If you read my most-recent Bourbon Review article or my latest Tasting Panel American Whiskey column, you know I’m a sucker for bourbon cooking. When I cook steaks, I’ll pour a shot of wheated-bourbon over the top, letting the sweet whiskey merry up with beef’s natural succulent juices.

The sad thing is, many people who advertise bourbon cooking don’t really let the bourbon talk. They might put 1/10^th of teaspoon in the recipe and the whiskey just evaporates. You never taste the whiskey in the food, indicating they care more about attracting Jack Daniel’s or Maker’s Mark fans than using the product as an ingredient. But, that is changing. Thanks to several initiatives from brands and organic growth in bourbon cooking, cooks are realizing bourbon really complements proteins and sweetens desserts.

When I was in New York, I found a food truck that really knew how to cook with bourbon. The Frites ‘N’ Meats food truck pressed Maker’s Mark into the ground Kobe beef, sautéed onions with it and made New York’s best barbecue sauce with Maker’s. They didn’t hide the whiskey; they let it sing.

If only more people cooked with bourbon like this food truck, the world would be a better place.