Sake for barbecue and burgers

Barbecue and burgers usually come with beer or a big red wine, but sake deserves a spot in the cooler. Grilled and smoked food is packed with savory flavor, and sake's umami meets it halfway. Here's how to pair sake with the main styles of barbecue, with burgers, and with everything else on the grill.

Why sake works with grilled food

When meat hits the grill or the smoker, browning creates deep, savory flavors. Sake has its own savory side, thanks to amino acids from the rice and koji, so the two build on each other. A few more reasons it works:

• No tannins. Tannins in red wine can clash with sweet barbecue sauce and ketchup. Sake has none.
• Gentle acidity. Sake won't fight tangy sauces, pickles, or vinegar slaw.
• A clean finish. A dry sake refreshes the palate between bites of fatty, smoky meat.

In Japan, grilled food and sake go back a long way. Yakitori (skewered chicken over charcoal) and yakiniku (grill-your-own beef) are both classic sake food. American barbecue is a different tradition, but the logic is the same. See our sake food pairing guide for the basics.

Brisket and smoked beef

Texas-style brisket is all about salt, pepper, smoke, and rich, rendered fat. It wants a sake with some body.

Try it with: a fuller, savory sake like a Junmai, served cool rather than ice cold so its rice and umami flavors come through. Sakes made with the kimoto or yamahai methods tend to be richer and earthier, and they're great with smoke. If you like bold flavors, an aged sake (koshu) can echo the caramelized bark. Read more in nama, genshu, and koshu.

Ribs and pulled pork

Ribs and pulled pork usually come with sauce, and the sauce sets the pairing:

• Sweet, tomato-based sauce (Kansas City style): a sake with a touch of sweetness or a fruity Ginjo aroma matches the sauce without tasting thin.
• Vinegar sauce (Carolina style): a crisp, dry sake handles the tang and keeps the pork tasting fresh.
• Dry rub, no sauce (Memphis style): a savory Junmai or a Junmai Ginjo, chilled.

Burgers

A burger has a lot going on: beef, cheese, pickles, onion, ketchup, mustard. A dry, light sake with soft umami handles all of it. It cuts through the cheese and fat, and it doesn't clash with ketchup or pickles.

Burger	Sake style
Classic cheeseburger	Dry, light Junmai Ginjo, ice cold
Smash burger	Dry, crisp sake, ice cold
Bacon or BBQ burger	Fuller Junmai, cool
Mushroom Swiss	Savory Junmai, cool
Teriyaki burger	Junmai Ginjo, chilled
Veggie or plant-based burger	Light, fruity Ginjo, chilled

Fries count too. Salty, crisp fries and a cold, dry sake are as good a match as fried chicken; see sake and fried chicken.

Grilled chicken, seafood, and vegetables

Grilled chicken: a chilled Junmai Ginjo is a natural fit, especially with soy or teriyaki marinades, which share sake's umami.

Grilled shrimp, salmon, and fish: with no tannins, sake keeps seafood tasting sweet and clean. Go dry and light.

Grilled vegetables and corn: charred corn, peppers, and mushrooms love a savory, slightly fuller sake. Mushrooms in particular are full of umami.

Spicy rubs and hot sauce: if the barbecue brings serious heat, choose a softer, slightly sweet sake, keep it cold, and sip slowly. See sake and spicy food.

Serving sake at a cookout

• Keep it cold. Put cans and bottles in a cooler with plenty of ice. For fuller sakes, pull them out a few minutes before pouring so they're cool rather than ice cold.
• Cans travel well. The can is light, unbreakable, and chills fast, which makes it easy to bring to a park, a beach, or a backyard where glass isn't welcome.
• Glasses for the table. If you're serving a bottle, pour into wine glasses, then recap the bottle and put it back on ice.
• Pace it. Pour as you go, keep food coming off the grill, and keep water and soft drinks in the cooler next to the sake. Long, hot afternoons go better at an easy pace.

Wondering how sake compares to the usual cooler pick? Read sake vs beer.

Quick pairing table

Food	Sake style	Serve at
Brisket	Fuller Junmai, kimoto or yamahai	Cool
Ribs, sweet sauce	Slightly sweet or fruity Ginjo	Chilled
Pulled pork, vinegar sauce	Dry, crisp sake	Ice cold
Burgers	Dry, light Junmai Ginjo	Ice cold
Grilled chicken, yakitori	Junmai Ginjo	Chilled
Grilled seafood	Dry, light sake	Ice cold
Grilled vegetables	Savory Junmai	Cool

Our pick for the cooler

WESAKE is a Junmai Ginjo in a 180 mL can, dry and light with soft umami and a crisp, clean finish. Ice cold, it's made for burgers, grilled chicken, and seafood. For a sit-down barbecue dinner, the Sakura bottle, elegantly dry with notes of white peach and pear, is a nice one to share at the table. Find both on our sake page.