Skip to main content

Booze will make your meat taste better

Feasting is our column dedicated to cooking, grilling, eating and discovering what’s on the menu across America and the world.

Booze isn’t just for sipping. It adds flavor to some of our favorite dishes, from beer can chicken to rigatoni a la vodka. We love drinking a great glass of red wine while simultaneously pouring it into a Sunday gravy. Alcohol helps to tenderize meat and adds depth to sauces and reductions. In short, many of the familiar dishes you know and love would be quite different without it.

Recommended Videos

But it can be a little daunting to pour that whiskey in the pan—you wouldn’t want to add too much or, god forbid, waste that delicious brown liquid. To help you get started, we found three simple ways to cook with alcohol. You’ll be a pro in no time.

Pork Shoulder Bo Saam

Bo Saam
Image used with permission by copyright holder

By Jacobson Salt Co.

INGREDIENTS
3-pound pork shoulder
Dry rub (recipe below)
1 can of light beer, like Sixpoint Brewery Gose
1 Tbsp black peppercorns (we like Jacobson)
1 head of garlic, split crosswise
1 onion, diced
3 heads butter lettuce or romaine
1 bunch cilantro, picked
1 bunch mint, picked and torn
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 jar of your favorite pickles
Asian and American condiments of your choice (we love gochujang, sriracha, kimchi and Bee Local Hot Honey)

Dry Rub
6 oz Jacobsen Cherrywood Smoked Salt
2 Tbsp coriander, ground
2 Tbsp Korean chili flake
3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Paprika
2 tsp white pepper, ground
2 tsp star anise, ground
1 tsp fennel seed, ground
2 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp mustard powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp ginger powder

METHOD

  1. Combine the ingredients for the dry rub and rub all over the pork shoulder. Refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours or overnight if possible.
  2. Place the shoulder in a large roasting pan with the beer, black peppercorns, garlic and onion.
  3. Cover and roast at 275 F degrees for 6-8 hours until meat pulls apart easily. This can also be done in a crockpot.
  4. Uncover and raise oven temperature to 375 F for about 20-30 minutes until a nice crust forms on the outside of the pork. Let it rest for 45 minutes to an hour.
  5. Pull apart the pork and serve on leaves of butter lettuce with pickles, herbs and condiments of your choice.

Wasted Chicken

Wasted Chicken
Image used with permission by copyright holder

From The Single Guy Cookbook by Avi Shemtov

Serves 1

INGREDIENTS
1 red bell pepper
1/2 white onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup baby bell mushrooms
1 tbsp bourbon (Scotch or cognac would work also)
2 tsp dark brown sugar
1 chicken breast (6–8 oz), cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips

METHOD

  1. Cut the pepper and onion into thin strips. Heat the olive oil in a medium-size frying pan over medium heat.
  2. Add pepper, onion and mushrooms and use a wooden spoon to keep them moving so they don’t burn. As the veggies begin to soften, in about 3 minutes or so, add the bourbon and brown sugar, mixing them in so the sugar is not lumpy.
  3. Add the chicken to the pan, reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Cook the chicken for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through. It’s ready to eat. Great on its own or over white or brown rice.

Boston Lager Potato Salad

Potato Salad
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS
36 ounces Samuel Adams Boston Lager
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced celery
2 tablespoons chopped scallion, white and light green parts
2 tablespoons diced red onion
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon drained capers

METHOD

  1. In a large pot, bring the lager to a boil over high heat. Immediately reduce the heat to medium so the beer simmers. Add the whole potatoes, let the beer return to a simmer, and cook for 10-15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle, but still hot.
  2. Peel the cooked potatoes and cut into 1-inch-thick cubes. Transfer the potatoes to a mixing bowl. Add the peppers, celery, scallions, onions, mustard and capers and toss to mix. Let the potato salad rest for about 15 minutes for the flavors to develop and then serve while still warm.
Amanda Gabriele
Amanda Gabriele is a food and travel writer at The Manual and the former senior editor at Supercall. She can’t live without…
Copperworks Distilling Co. launches Washington Peated Single Cask No. 497
Fans of peated Scotch will love this new release from Copperworks
Copperworks

Seattle's Copperworks got its name because it makes small batch whiskeys, gins, vodkas, and other sprits using traditional copper stills. Recently, this popular brand announced the launch of an exciting addition to the American single malt whiskey marketplace.
Copperworks Washington Peated American Single Malt Whiskey Single Cask No. 497

This limited-release, single barrel American single malt whiskey was made with 100% Fritz variety barley sourced from Washington's Skagit Valley. Like the famed single malt whiskies of Islay, the barley was smoked during the malting process using peat sourced from Washington State. It spent four years and three months maturing in a new American oak barrel referred to as "Single Cask No. 497".

Read more
Veritable Distillery is launching its first two spirits
Veritable Distillery is releasing a bourbon and a gin
Whiskey in a glass in a dark room

Connecticut-based Veritable Distillery is all about keeping things as authentic as possible. That's why it makes its spirits using only traditional methods and exclusively natural ingredients. Recently, the brand announced it was set to release its first two expressions: a gin and a bourbon whiskey.
Veritable Distillery's new expressions

The first two expressions from Veritable Distillery are Ship's Bell Bourbon and Southwick's American Gin.

Read more
Booker’s Bourbon launches the first batch of 2025, “Barry’s Batch”
Booker's newest release was made to pay tribute to former Beam Chairman and CEO
Whiskey in a glass by a fire

There are few small batch, limited-release bourbons as beloved as Booker's.  This highly sought-after bourbon is released four times per year with no batch the same as the one before. Recently, the Jim Beam brand announced its first batch of 2025. It's called "Barry's Batch," it was created to pay tribute to Barry Berish, former Beam Chairman and CEO and friend of Fred Noe, Beam Family 7th Generation Master Distiller.
Booker's "Barry Batch"

Barry Berish, the man the whiskey is named for, was a legendary figure at Jim Beam. He spent more than forty years working for the company. He passed away last year, and it seemed only fitting to release a bourbon in his memory.

Read more