Bourbon Marinated Flat Iron with Bourbon Shallot & Chive Compound Butter – Culinary Seasons

Those who know me, bourbon and whiskey are my drinks of choice. The complexity of the notes of the aromas, smokey, spice, vanilla, or leathery along with the flavor profile of nutty, woody, vanilla, sweet or smokey all play into the overall mouthfeel. That being said, there are many bourbons that I would not want to use as a marinade or even in the compound butter.

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There are some bourbons that I feel that the flavor notes would not transfer well to a recipe. I have one bourbon that is a higher price point bottle that is a delicious treat when it is poured but to me the aroma (not that it is bad) doesn’t really translate to using in a recipe. But other brands have a bold sharp complexity that transfer well to cooking, like Knob Creek which I use in this recipe, the alcohol content is higher than other bourbons and the bold flavor leads more to use in cooking.

There are some bourbons or whiskeys like Jack Daniels, as an example, that have a very specific taste and I could pick the aroma and flavor out of a lineup if I was blindfolded. My point being, keep that in mind if you are looking to use a bourbon or whiskey in a recipe, the boldness of a brand may overpower the intended flavor you may be looking for.

Bourbon, Whiskey, Whisky and Scotch

what’s the difference anyway you may be asking?

Simply put, Bourbon, Whiskey, Whisky and Scotch are all types Whiskey. But Bourbons, Whiskey and Whisky aren’t Scotch. Well, maybe it isn’t that simple.

All are made from a grain mash, distilled then aged in wood barrels. But where the difference really separates them is what ingredients are used and how each are produced.

Let’s start with Scotch whisky, Scotch can only be called Scotch if it is produced in Scotland. The predominant grain used in Scotch is barley it must have at least 51% in the ingredients. Single Malt Scotch is produced only from barley and no other grains. The barley is left to ferment in water, hence the malting, which gives Single Malt Scotch it’s flavor. Depending on where in Scotland the Scotch is produced, the flavor vastly varies from North to South. In some southern regions the use of peat is used to infuse smoke flavor into the Scotch which imparts a very unique aroma and flavor. While northern regions flavors may fall more the direction sweeter notes.

Spelling is important in any language. In the U.S. & Ireland, it is spelled Whiskey and in Canada, Japan and European countries they drop the ‘e’ and use the Whisky spelling. The grains used in the mash to produce whiskey or whisky can be a mix of barley, rye, wheat or corn. Depending on how they are blended and the mash is fermented will determine the final product.

Just like Scotch can only be called Scotch if it is produced in Scotland; Bourbon can only be called Bourbon if it is produced in the U.S. with Kentucky being the main producer with 95% of the market.

Unbeknownst to me, in 1964 U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution declaring Bourbon Whiskey a “distinctive product of the United States.” If you want to verify this, the Frazier History Museum in Louisville, KY has the original signed document on display. There are about 70 distilleries in Kentucky, storing over 7.5 million barrels in rickhouse storage. Barrels are stored on ricks (or racks) in the rickhouse.

Bourbon typically is made from corn, rye and barley. In order for it to be called Bourbon it needs to contain 51% corn. It must be stored in the rickhouse in freshly charred white oak barrels. The charring of the barrels allows the bourbon to mellow and gets infused with caramelly sweetness. All Bourbon must contain a minimum of 40% alcohol by volume for it to be classified as a Bourbon.

Each Bourbon producer has their own recipes of the mash, all the way down to how long they char the barrels, to the distilling (most distillers put bourbon through a two time distillation to remove as much impurities as they can, but not all do this), to the length of aging. Bourbon must be aged for 2 years before it can be called Bourbon. Many distillers age their bourbon longer than the minimum.

The recipe has a double dose of Bourbon, one for the marinade and one in the compound butter.

Enjoy!

The recipe instructions explain how to set up your grill to get perfect diamond grill marks. Depending on the type of grill, you may not be able to set up two different temperature grilling zones. To be honest, when I made this, I used the Kamado Joe Jr., the small grill doesn’t easily allow for two grilling zones. The steak got a great char even though I attempted to get the grill marks, sometimes a nice char on a steak is just as rewarding as the diamond grill marks.

How ever you want to cook this steak, even if it is seared in a cast iron skillet and finished in the oven, I am sure you will enjoy the Bourbon Marinated Flat Iron with Bourbon Shallot & Chive Compound Butter.

Enjoy!