I want to make this Kenji recipe this weekend: https://www.seriouseats.com/smoky-barbecue-bbq-beans-recipe, but I also want to make them with some nice bourbon flavor. It seems like the final consistency of the sauce is an important aspect, and so I am considering how best to add this extra liquid.
If I just stir it in at the end to preserve the most bourbon flavor, I figure I’m going to either end up with runnier sauce, or I’ll have to reduce it again, possibly overcooking the beans. It will also mean the bourbon is only in the sauce, and not the beans.
If I replace some of the cooking water with the bourbon, will I still even taste the bourbon after cooking so long? Or will that flavor penetrate even more deeply into the beans as they take on liquid, making them even better?
Finally, I’m considering the possibility of reducing the bourbon separately on the stovetop and stirring it in at the end as a few tablespoons of concentrated bourbon flavor that won’t change the consistency of the final sauce.
Anyone have any experience in this regard, or suggestions?
by ChinaShopBully