At the Crossroads of Smoking and Whiskey - Bourbonites Unite!

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As for bourbon, it's pretty amazing living in the south.  There is so much quality bourbon that's at a bargain price.

I cannot say enough good things about Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch.  For less than $15 for a 750, you will not find a higher quality bourbon.  Period.  This stuff should easily be +$30.

Very Old Barton is also quality stuff.

Old Forrester is good for the money ~$17.

My standby is plain old Evan Williams black label.  I'll buy this above pretty much any other bourbon because of the price to quality ratio.  It is complex enough to sip, but cheap enough that you don't feel bad about mixing it.  All in all, it is extremely solid and often overlooked.

Something that comes highly recommended to me is Ancient Ancient Age 10 Year bourbon.  It's sub ~$20 and supposedly has the complexity of a $50 small batch.  Too bad I can't find it in Nashville.
 
Eagle Rare was my first enjoyable expedition into sipping bourbon as well. May pick up a bottle this weekend if I can find one. My wife will thank you for spending our money.
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And I will be sipping it while smoking something, but not sure if it will be short ribs or a chuck roast.
You can put it on me only if I can put my upcoming bourbon purchase on you ;)
 
I went the other way with some Rye.

Mild bacon taste. Maybe next time use 6 slices.

Yes i tried the bacon, it was kinda mushy
You are my hero.  I had some bacon bourbon at a bar once and immediately thought it would be better to try it with a rye.  I've never done it before, though.  I will DEFINITELY be trying your recipe, though.  Good choice in rye as well ;).
 
I'm with you on the Buffalo Trace....  That is my go to Bourbon.  First because of it's taste and second because I served with the 17th Infantry "Buffalo's" at Fort Ord.  I use old Bourbon barrels for smoking almost everything (Brisket, Pork Butt, Bacon and cheese).
Fine reason to drink the stuff.  Thanks for your service!
 
Woodford Reserve is my favorite. Pricy, but man when you taste it.
Sooooo smooth.  I have to put it on birthday and Christmas wish lists, though.  
 
Not only do I once again second the aforementioned recommendations of larceny and buffalo trace, the wife recently found that buffalo trace makes a "bourbon creme". Think Irish cream with more of a bourbon taste. That stuff is pretty awesome for a different bourbon experience.

Also, I did use some bourbon in a couple of my previous smokes. Did the braided pork tenderloin with an apple bourbon glaze before smoking. It was pretty delicious. The first time I used bourbon in a smoke was in a smoked whole chicken. I used it mainly as a mop throughout the smoke and it just had a hint of bourbon flavor. Think next time an injection would be the better route with chicken.
 
Last time, with my pork butt, I didn't make a "finishing sauce" for the pulled pork. If I do one this time, what exactly is my goal with it? Does it impact the flavor a lot or a little? Am I just adding a little "juice"? I'm thinking that adding a bourbon flavor at this point might be a little much. I should probably stick to an injection if I just want a subtle whiskey flavor.

In my vast experience with finishing sauces (I think all of two tries) it impacted the flavor a lot. However, I do recommend the finishing sauce. There is a lot of great recipes on here for finishing sauces. Last time I tried JJ's finishing sauce. It really accentuated the flavor of the meat and I highly recommend it.
 
I'm a traditional Jack Daniels sipper myself. However, using it in a foil seems like a great idea to me, I'm very excited to try that. I have a friend who has dabble with bourbon as an injection in brisket and he says it turns out really nicely. My question is, more of a curiostiy actually, has anyone tried injecting Kaluha in pork? I'm wondering if the sweetness would compliment it.
 
I read of an injection comprised of bourbon, honey, blackberry jam, and pepper.  There is a whiskey called Bird Dog Blackberry, which is, as the name suggests, a blackberry flavored whiskey.  It has the elements of a whiskey, but is a different experience altogether.  Actually tastes like cherry coke when mixed with diet coke.  I might give Bird Dog, honey, and black pepper a try for the injection.  Pretty simple injection and should add just a hint of whiskey flavor to the meat.  I'll leave the rest of the flavor to the rub and finishing sauce.

Looking forward to the smoke this weekend!
 
Well...I just put 3 butts on and 1 lamb shank that I bought for the hell of it.  No clue how that will turn out, but we'll see.

Here is where the whiskey comes in.

1 of the butts is injected with a mixture of agave nectar, black pepper, and Bird Dog Blackberry whiskey.  I then rubbed it with an off-the-shelf rub from Salt Lick.

The lamb shank was marinaded overnight in a mixture of bourbon (Four Roses) and olive oil.  I then sprinkled it with salt, ground pepper, and fresh rosemary.  I'm figuring around 10 hours for the pork, but only around 4 hours or so on the lamb shank.  That should make a nice little snack around lunch time :).

As for drinks, since I have to work tomorrow, it won't be too much, but probably will have a glass or two of Dalmore 15 year and then have some Four Roses mixes the rest of the way out.
 
I used some Benchmark whiskey during the foil portion of my 3-2-1 ribs (Johnny trig style). They were quite tasted and tender. I don't know much about whiskey, but the guy at the liqueur store said Benchmark was cheap but good enough to drink. I think my favorite sip'in whiskey has to be that JD honey, man that stuff is dangerous :)
 
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that shank looks fantastic.

as for having too much to drink, i wish.  we've got a 10 day old that is keeping me away from smoking and away from sleeping, but that's okay.

Maybe soon:
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I am sorry. I have never understood the attraction to bourbon. If you want to cook with a nice whiskey flavour, I prefer rye (you call it Canadian whiskey). For cooking, Canadian Club or 5 Crown. For sipping, Alberta Springs.

Another great whiskey for cooking is Irish. It has the smooth taste of Scotch without the peaty taste, For cooking, Bushmills or Jamesons. For sipping, Red Breast or Jameson 18 Year Old.

Disco
 
I am sorry. I have never understood the attraction to bourbon. If you want to cook with a nice whiskey flavour, I prefer rye (you call it Canadian whiskey). For cooking, Canadian Club or 5 Crown. For sipping, Alberta Springs.

Another great whiskey for cooking is Irish. It has the smooth taste of Scotch without the peaty taste, For cooking, Bushmills or Jamesons. For sipping, Red Breast or Jameson 18 Year Old.

Disco

I can understand your thoughts as I was always a fan of Rye vs Bourbon, that is until I had some of the smaller distillers, Buffalo Trace or Eagle Rare... so much flavor.
 
Currently have a Boston butt on that was injected with a mix of bourbon and apple cider. I also opened and marinated Thai hot peppers in the mix prior to injection. Gonna be an all nighter. Will let you know how it turns out. I used some wild turkey 101 in the injection. Kinda low end but couldn't bring myself to use my buffalo trace or larceny on this test run.

Also have a Cincinnati chili fatty, brisket, and another butt on. Gonna be a meat fest at my house tomorrow!:yahoo:
 
 
I learn something new every day.  So Jack is a bourbon.  Who woulda thunk it?

"Jack Daniel's whiskey is filtered through sugar maple charcoal in large wooden vats prior to aging, which is an extra step that is not used in making most Bourbon whiskey,[sup][56][/sup] and the company claims that this makes the product different from Bourbon. However, Tennessee whiskey is required to be "a straight Bourbon Whiskey" under terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement,[sup][57][/sup] and Canadian law,[sup][58][/sup] and there is no other legal definition of the term "Tennessee whiskey" (other than U.S. law governing the definition of "whiskey" in general)."
Some great research. I would love to visit the Jack Daniel's distillery. Being from Calif it probably won't be for awhile!!
 
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