Next Time You're Grilling, Grab Some Vanilla Extract

We've all heard of adding vanilla extract to baked goods for an extra boost of natural sweetness, or adding vanilla beans to ice cream for the utmost elevated flavor. But what about grilling with vanilla? Yes, it's a thing, and the results are actually awesome: It adds a rich flavor to barbecue sauces, glazes, and marinades. Vanilla extract can be the secret ingredient responsible for that unique, addicting taste in condiments, while vanilla beans can do the same for the flavor of dry rubs. 

As well as elevating the flavor, vanilla can boost the texture of your food, too, thanks to the way it helps retain moisture. For animal proteins that can be prone to drying out on the grill, such as pork, beef, lamb, chicken, and fish, vanilla extract is especially useful at preventing this. But you can use it regardless of what you're grilling, whether it's meat, fish, vegetables, or even fruit such as homemade grilled watermelon.

When grilling with vanilla extract, the same principles apply as when baking. Even though real vanilla extract is expensive, always use a good-quality variety, and remember that a little goes a long way. Since we're talking about grilling, vanilla extracts that incorporate different alcohols or other flavors could work especially well, and you can make your own by infusing split vanilla beans in booze. For example, a vanilla with bourbon flavors has smoky notes to it, with a subtle sweetness that would go great with pork.

The next time you grill, try adding some high-quality vanilla extract to your sauce or glaze. I swear by the brand Nielsen-Massey — it knows that vanilla extract is a hidden gem when grilling, which is why it has a smoky vanilla barbecue sauce recipe for ribs on its website. The ingredients include butter, garlic, canned chipotle peppers, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, catsup, molasses, and vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste). 

Making a vanilla-enriched sauce only takes a few minutes, and it'll leave you amazed at how a baking ingredient can become a barbecue secret. It needn't be just limited to ribs, either; I personally would love to slather it on carrots before placing them on the grill. Alternatively, you could make a fragrant vanilla salt to season your grilled foods. Or incorporate vanilla extract into your marinades — it works well with fish, seafood, or steak.

While we don't usually become inspired to grill when walking down the baking aisle, there are actually lots of ingredients other than vanilla which also work brilliantly for barbecues. Spices like cinnamon or clove make excellent additions to sauces, or try my all-time favorite: instant coffee. If you prefer dry rubs when grilling, cocoa powder is particularly great in rubs for red meats, or include brown sugar for a sweeter note. Or take a tip from the pros and upgrade homemade or store-bought sauce with other tasty yet unexpected extra ingredients; Bobby Flay adds soda to his barbecue sauce for a caramel-rich result, for example.