The Best Kind Of Flavored Vinegar To Splash Over Grilled Meats

For some of us, vinegar is just that sour-smelling liquid that we use to clean our homes or toss into some salad dressings. There are fancier options like balsamic vinegar out there, but for the most part, vinegar is just an element in other things and never quite the star of the show. However, there's no better way to bring vinegar center-stage, especially with grilled meat dishes, than by making infused vinegar. An infused vinegar is any vinegar that has been flavored by adding another ingredient to it. In time — anywhere from a few days to weeks — the vinegar will take on that ingredient's flavor and can be used as a bright, acidic sauce that only gets more potent the longer it remains in the pantry. Not just for vinegar fanatics, infused vinegar brings a depth of flavor to many dishes.

One of the absolute best uses for these infused kinds of vinegar is grilled meats. Because steak is often given a rich flavor by its high fat content, if you're adding anything more than salt to it, you want it to be something that will balance out those flavors. There's one vinegar that does this better than any other — and it's an infused one. Next time you use the grill, introduce the meat to some hot pepper vinegar.

One of the best ways to add a kick of heat to vinegar is to use hot peppers. There are countless examples from countries that love their spice in South America and Asia, but you can make your own at home. It's the perfect compliment to a nice charred hunk of meat because it cuts through the rich flavor and can add a fiery kick as well. The best part is that because you're making your own vinegar, you can define the flavor for yourself and control how much heat you'll be adding to your meat.

As Samin Nosrat points out in her Netflix series "Salt Fat Acid Heat," acids like flavored vinegar make for great garnishes on richer foods. Think of the splash of malt vinegar that goes on British fish and chips or the spritz of citrus applied to pad thai just before you eat it. If you want you can add a small teaspoon of hot pepper vinegar to your favorite steak as a simple garnish, or go crazy and use more to make it the primary flavor in the dish. 

Vinegar flavored with malagueta peppers is a fixture at Brazilian steakhouses like Fogo de Chão, but you can easily make your own with whatever peppers you'd like at home.

Infusing your own hot pepper vinegar is easy. Essentially all you have to do is choose your peppers, add them to some white distilled vinegar, and wait.

The choice of peppers is a matter of preferred heat and flavor. Fresh habaneros, jalapeños, and serrano peppers are all great options. Dried chiles like ancho or guajillo will also work but will require a different ratio to adequately flavor the vinegar. Be sure to remove the stems first no matter what kind of peppers you choose. Fresh peppers can be added to the vinegar whole, halved, or in slices. Just be sure to blanch them in boiling water for five to 10 seconds and then give them some time to dry. You'll need to use twice the volume of vinegar to peppers to make sure you will develop enough flavor. If you choose to go with dried chiles, you won't need quite as many. Ten to 15 grams of dried chiles for every 2 cups of vinegar should be more than enough to give your vinegar some kick. 

After a week or two, you can check your flavor every few days by tasting a drop of the vinegar on its own, or on a slice of bread. Your vinegar will accrue more flavor over the next six months. Once it reaches your desired flavor, you can strain out the peppers to enjoy on their own and store the vinegar safely for later use.