Jack Daniel's Grill Glaze

Oh grilling. How much I love thee. How much I wish South Dakota had a climate better suited to grilling more than five months of the year. But I suppose we're stuck with what we got, and Darrell and I certainly haven't wasted any time getting the grill fired up as the weather is starting to climb into (and stay!) spring temperatures.

Now, I know there are some grilling purists who may scoff at this recipe and the very thought of marinating a steak, and believe me, we're usually right there with them. I don't think there is anything better than a lightly seasoned (if at all) good cut of steak that is grilled to perfection (you better believe we don't even own steak sauce at our house). But sometimes, just sometimes, we like drowning our steaks in a marinade, basting them while they grill, and topping them with a delicious glaze. And whenever that urge strikes, this is the recipe we go to. I discovered this recipe way back in college in a cookbook that had a bunch of knock-off restaurant recipes; this glaze is originally from TGI Fridays, although we don't have one of those in Sioux Falls anymore so I don't know if they still feature it on their menu or not. And I believe they used to serve the glaze with a variety of meats, but we've only ever tried it with steaks (although I bet it would make a mean topping on a burger). It's certainly a little more time consuming and takes a little more prep work than just throwing a steak on the grill, but it's definitely worth it. And Darrell's two cents? Always serve this with a side of baked potato; the potato is the perfect vehicle for soaking up any of the glaze that might run off your steak (or any that you might have leftover).

This is what I get for trying to take a picture of something as it simmers on the stove. Fail. 

Jack Daniel's Grill Glaze
(one batch makes about enough marinade and glaze for four 6 to 8 ounce steaks)


2/3 cup water
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, pressed
3 tbsp minced white onion
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp Jack Daniels
1 tbsp crushed pineapple
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine water, pineapple juice, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until mixture boils then reduce to a simmer. Add the garlic and whisk to combine. Gently stir in the onion, lemon juice, Jack Daniels, pineapple, and cayenne pepper. Let mixture simmer for 40-50 minutes or until sauce has reduced by about half and is thick and syrupy. Store glaze in the refrigerator and pull out up to an hour before serving to warm (although if you pour it on a hot steak you probably won't notice anyway!).

If using part or all of the glaze as a marinade, add up to a quarter cup more of Jack into the glaze to thin it out (or remove some from the stove before reducing completely). And I'm not sure how long this would keep in the fridge; we've only ever made it a day in advance and then we always polish it off in one meal!

Trust me, this was the neatest my plate looked all night. Once Darrell had his turn at the glaze, I put my green beans back on the serving platter so I could drown my whole plate in the extra glaze. It was a delicious mess.