going on meat, you also want to make sure you give the glaze some savory flavor. You could add soy sauce or worcestershire sauce to get the savory flavor, but I chose to use some Braggs which is a fairly recent discovery for me. I’m finding that it’s delicious on many things and it worked great in this glaze.
This Bourbon Glaze recipe is not hard to make and yet another piece of evidence for why you have no need for store-bought sauces.
Basically, you just throw everything together in a small pan.
A cup of bourbon might seem like a lot, but remember that the alcohol will cook off and the flavors will reduce so it’s good to start with a nice amount of it.
Honestly, you could even use more than a cup if you wanted, but that gets the job done.
Just bring this all to a simmer over medium heat and let it simmer until it reduces down to about a third of its original volume. Stir it regularly so the sugars don’t burn.
It’ll make your kitchen smell like a distillery which is just fine in my book.
Don’t rush the reduction process, just let it do its thing and eventually you’ll be left with this slightly thick, glossy sauce that will knock your socks off.
Glaze the world!
I’m almost positive that you could slap this stuff on pretty much anything and it will be good. Put it on some grilled chicken or a pork chop. Add a light coat of it to salmon or pork tenderloin.
If you’re cooking any kind of roast, just slather it on.
I happened to have something interesting to try put it on this time around…
Yep. You read that right. Moose roast! My dad always brings me all kinds of various goodies when he visits (like Alaskan salmon) or in this case a moose roast.
I think I’ve only had moose once or twice so I was excited to try it and I figured it would be good to put a bunch of bourbon glaze on it also.
You, of course, do not have to go hunt down a moose to make this glaze.
I also decided to prep some good roast veggies to go with the moose. These are just some fingerling potatoes and carrots tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and dried thyme.
To cook the roast (you could do the same with a beef roast), I seared it well on high heat and then surrounded it with the veggies.
Then I just inserted my digital probe thermometer and stuck it in a 350 degree oven.
My target temp for the roast was 145 degrees, but starting at about 100 degrees, I began slathering on the glaze every 15 minutes or so.
It’s hard to go wrong really.
To be completely honest, I didn’t love the moose roast. It was a bit too gamey for me.
But that’s neither here nor there.
The important part is that the glaze is really delicious and wonderful. I found myself sneaking spoonfuls of it while my roast cooked.
If you’re grilling or roasting something soon, give this Bourbon Glaze recipe a shot! If you have questions on whether or not it would be good on something, leave a comment!
More Great Sauces!
Karen
Nick, that looks really delish. Could you tell us a little about Bragg amino liquids? Never heard of it. Thanks
Nick
You can find it in health food stores. It’s basically just amino acids distilled from soy protein (organic non-GMO). It has very little sodium, but tastes like a cross between soy sauce and worcestershire sauce.
Traditionally, I think it’s used a lot in things like beef jerky, but I’m learning that it’s a great flavor booster for stir-fries and sauces also.
Me
Walmart carries it. Bought a 16oz bottle today (8/9/2020) for 4.50
Nick
Oh also… here’s some more info on it: http://www.bragg.com/products/la.html
Karen
thanks for the info, I am finding the GMO information very helpful too. I will def be looking for the product and giving it a try
Ruth Hollahan
Low-sodium in the Braggs, is good news for me, since I have stage 3 kidney disease.
I am going to try this bourbon glaze, sounds great.
CGCouture
I’ve heard that if you soak the meat in milk for a few hours (or overnight) it gets rid of most of the gamey taste or at least smooth it out. For this type of roast I would say overnight would be best.
We don’t mind the flavor I guess because we get a lot of venison because my husband and his brothers (and my little brother) all love to hunt, and there’s only so much deer jerky one can consume. ;-) If you use ground game, grind it with pork to make sausage/burger, it’ll intersperse some fat in it and help with the gamey flavor–you’ll have to decide what ratio you prefer.
And FTR, I would LOVE to see more recipes that you can come up with to make game interesting and flavorful. :-)
Nick
Great tip on the milk soak. Now that I read that, I’ve definitely heard about that before but forgot about it.
I have some other game in my freezer right now so I’ll see what I can come up with. ;)
Jeanne M
I’ve usually marinated saddle of venison roast in Buttermilk and a few Juniper Berries.
I put it in a bag and let it marinate for 48 hours, turning it occasionally. When ready to
roast it, remove it from the bag and thoroughly wipe it off. Discard marinade. Roas it
with onions, 2 or 3 bay leaves, and a few peppercorns. Delicious, moist and not gamey.
dan
Haha I imagine the “booze barn” as an actual barn behind your house that is just full of booze.
Jean Gogolin
(That soak-it-in-milk trick is something Italians do to pork roasts and it’s wonderful.)
I love bourbon and thank my Alabama-born husband for turning me on to it. I’ll bet you could make a sweet version of the glaze by omitting the ketchup and worcestershire and maybe fooling around a little with it. Are you up for that, Nick? I can taste it on dulce de leche ice cream.
Nick
Oh definitely. Nix the savory stuff (ketchup/braggs). Bump up the sugar a bit more and maybe add a pinch of cinnamon and some vanilla extract. Bourbon ice cream sauce!
Chris
[In a high pitched, flying squirrel voice] “Hey Natasha and Boris, what have you two done with Bullwinkle this time? I can’t find him anywhere!”
Julia
Hi Nick,
I would like to say I recognize the pot you made the bourbon glaze in. I used to have the whole set of pots like that one. But after years of cooking in them, the handles eventually broke off and the porcelain coating cracked and came off. So that meant we had to get new pots and pans. As of this Jan. my husband and I have been married for 37 years.
But since neither one of us is much of a an alcohol drinker, we do not keep whiskey in the house. Wine is another story since my daughter likes to cook with it.
The glaze does sound like it would be good on a nice sirloin steak.
Dana
Bourbon glaze sounds like a recipe I could befriend quickly!
Also, I haven’t heard of using Braggs for Worchestershire before, I’ve heard it called for to replace soy sauce, but not Worchestershire. Looks like I can break out that bottle more often!
Michelle
looks like a great glaze! I’m very excited to find more uses for Braggs and even more so, bourbon. I also love how you said “You, of course, do not have to go hunt down a moose to make this glaze.”…but if you want to make it from scratch, you do! haha. thanks, will definitely try this one!
Courtney Leigh
About how much sauce does this recipe make? We’re doing a pig in a pig box for the Super Bowl and I know I want a couple of sauces for dipping, and drizzling and this sounds A. Ma. Zing.
Nick
Makes about a cup to 1 1/2 cups… Very easy to double or triple though. :)
Mag
Absolutlly delicious on pork ribs. Thanks Nick.
Whiskey Calories
whisky is by far my favorite drink haha
Moose Tracks
Moose is bad for tape worm larvey. Game warden here in Maine told me any moose over 2 years old will have the larvey in its skeletal meat. He also said its not transferable to humans but I’m taking that chance,
jenny
I have a bottle of opened scotch whisky and was wondering if I can use that instead of bourbon or in any sauce recipes u know. I won’t be drinking it for sure so I have to figure out a way to use it up in my kitchen. Thanks in advance!
Nick
Hmm… I think scotch might be a bit too strong. It would give some serious smokey flavor to the glaze… I’m not sure I would use it for this, but if you do, go light on it!
Christine
Made this last night to glaze over some salmon, it was fantastic. Have you ever tried to substitute the lemon for orange as the acid? I often drink bourbon with orange slices and was curious how that would translate into a glaze. I’ll let you know if I give it a try.
Nick
Heya, I haven’t personally tried it, but I bet it would work. Lemon can be a bit more bitter than orange so you maybe will need a pinch of extra sugar or honey, but just taste and go…
Kelley
Nick, have you been in the sauce? Lol.. I bet you meant the lemon being more bitter than the orange… no extra sugar needed.
Scott
I’m going to try this glaze over the weekend on a chuck roast in the crock pot. Do you think I could substitute a steak sauce like A-1 for the Braggs or Worcestershire?
Also, any other crock pot tips are helpful too! :)
Nick
I dont see why that wouldn’t work just fine Scott. I’ve never tried this in a crockpot, but it’ll probably work great! Report back please!
Good luck.
Scott
Working on it right now! Can’t wait. Happy girlfriend, on the way. :)
Jeff
Nick, great glaze. I used Red Stag for the black cherry taste. It was fantastic on steak and bbq chicken!
matt
How Long dose the glaze last until it spoiled? Its awesome by the way. I put it on salmon that I had already baked with lemon garlic and pepper and it totally enhanced the flavor.
Nick
Hey Matt, if you are keeping it in the fridge I would say 7-10 days, but you could also freeze it and it would keep for months! Good luck. Salmon sounds like a great use!
frederick capozzi
My wife tells me its going to be a bourbon barbecue sauce cause it had ketchup in it. Ok whats the difference between a glaze and a barbecue sauce
Nick
Personally, I think the two things are pretty close. Especially in this case. For me it’s how it’s used. In this case I glaze the roast with the sauce. If it were to mix the same sauce into pulled pork or something I would probably call it a BBQ sauce.
They are interchangeable in many cases I think!
lillian mittner
Nick
I have 12 oz pork chops, I would like to brown on top of the stove and then put in the oven and pour the bourbon sauce over and finish baking them, will this work
LIl
Nick
Sure Lil. I think it would work great! The glaze is really good on any meat really. Good luck!
[email protected]
Nick,
I made your bourbon sauce last week. I do have a question. it was so food but I have a lot left over. How long can it be kept in the refrigerator before it goes bad?
Sharon
OMG!! This is FANTASTIC!! The flavor is amazing and it’s SOOO easy. Thank you for such a great (bourbon based) addition to my kitchen!!
Glenn
I made the Bourbon glaze from the reciepe and it was good but had a little to much vinigar overtone to it. I was in Lexington KY last month and had dinner at a resteraunt called Malone’s and they had a bourbon reduction that was simply fabulous but they called it Kentucky Bourbon BBQ sauce.
Nick
Hey Glenn, thanks for the feedback. I do like my sauces a bit on the vinegar side… I like the acid in it. I think if you cut the vinegar back to 1-2 Tbsp, you would be in good shape here. ;) Thanks for reading!
Brad
As a life time game connoisseur, growing up in the northwest mountains, I have found that a short(or longer,by taste) soak of salt water for any meat removes the “gamy taste from all meats and also helps tenderize it a bit.Great glaze.Keep up the great work. Another super simple glaze is whiskey, sugar, water, garlic, onion. Happy game eating.
Joe
I tried it with a little minced garlic and dry mustard. Very tasty but it tastes like BBQ sauce. Not a big fan of destroying a good steak with BBQ sauce.. Save the money, time and especially the bourbon and go buy a bottle of Kroger BBQ sauce for a buck..
Bill
Just made this tonight, used it on boneless, skinless chicken breast. Delicious.
I don’t care for ketchup so I used Heinz Chili sauce. Similar ingredients, but a better flavor to me.
Tonight was the test run. Plan to glaze a rack of ribs with this sauce in a few weeks.
Melissa
I’ve bought sweet bourbon glaze before but am looking for my own recipe because we love the stuff! Thanks can’t wait to try it.
Have you ever tried canning it? Seems like it has enough vinegar to do so.
Nick
Hey Melissa! I haven’t and it’s definitely not a recipe that I wrote for canning so I’m not sure I would try it. That said, you could definitely FREEZE it. I don’t think it would degrade much at all in the freezer. That would be my rec for longer term storage. ;)
Mary
I’m going to make this glaze to go on my boudain stuffed pork chops. I think I will try for a sweeter version, to off set the cajun spices.
Rody
I will be torn between drinking my bourbon and using it for this recipe. Rum might be a culinary alternative.
Nick
Yes. Drink the bourbon. :)
Nat
Can you put this on veggies?
Nick
Sure Nat! It’s basically a light BBQ sauce so you could put it on a ton of things. Good luck!
Chloe
Hey Nick ! I recently tried a bourbon chicken from a restaurant and was instantly hooked. I wanted to make it myself at home and your sauce sounds amazing. What would you recommend for seasoning the chicken ? I’m using chicken tenderloins or breasts. Wanted to put the sauce on top of the chicken and some veggies once done. Thanks !
Nick
Absolutely Chloe! It’s good on tons of stuff and almost acts like a light BBQ sauce. Good luck!
Nick
OH… and as far as seasoning goes, I’d keep it basic since the glaze has a lot of flavor. Olive oil, salt, pepper, maybe a pinch of garlic powder and chili powder. ;)
Chloe
Nick, the sauce was a hit ! Absolutely delicious ! My whole family loved it ! Thank you so much, your are a genius =)
Chloe
You* are a genius ! Sorry, took shots while making this lol
Nick
Ha! So glad it worked out. :)
Pamela Fallin
Can you make this sauce and use it as needed? Not all at once?
Jerry
I like the idea of the glaze, but am wondering if anyone has substituted Canadian Crown Royal whisky or a dark rum for the bourbon!
Carina
Used Knobb Creek Smoked Maple, and this glaze won the BBQ competition!
6 pepper spice in the pork sausage, and used the glaze on the outer bacon weave, as well as a dressing sauce.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Mike
Using this recipe on burgers tonight… my kitchen smells just like the jim beam distillery we were in last week. Love it
Ron
How long will the glaze keep in the fridge? Got try this!
Nick
Hey Ron, once it’s mixed up it would keep fine in the fridge for a few weeks. It’s pretty stable as a sauce, similar to BBQ sauce or ketchup. Good luck!
Buck and Doe Lewchuk
Hello from Canada Nick! We’re celebrating our Thanxgiving next weekend and I’m going untraditional this year, with a huge smoked beef brisket. I wanted a bourbon sauce recipe to finish the meat with, to pour a little over the meat before serving and your recipe looks like the winner to me! Thank you for this. We eat moose year round, my freezer is still full from last year’s hunting season. For us, its the beef alternative, but a free range, healthier choice and my hunting husband keeps us well stocked. If you’re finding it a bit gamey, the moose may not have hung and “cured” long enough before putting in the freezer and a good milk soak will lighten that flavour you don’t care for and the milk protein will also help to further tenderize. If you’re ‘game’ to give it a try, I suggest slow cooking your moose in a slow cooker, all day long on low, or on high for all afternoon. Sear the roast off and get a good solid crust on it – moose is very low fat and this helps keep the moisture in. Put your normal fixin’s into the crock as you would a pot roast, and in a few hours your house will smell fantastic. Low and slow is the general rule for moose, the more you cook it, the more tender it becomes, and the results will be pull apart tender and succulent. I have also done moose in a pressure cooker and the results are spectacular, although the moose tightens up considerably more and shrinks. Hope this helps and again, thank you for your recipe. Bourbon cheers to you and yours!
Nick
THanks for the comment! I actually grew up eating a lot of moose (in Wyoming). My Dad would get a tag for one every few years and we would stock the freezer. I always liked it, but haven’t had it much recently! Thanks for the reminder. :)
Marlborough Packard
Great sauce/glaze. Made the kitchen smell great.
We had some leftover strip steak and plenty of glaze. Took out a ball of frozen pizza dough stretched out the dough. Ran the steak through the grinder and added the glaze, some chopped mushroom. Brushed the dough with olive oil and spread the steak mixture on top. A coating of cheese, we used mozzarella, and our Bourbon, Philly Cheese Steak went into the oven.
REALLY GOOD!
THANKS FOR SHARING
Jim
I tried the bourbon glaze but added a kick jalapeño kaetchup thanks for the recipe
Gail
Made this last night. What a great tasting glaze! I put in on goat cheese and smoked almond stuffed dates wrapped in bacon. OMG! So good! Everyone at the party was raving about the flavor. Thanks for the recipe! Can’t wait to try in on slamon and chicken.
kerry bowden
Nick ,
If it has ketchup as it’s base it is not a glaze but a sauce. glazes are made with milk, sugar , or water and use a fat such as butter or oil to thicken the glaze.