Description
This Brown Sugar Bourbon Marinade recipe is a whiskey lover’s dream! Made with 7 simple ingredients in 5 minutes or less, it’s an easy marinade that is perfectly balanced. Any bourbon-forward flavor is offset with rich, tangy balsamic vinegar and Dijon or whole grain mustard. Plus, a little bit of brown sugar adds sweetness and creates crave-worthy caramelized char on the grill.
Use it to elevate grilled chicken, steak, pork chops, kabobs, and more!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 pounds meat or veggies of choice
- ½ cup bourbon (see Recipe Notes)
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1 tablespoon freshly chopped)
- optional: pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
Instructions
- Mix the brown sugar bourbon: Add the bourbon, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard, garlic, rosemary, and crushed red pepper flakes, if using, to a bowl or jar. Season with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and ground black pepper, as desired. Whisk or shake to combine.
- Marinate: Pour the bourbon marinade over your meat or veggies of choice. Marinate at least 6 hours or up to overnight.
- Grill as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Bourbon: There’s no need to grab a top-shelf bourbon in for this bourbon marinade recipe since it’s being mixed with other flavor-forward ingredients like balsamic, mustard, and rosemary. We always have a handle of Jim Beam on hand, and it does the trick here!
- Suggested marinade time: Marinating time will vary based on the type of protein you’d like to use. Having tested this Brown Sugar Bourbon Marinade recipe with a variety of different proteins and a variety of different marinating times, here’s what I suggest:
- Seafood – At least 20 minutes and no more than 1 hour.
- Chicken and pork – At least 6 hours and up to 3 days.
- Beef and lamb – At least 12 hours and up to 3 days.
- Veggies – At least 20 minutes or up to 5 days.
- 10-Minute Meal Prep: If you’d like to marinate something beyond the suggested marinade times above but would like to do some meal prep, I suggest prepping the marinade in advance. Store it in a jar or an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days – the flavors meld together even more as the marinade sits. When you’re ready to start marinating (refer to the suggested marinating times above), simply give it the marinade a shake and pour it over whatever meat or veggies you’re using it on – easy!