A Smokin' Good Fourth of July
Break out the grill, mix up the spice rubs and sauces, and open some barbecue-friendly wines
Posted: Jun 29, 2011 11:00am ET
Memorial Day weekend is a
blur in our house, with the end of school and other various craziness, so it's
not until the Fourth of July that I really feel like I can kick back and do
some serious cooking in the backyard.
I went to college in the
South and returned with a persuasive hankering for barbecue. While any gas or
charcoal grill can be rigged into a decent smoker, I bought a Weber Smokey
Mountain, which is considered an almost idiot-proof smoker. Notice I said
"almost." My first summer, I was in the 90th percentile of "almost," but I'm
handy with the smoker now.
As I've tried to master
various recipes and cuts of meat—whether it's baby-back ribs, chicken or beef
brisket—I've experimented with different wines to drink with these slow-cooked
creations.
The flavors of barbecue are
intense: smoky and zesty, spicy, greasy and sweet. You might think you need a
powerful wine for its equal but that's not necessarily the case. Sure, most
hearty reds will do fine with those big flavors, but if you're going to the
trouble of slowly grilling or smoking something for hours, why drink just any
wine?
For me, the best barbecue
wines have a distinctive personality, yet have a sense of proportion and
balance, plus a refreshing quality. That's especially true if there's a rich,
red barbecue sauce involved. You know how your fingers and face get so messy
that you have to stop and tidy yourself before digging back in? Well, your
palate needs the same treatment.
Here's an example. Say
you're eating pork ribs lathered with a sweet and spicy Kansas City–style
sauce. You might think of opening a jammy Zinfandel or a Châteauneuf-du-Pape or
Côtes du Rhône from a warm vintage like 2007.
The problem is that the
sweetness and alcohol from those wines accentuate the burn and heat of the
sauce. Afterward, your tongue feels like it needs a bandage, like the
pole-licking kid from A Christmas Story, you start looking for alternatives.
Better choices are wines
such as Ruffino Chianti Classico Ducale Gold Label Riserva 2006 ($40) or the
California kitchen-sink blend Sean H. Thackrey Pleiades XX NV ($25), two reds
that are distinctive yet lively enough to balance the rich sauce.
Barbecue chicken can be a
wine nightmare depending on the rub or sauce. The chicken begs for a white or
delicate red, but if it has a burly, full-flavored crust, it's a challenge. If
the chicken isn't too spicy, you could try a Beaujolais or light but zesty
California Pinot Noir such as Buena Vista Carneros 2007 ($25) or Robert Mondavi
Carneros 2008 ($28).
A favorite barbecue recipe
of mine is Smokin' Chicken from Barbecue America, which was co-written by Jack
Bettridge, a colleague at Cigar Aficionado who frequently writes about spirits for Wine Spectator.
It's a crowd-pleasing recipe, with a no-brainer marinade of apple cider,
barbecue sauce and zesty Italian dressing, followed by a rub of savory spices,
then a few hours of sweet and smoky wood.
With Smokin' Chicken, I like
a white wine that has character and lots of zestiness. Recent favorites include
Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina Sannio 2009 ($16) from Italy and Alamos
Torrontés Mendoza 2010 ($13) from Argentina, which are both crisp yet a touch
exotic.
Rhône whites like E. Guigal
Côtes du Rhône White 2009 ($15) also work well, as do California whites that
balance a supple texture with bright acidity, such as J Pinot Gris California
2009 ($15) and Mer Soleil Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands Silver Unoaked 2009
($24).
What's
your favorite barbecue-and-wine match? What are some of your rules for a
successful pairing?
Great suggestions, Tim! I'd also add sparkling wine to the list, since it's probably my favorite match for BBQ :)