What the heck is bourbon?

[SizzlininIN]

Ok...........I posted a recipe on the Beef Board for meat thats marinated in Bourbon...........I went looking for it the other day when we were at Wal Mart.......in the liquour section and the only thing I saw was Jim Beam Bourban Whiskey..........is this what I should use?

 

[jennyema]

It's your recipe?? :?: :?:

Yes, it's bourbon whiskey. It's a very common sauce/marinade ingredient. Jack Daniels is a popular brand. Jim Beam, Makers Mark, Knob Creek, Wild Turkey are others. There are pricey and delicious aged bourbons like Booker's, Baker's and Basil Haydens but you wouldnt waste them for cooking.

Jack Daniels even manufactures marinades and sauces now, or has lent their name to someone else.

 

[Audeo]

Righto, jenny!

Bourbon is an all-American liquor made from fermented grain. Having said that, there is a big world of different types and different tastes spanning a wide spectrum. Sour-Mash bourbon is even made similarly to sourdough bread in using a "starter" in the fermentation process.

From Jack Daniels to Basil Hayden's, a wide world exists. Your Jim Beam will serve your cooking needs well.

 

[SizzlininIN]

thanks for the inf. jennyema

 

[Raine]

BOURBON BALLS


2 cups (500 ml) fine vanilla wafer or Graham cracker crumbs
1 cup (250 ml) powdered (confectioner's) sugar
1 cup (250 ml) finely ground pecans or walnuts
3 Tbs (45 ml) cocoa powder
3 Tbs (45 ml) light or dark corn syrup
1/4 cup (60 ml) bourbon, rum, or any whiskey
1/4 tsp (1 ml) cinnamon
1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground nutmeg
Cocoa and/or powdered sugar for coating

Combine the crumbs, sugar, nuts, cocoa, corn syrup, bourbon, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl and combine thoroughly. Roll into balls about 1" (2.5 cm) in diameter and roll in cocoa powder or powdered sugar to coat the outside. Store in an airtight container for at least one week, and up to three weeks. Makes about 30 balls.

 

[ronjohn55]

What about Mint juleps??

In a glass (The biger the better!)

Ice
Bourbon
Simple syrup made with mint
1 sprig mint in the glass for garnish


I like Maker's Mark for these...

John

 

[debthecook]

'Ol No. 7 Yams
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

4 large sweet potatoes
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1 (3 to 4-inch) cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 cup bourbon (recommended: No. 7 Jack Daniels)
1 long strip orange peel

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Wash and dry sweet potatoes and bake for 1 hour or until potatoes are soft to the touch. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly then remove skin from potatoes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. While the potatoes are baking, combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes until sauce is slightly thickened. Slice the potatoes 1/2-inch thick into a medium casserole dish. Pour syrup over them and return to the oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes.

 

[SizzlininIN]

Jack Daniels it is............I don't drink the stuff but hubby's nephew does so the extra can be for him when he stops by. Thanks all for the information......I knew I could find the answer through you guys

 

[Bangbang]

http://www.straightbourbon.com/history.html

 

[Ekim]

Hate to point out, but Jack Daniel's is not bourbon. Look at the label.

From the JD FAQ:

Jack Daniel's is not a Bourbon - it's a TENNESSEE WHISKEY. Jack Daniel's is dripped slowly - drop-by-drop - through ten feet of firmly packed charcoal (made from hard sugar maple) before going into new charred oak barrels for aging. This special process gives Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey its rare smoothness. It's this extra step - charcoal mellowing - which makes Jack Daniel's a Tennessee Whiskey.

 

[Raine]

The barrels help color it. It is clear, when first made.

You see and learn all this on the tours they give at the distillery. If you ask for tour guides Sammy or David Roper. They are quite some characters. I probably got a picture or two of David around somewhere.

This is David in the overalls.

 

[bknox]

Funny I found this post because I know a thing or two about Bourbon Whiskey.

To be considered a bourbon there are rules.


• Bourbon cannot be blended with other batches of the same whiskey, only with limestone filtered water to make 'proof'. This is why Jack Daniels is not a bourbon but just a 'sour mash whiskey'. All Bourbon whiskey are sour mash but not all sour mash whiskey is bourbon. Jack Daniels mixes batches to maintain a flavor consistency. True bourbons will vary in flavor depending on the heat of the summer and cold of the winter where ever they are stored while aging and how long they are aged.

• Bourbons are made mostly from corm although I have first hand experience that they do use some rice in the recipe. Cheaper Whiskies use lots more rice than corn.

• Bourbon must be aged in a charred oak barrel and usually bunged with popular.

• Most or possibly all corn whiskeys are charcoal filtered to remove an oil that is created in the whiskey that could be dangerous if ingested.

• You can not use a bourbon barrel more than one time to age whiskey.

All bourbons are not made in Kentucky although many of them are, in Bourbon County near Bardstown KY. The state sits on a limestone slab which offers a perfect water supply.

It has been a couple of years since visiting the distilleries in Ky but these factoids are what I was told. I was told by the Distillers at Wild Turkey that the old barrel where sent to Scotland to make Scotch. I have no proof of this and he may have been pulling my leg.

There is also some history with how it is spelled - Whiskey or Whisky but my memory fails me.

Hope this helps clear up things a little,
Bryan

 

[Raine]

yep, Jack Daniels does the same with their barrels. After the whisky has been bottled, they send the used barrels to the scotch makers, make furniture, or wood chunks from the barrels.

The wood chunks are great to use grilling and smoking. Has a faint JD taste. We love to use the chunks on steaks and hamburgers.

 

[jennyema]

The wood chunks are great to use grilling and smoking. Has a faint JD taste. We love to use the chunks on steaks and hamburgers.

Where do you get them? Probably not available up here, eh?

 

[Raine]

You will probably have to call the General store in Lynchburg TN. Make sure they know it is the chunks, and not the chips.

They were given to all the teams competing in the contest, when we were there.

 

[nytxn]

I think I've seen the chunks in Walmart and the local grocery store near the grilling stuff. I could be wrong.


I have a bag of JD chips at home, but not the chunks.

 

[jennyema]

I see the chips on the internet but maybe I'll call the store and see about chunks.

Tnx!