One thing you might not know about me is that I am a dip and sauce fanatic. I’m the girl that bugs the waiter/waitress for extra sauces – pretty much every single time I go out to eat. Extra side of salsa, a side of ranch, extra buffalo sauce, extra Yum Yum sauce…. You get the picture. Especially if there are fries and/or a wrap/sandwich of some sort. I think I might even embarrass Jesse a little bit because I’ve been known to ask for 3 or more sauces at one time. It’s a problem, that’s for sure.
There is a popular chain restaurant that has a featured menu that is all about Jack Daniels Glaze. It’s sweet, salty, sticky, and delicious. We don’t go to that restaurant very often, but when we do, you can bet we’ll order the Sesame Jack Chicken Strips as an appetizer. And chances are good that I will also ask for an extra side of the sauce, just so I can dip my fries in it later.
When I came across this copycat on Kate’s blog during a previous recipe swap I was super excited. Of course that time around the Enchilada Casserole won the blog spot, but I didn’t forget about this glaze. When I was assigned Kate’s blog again for this swap, it was fate.
In the interest of full disclosure, I have to come clean and tell you that the sauce I made would technically have to be Johnnie Walker Glaze, since the only whiskey we have on hand at the moment is a bottle of black label. It’s technically different because it’s a Scotch whiskey and not a Tennessee Whiskey, but it worked. And guess what, this sauce is pretty spot! The only other change I made was to use only soy sauce instead of soy and teriyaki because… well, because I can’t read most of the labels at the grocery store (Chinese characters) so I’m not sure if my store had teriyaki sauce!
Copycat Jack Daniels Glaze
Ingredients
1 head of garlic- roasted
2/3 cup water
1 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup soy sauce (alternatively you could use 1/4 cup teriyaki and 1 Tbsp soy sauce)
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp white onion, minced
1 Tbsp Jack Daniels Whiskey *
1 Tbsp pineapple, very finely minced
1/2 tsp minced ginger (omit if using teriyaki sauce)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
*Obviously, you can substitute Johnnie Walker or any other decent brand of Whiskey.
Directions
To roast the garlic, cut the top off of a head of garlic so the ends of the cloves are exposed. Peel off any excess layers of the papery skin. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and loosely wrap with aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees for about 45-50 minutes, or until the cloves appear golden brown.
In a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, combine the water, pineapple juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer.
Squeeze out the roasted garlic and whisk in to the simmering liquid, discard the papery skin. Add the lemon juice, onion, whiskey, pineapple, ginger, and cayenne paper and stir to combine.
Continue to simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally, or until the liquid has reduced by half and is thick and syrupy*. Careful not to let the liquid boil over.
Glaze can be basted onto meats (chicken, steak, shrimp) while grilling, or drizzled over crispy chicken strips (and sprinkle with sesame seeds!), or used as a dipping sauce for fries.
* If your sauce doesn’t thicken up as much as you want it to, you can stir together 1 tsp of corn starch and 2 tsp of cold water, and add that to the sauce.
Adapted from Kate’s Recipe Box, originally from Insider’s Recipes Master Edition
I'm a dip fanatic too. So glad you enjoyed it! I think this is one of my favorite blogged recipes.
I LOVE this sauce! I've never tried to make it myself though so I will have to try this!
I am a total dipper too. I often get asked if I'd like some fries with my ketchup. I am going to have to try this recipe – need to make a trip to the state store for Jack Daniels.
Oh this sounds liquidly gold dangerous and soooo good! Mmmm, the katsu chicken and JD glaze look smack-tastic!!
Oh my gosh! I have to make this! I used to eat the chicken strips from TGIF's alllll the time. LOVE them, because of this sauce! 🙂
This is fabulous! I love dips too and this one in particular used to be one of my favorites. I'm definitely making this soon!
I have been making this glaze for years, same recipe. It does taste just like TGIF's!!! It's amazing!!!
Your blog has made my day! I was looking on Pinterest for Steel Cut Oat muffins and came across your blog. I live in Guangzhou, China and have lived here with my family for nearly two years. I miss cooking the way I used to in the States, but your blog has given me a lot of great new ideas with things that I have access too. Thank you for your ideas and I look forward to following you in months to come!
Nǐ hǎo línjū! I have to admit that I have been pretty pleasantly surprised with what I have access to! Obviously I have to make some adjustments, but there aren't many things that I can't at least adapt. I'm glad you found my blog, thanks for stopping by!
I could slather this glaze on anything and everything!
I’ve been wanted to recreate this sauce for ages and have finally found the time to do so! It tasted amazing and just like the original! Thanks for the recipe!!!
This looks wonderful! I’m wondering whether it could be processed in a pressure canner for long term keeping.
It is super tasty! Sorry, I’m not sure about canning!
I’m really desperate for the bacon wrapped stuffed jalapenos with the JD suace some please help me!!!
I have been making this for a long time time. It’s a family favorite. I want to gift jars of it for Christmas. Do you know if this recipe is safe to can or how long it would last refrigerated?