Jim Beam for Flavoring, or is There a Better Brand?

[Count Porcula]

I'm trying to remember how I used to smoke chicken, and I recalled that I used to shoot whiskey into them, along with other things. I used to use Jack Daniel's for barbecue flavoring. I consider it a below average whiskey for drinking, but it has a very strong flavor, and I wanted flavor that would break through.

Today I went to the liquor store, and I decided to try something new. I grabbed some Jim Beam. I hadn't had it since I was in high school. I tried a little, and I didn't realize how much better it was. It's much smoother and more civilized than Jack Daniel's.

I applied some to St. Louis ribs today. Won't be doing chicken for a couple of days. We'll see how it works.

Wondering if anyone here uses Jim Beam for flavoring, and if so, whether it's a good choice. Or maybe there is something better.

 

[tag0401]

I use it to flavor my water from time to time . I have a friend that uses it to make a bourbon glaze for chicken. I’m not sure I would put much money into a more expensive bourbon for cooking.

 

[Count Porcula]

I guess I could move up to Knob Creek, since I usually have it anyway.

 

[chopsaw]

I like Jim Beam , and use it for cooking because that's what I have . I'm partial to Jim Beam Black myself .

 

[Chasdev]

I prefer jack black, I've never been a whiskey drinker in the past and only developed a taste for it in my late 60's.
I found jackblack to be very good but I wanted to experiment so I went on a year long "tour" of different brands and price levels.
What I found is that the more expensive the whiskey, the less it tasted like whiskey.
The highest priced versions were the worst in terms of lack of taste.
I'm back where I started and enjoy my JackBlack once every three weeks, neat and room temperature that is.

 

[zwiller]

I have my doubts that good stuff will be any better or worse so I vote cheap stuff. There is a well known food stand that shows up for all our festivals and does "bourbon chicken" and gets rave reviews but never had it myself. I hear it's a glaze.

 

[bbqbrett]

I used some Early Times for sauce making before and it turned out pretty good.

 

[BigW.]

Beam is a good choice. Certainly would not spend any more $ for a recipe. My go to cheap favorite is Evan Williams White BiB. I pour it into a glass, and it can mix with food already in my belly.

 

[Count Porcula]

You may end up with the problem I had. I didn't discover Scotch until I was 22. I thought it was fantastic. I could enjoy any Scotch, no matter how inexpensive. Then my taste started changing rapidly. Now I can barely stand cheap Scotch. I drink things like Lagavulin 16, Macallan 16, and Pinch.

I miss the days when I could spend seven dollars on a bottle and love it.

I prefer jack black, I've never been a whiskey drinker in the past and only developed a taste for it in my late 60's.
I found jackblack to be very good but I wanted to experiment so I went on a year long "tour" of different brands and price levels.
What I found is that the more expensive the whiskey, the less it tasted like whiskey.
The highest priced versions were the worst in terms of lack of taste.
I'm back where I started and enjoy my JackBlack once every three weeks, neat and room temperature that is.

 

[noboundaries]

All bourbons are whiskies, but not visa versa. Scotch is whisky, not whiskey. The Irish claim to have put the "e" in whiskey.

I've never been a proponent of the advice to only cook with what you'd drink. Why? I love tasting the elements in wine and whisk(e)y, but those get lost in the vinegar, spices, and other ingredients of a sauce or glaze.

If I want a whisk(e)y-like flavor for cooking/smoking, I pull a cheap 1.75L bottle of brandy off the shelf. It is surprising how complex some cheap brandies taste, but I generally don't care for it neat or on the rocks. Works great for cooking though. (Most come out of Kentucky).

That said, here's another use. If I try a whisk(e)y I don't care for (too flat, light, or woody), a splash of brandy in the glass is almost always is an improvement to my taste.

 

[noboundaries]

You may end up with the problem I had. I didn't discover Scotch until I was 22. I thought it was fantastic. I could enjoy any Scotch, no matter how inexpensive. Then my taste started changing rapidly. Now I can barely stand cheap Scotch. I drink things like Lagavulin 16, Macallan 16, and Pinch.

I miss the days when I could spend seven dollars on a bottle and love it.

You should try making your own blends. I buy $17-$30 single malts, taste each one, and add what it needs from another similarly priced bottle. The mouthfeel and smoothness of some NAS (no age statement) scotches rival more expensive offerings. Distilleries who blend are marketing their single-malt components at the price range I mentioned above.

Edit: just blend in your glass, not bottle to bottle.

 

[Count Porcula]

Oh, wow. I did NOT need to read that. Trying to resist...

 

[rc4u]

i am versed in in this.. IMHO the cheaper versions bring more flavor profile to taste in cooks. with refined sipping juice the mouthfeel swish is pleasant and throat or swallow is warming not hot. with cheaper juice the mouthfeel is more tasty in most but swallow or throat and exhale is not like refined{or more $'s}, so in cooking i like the taste more and its more prevalent in taste at end of cook.. like wine ya dont use high$ taste in mouth but in food.. Ezra Brooks is really good for cooking or flavor along with Evan Williams.
Jack is a Tennessee whiskey i like bourbon{Beam is} which jack is not

 

[sandyut]

I just drink it. I have tried using bourbon on ribs and such and it would have been much better served over ice.

 

[Count Porcula]

The ribs are not really done yet. Need another hour to get tender. I cut one off the end anyway. Man, is it wonderful. It was so delicious, I could not force myself to put sauce on it. I poured a big glob of Sweet Baby Ray's out on the plate, and I put it in the sink when I was done eating. I have never had ribs this good, even in the past when I thought I was doing a good job.

Here's my take: I like the bourbon flavor better than JD, but it's so subtle, I think it would be overcome by sauce. Maybe the answer is to put the ribs in a bag with it and let them absorb it for maybe 20 minutes.

 

[rc4u]

i use my vac seal marinate tub and 1 to 1 bourbon to sauce for chicken,, and ribs i have to cut shorter.

 

[chopsaw]

I use apricot preserves , Sweet baby Rays and Jim Beam on chicken .
Made a ham glaze from this ,

 

[Berettaclayshooter]

I use bourbon in my spritz. 50/50 cider vinegar /apple juice roughly 8oz and 2-4 oz of bourbon. I use cheaper stuff for cooking, I'll save Mitcher's for drinking with friends. And to be fair about JD, it starts out as a bourbon, then they run it through charcoal to make it Tennessee whisky.

 

[noboundaries]

Oh, wow. I did NOT need to read that. Trying to resist...

"Resistance is futile."
The Borg

 

[HalfSmoked]

The learning experience of trial and error. But you can come up with some great tasting food.

Warren