Grilled Bourbon Burgers Will Take Your Cookout To The Next Level

Bourbon is an all-American spirit with a government-protected seal and guidelines that require a strict aging process and ingredient ratios. Consequently, bourbon provides a unique complexity and wealth of tasting notes that are as popular in cocktails as they are in food recipes. What better way to combine two American classics than to add bourbon to your next batch of hamburgers?

Bourbon's layers of nutty, sweet, smoky, and earthy notes are the perfect complement to an umami-rich beef burger. Plus, the grilling process and additional spices will accentuate both the bourbon and the meat. Bourbon's popularity as a barbecue pairing along with its use in glazes or marinades for steak and pork forebears the success of grilled bourbon burgers.

There's no real trick to adding this whiskey to your hamburger blend. Recipes for bourbon burgers recommend 1 or 2 tablespoons of bourbon per pound of ground beef. You can add the bourbon straight to the raw meat with common seasonings like Worcestershire sauce along with dried aromatics and spices before forming patties and throwing them on the grill. Bourbon is a seasoning agent that won't overpower its savoriness but will add a notable depth.

While the meat's going to be the star of the show for your burger, there are still measures you can take to play up that rich, complex bourbon flavor. One of the easiest ways to enhance those bourbon notes is to add brown sugar to the burger. Brown sugar and bourbon are a match made in heaven, and a small dusting of sugar on burger patties will also provide a really nice caramelized crust to their texture. Smoked paprika and black pepper would be help accentuate the smoky and spicy finish of bourbon in your burger.

If you're willing to use up a little more of your bourbon reserves, you can use bourbon to create sauces or to caramelize onions. Reduce bourbon with your favorite store-bought barbecue or steak sauce to smother or even brush over a bourbon burger on the grill. Add a half-cup of bourbon and a few teaspoons of brown sugar to your caramelized onions for the ultimate bourbon-infused burger topping. A burger with bourbon-caramelized onions, provolone, jalapeños, and bacon would be the perfect trifecta of sweet, spicy, and savory. You can get fancy with your bourbon burgers, drawing from cheese and fruit pairings to create gourmet topping combinations (here are some of our favorite whiskey-cheese combos). If you add Wild Turkey to your burgers, you could top them with melted Roquefort cheese and fig spread.