Level Up Your Bourbon Glaze With One Extra Ingredient
Sweet and tangy with a nice "stickiness" to it, a bourbon glaze is many a pitmaster's go-to when they want a sauce that'd pick up the flavor of their grilled meats or roasted veggies. For those unfamiliar with this boozy-sounding sauce, don't let the fancy name fool you. It's surprisingly simple to make at home: all you need is some good bourbon whiskey for cooking, ketchup, sugar, white vinegar, some Worcestershire sauce, and a few basic spices. But for a bourbon glaze that tastes second to none, add one extra ingredient to the classic recipe: orange zest.
Simply take a fresh orange and gently rub the bright outer peel against a grater. Be careful to harvest only the orange upper layer and avoid the white pith underneath, which will add a very bitter flavor to your glaze. Add the colorful flakes to your glaze, and other than giving the glaze a bright pop of citrus, the zest adds a fresh, bright taste that goes perfectly with the bourbon's rich flavor. Orange zest has a mildly bitter note to it, as well, which can help cut through the glaze's sweetness and balance out the taste.
You don't need much — just a teaspoon or two of zest and your sauce's ready to dazzle. Don't believe us? Whisk up a batch and you can test run them with these recipes.
Putting your orange zest bourbon glaze to work
For a weeknight meal that you can throw together in half an hour, a bourbon-glazed salmon is about perfect. After seasoning the salmon filet, take a basting brush and generously coat it with your orange-scented bourbon glaze. Pop it in a hot oven for about 10 minutes, and the sauce will meld against the salmon's exterior and into a delicious, sticky coating.
Not just salmon, a bourbon glaze will also fit right in as the basting sauce for some backyard-barbecued baby back ribs. Slow roast the ribs until tender, then brush liberally with the glaze and finish on the grill or under the broiler until the ribs are glistening. If you like your ribs even sweeter, just add a little honey to the sauce. That's another great thing about this glaze — you can easily change it to suit your taste.
Once you have this sauce in your kitchen, you'll want to put it on everything. From bone-in ham to chicken thighs — you name it, this glaze will make it taste better. Fair warning though, increase the portion a little the first time you're debuting this sauce to your friends and family. There'll be a lot of people lining up for seconds!