Best cooking bourbon?

[Sour Mash Esq.]

Before I started drinking bourbon I was cooking with it and usually opted for JB Black.  Which, as it turns out, I ended up liking for drinking as well, which lead down the bourbon rabbit hole.  But I digress.  So I think JBB is great for cooking and it's available in handles, which is nice.  The last one I tried for cooking was Benchmark, BT juice, and inoffensive.  My feeling on the subject is that the Justin Wilson doctrine is best: don't cook with alcohol you wouldn't drink and you'll be fine.  If that's the case then I think I like the JBB better than the Benchmark, but the Benchmark Is only $9/750.

 

What do you all keep on hand for the kitchen?

[Harry in WashDC]

4 minutes ago, Sour Mash Esq. said:

. . . What do you all keep on hand for the kitchen?

Over the years, we (mostly my wife who loves to cook stuff from scratch) have used lots of bourbons in cooking.  We used to use whatever bourbon I wanted to get rid of.  BUT, trial and error led us ineluctably to stick with that Justin Wilson rule, at least when bourbon is a major flavor rather than a minor one.  SO, for the past dozen years of so - in BBQ sauces, anything goes, but in poached fish, wet rubs, basting, pies, cakes, cookies, etc., we stick with EWW (EW BIB) which is our basic mixer (a bump from our standby EWB when EWW became easy to get here).  On something really special, I'll offer up a 1/4 cup or so of a top shelf or even a rare bourbon - if it is already open and usually upon special request.

[CardsandBourbon]

Mostly the stuff that I don't enjoy drinking as much.  Generally stuff that is considered bottom shelf.  Right now it's Towne Branch.  Others would be OF BIB, VOB BIB.  There might be others that I would use but definitely not anything like W12, CEHT SB, Blanton's, Stagg Jr. etc.  Those are much too good to use for cooking.

[Clueby]

I've used my Old Bardstown (Willett distilled) for cooking. It's not one I can drink neat on its own but it does fine in cooking. I've made egg nog with it, too.

[dcbt]

I tried a bourbon marinade once but wasn't overly impressed.  My wife needs a little bit every now and again for a recipe so I usually just point her to the cheapest open bottle - usually OE 7/101 though Tom Moore BiB will replace that distinction once I open it.

[HoustonNit]

Harry beat me to it but I think EW White label BiB is great for cooking. Nothing complicated but taste good and 100 proof, $22 for the 1.75L size.

[Darwin]

I only use Bourbon in BBQ sauces or a few deserts.  I always seem to reach for Wild Turkey, Four Roses or Aberlour.  

[Sour Mash Esq.]

I'll have to pick up some EWW and give it a whirl.  But here's another question, does the bourbon matter in bourbon balls?

[Harry in WashDC]

1 hour ago, Sour Mash Esq. said:

I'll have to pick up some EWW and give it a whirl.  But here's another question, does the bourbon matter in bourbon balls?

My wife, who makes them every year, says "Yes".  She prefers to use my Blanton's because she can reduce the amount of sugar she usually adds.  She doesn't like the high proofs or the ryes because their flavors tend to overwhelm the rest of the ingredients.  For many years, we used EWB (@ 86 proof); then, she tried Blanton's, and life has not been the same.

[EarthQuake]

When cooking, I don't use whiskey (or wine) that I wouldn't drink. Specifically for bourbon, I tend to use bottles that suffer from the curse of being "just good" but not great or exceptional. So I tend to use things like Makers Mark, Woodford Reserve, etc. I've got a bottle of Larceny and Dickle 12 that will likely get relegated to cooking duty in the near future.

 

One of my favorite ways to cook with whiskey is making my own booze cherries, which are great in old fashioneds, manhattans, etc. I make a syrup out of 1 part sugar (brown sugar is great) and 1 part bourbon, plus a bit of orange zest and baking spices (cinnamon, sometimes ginger or cloves). Heat on a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Fill a mason jar with frozen tart pie cherries and then top fill in the gaps with the syrup.

[Kane]

WT101 and FRSmB are my cooking bourbons, both potent and flavorful, and so they do wonders in desserts. I can see KC working well in the same way.

 

I tried cheaper stuff as well, like EW or Benchmark, and to be honest, it was as if I used no bourbon at all. I stick to the above two.

[mosugoji64]

My wife found a rebate on WT81 a while back and I've been using it for cooking. It's not bad on its own, but if I'm going to pick one up for drinking it would be WT101. For cooking, WT81 works just fine.

[GeeTen]

J W Dant BIB is my go-to bourbon for cooking - but the price has gone up ($30.99/1.75L) so I might have to switch to EWW!  I make a simple Chinese BBQ sauce w/ bourbon, honey & soy sauce with a dash of sesame oil - goes great on EVERYTHING (except dog - OK, I kid).  YUM!  

  

[DCFan]

We like the Bush's Grillin Beans - bourbon and brown sugar flavor to which I'll add a little more bourbon from my least liked bottle which at the moment is Michters.

[BigPapa]

I use knob Creek 120 or Wild Turkey 101 for all my cooking bourbon. Love what it does in the food!!!


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[fishnbowljoe]

3 hours ago, GeeTen said:

J W Dant BIB is my go-to bourbon for cooking - but the price has gone up ($30.99/1.75L) so I might have to switch to EWW!  I make a simple Chinese BBQ sauce w/ bourbon, honey & soy sauce with a dash of sesame oil - goes great on EVERYTHING (except dog - OK, I kid).  YUM!  

  

 

I'm really glad you didn't say cat Gee. 

 

But seriously..... the only time I've ever used bourbon in cooking, was once in a batch of my chili a number of years ago. The place my wife used to work at had a chilling shootout. I made a batch of my regular Hoosier sweet chili mac, and a much heartier batch made with stronger onions & chili fixins', and bourbon. I used MM. 

 

My wife is a great cook.    She likes to watch some of the cooking shows on tv. I must admit that I like watching them too. If bourbon is used in a recipe, it's almost always MM. A funny side note here. On some cooking shows, they actually mask out the label to hide the name of the product. My wife and I have had a few laughs about that because even if the label is hidden, there just ain't no mistaking the trademark MM red wax. 

 

Cheers! Joe

 

 

[kevinbrink]

Depending on what I'm using it for and how much flavor I want to be present kind of goes into what I would use, Dant is kind of a go to but sometimes when I want a little to go a long way I'll go with something Barrel Proof. If I'm deglazing a pan I tend to reach for something lower in proof with a sweeter profile.

[GeeTen]

1 hour ago, fishnbowljoe said:

 

I'm really glad you didn't say cat Gee. 

 

Cheers! Joe

 

 

Not enough meat on a cat . . . . . so I'm told!   

[Richnimrod]

The only time I used Bourbon in cooking, I marinated a venison (white tailed deer) neck roast, then basted it with the same/similar basic marinade.  

I was VERY disappointed that the Bourbon flavor was barely perceptible.   ...And I used GTS!  

So; no more Bourbon in 'hot cooking'.     I do use it in desserts, and over-pours for other dishes once in a while; but, nothing where the flavor gets cooked away.

[Golzee]

I've only ever cooked with bourbon once.  Me and a friend got drunk while making a beef roast on the grill for Italian beef sandwiches...my friend proceeded to pour Budweiser and Jim Beam on the roast while it was smoking for the better part of 3 hours.  It was delicious that night, but, the next day the leftovers could probably get you drunk.

Edited September 3, 2017 by Golzee