How Whiskey May Be Ruining The Flavor Of Your Steak

Whiskey has earned its place in the kitchen as a versatile and flavorful addition to virtually any course. When it comes to steak, the spirit can enhance the beef's natural umami flavors, but you do have to be careful as it can easily overpower the meat.

Some cuts of steak, like the famous rib-eye, are fatty and full of flavor – while others, like the equally-popular filet mignon, are known for their more delicate taste. When cooking less flavorful cuts, whiskey may not be ideal. Often, whiskey is used in steak marinades as it provides a deep, rich flavor, while tenderizing the meat at the same time.

While it's always delicious, it has the potential to steal the limelight from the meat itself. If you want to keep the innate beefiness front and center, it's best to reserve whiskey for more flavorful cuts.

The same advice applies to pairing whiskey as a drink with steak. American single malt bourbon is the best choice for a variety of meat cuts and barbecues. The success is in the smoothness, as richer whiskey varieties are limited to equally-intense and fatty steaks. By pairing single malt whiskey with leaner cuts of meat, you can enjoy all the benefits of a bourbon-infused barbecue.

A steak sauce is the perfect way to embellish even the toughest beef without needing to marinate it for hours. Whiskey is the key to a perfect steak sauce and is easily adjustable. A little fruit juice and bourbon combine to form a sweet, umami dressing, as the juice can cut through the overpowering nature of the spirit. As these balance out, the steak will be able to shine through. Plus, the benefit of a steak sauce over a marinade is that you can dab on only as much as you want, where marinating meat creates a fuller, more enveloping flavor profile in the dish.

If you want just a hint of whiskey with your steak, consider flambéing it just before eating. While cooking doesn't necessarily burn off alcohol entirely, and especially not in such a short time frame as is needed to flambé, you only need a small amount of the liquor, no more than a third of a cup, to accentuate the steak's flavors. The meat should already be cooked or mostly cooked to your liking by this point, and this last step will just incorporate a burst of flavor that will not overshadow the beefiness, regardless of the cut used.