VIDEO: Little wine school with barbecue master Matej Stipanič

Matej Stipanič is a self-taught grilling and cooking master, who honed his passion for such preparation of dishes down to the smallest detail. Its delicacies are so tempting that foodies from all parts of Slovenia want to learn the techniques they use on different types of grilling.

Matej, tell us how you included wine in the creation of the dish and why did you opt for such a combination?

I included the wine in the preparation of the side dish, which goes well with the wonderful steak bržol. Caramelized onions are one of those sides that go great with meat, whether it’s a steak, burger, or grilled neck.

What other grills would you pair with Merlot Quercus wine?

Topping the Merlot Quercus with butter and spices can be a damn good sauce for any grilled meat. However, it must be used in such a way that the wine retains its characteristic taste and integrity in a different form. If it gets lost in the flood of leftover flavors, it’s better to drink it rather than use it for cooking.

Delicious barbecue sauces can also be made with wine, and there are plenty of meat marinade recipes that include wine online. How to flirt with such ideas?

I particularly like to use wine for making sauces and spoon dishes, not so much for marinating meat. If so, I would use white wine because the red would change the good color of the meat. That’s just my concern: can you imagine what a steak would look like? Adding a deciliter or two of red wine when cooking homemade barbecue sauce is definitely the highlight and perhaps a slight and interesting departure from the classic recipe.

When we think of meat and wine, recipes like coq au vin, beef bourguignon, peposo… Finally, teran toc. Do you know such a cult dish that can be prepared on the grill?

All of these dishes can be prepared on the grill. When we change the mindset that the grill is only for conventional cooking, a whole new world opens up to us. Your barbecue can be your outdoor kitchen. All instances with the lid can be used as an oven, so we can use them to prepare all the dishes as we would otherwise in the kitchen: but we are still outside and enjoying the day. One of those dishes that is very close to my heart, also because our mom makes the best, are the mussels on buzara. It’s a dish that reminds me of summer, the sea and bread soaked in buzara after running out of mussels. Because it’s too good to stay on the plate.

What are the ratios for using wine in grilling? Are there any rules?

Moderation is the best relationship! If you think there’s too much wine in the dish, there’s probably too much. I suggest the less is more principle is the best advice I can give.

The bad habit we have is to pour grilled meat with beer or wine. Is it really appropriate? What role does the type of grill play?

Grilled meat should never be covered with beer, especially wine, as this will dry it out further. During cooking, the muscle fibers in the meat shrink and expel water, so there is no way to preserve the juiciness of the meat by pouring it out. I don’t see the need for such a thing, and that’s a shame.

What is the role of wine when grilling?

A good wine always accompanies a good grill. However, it is true that red wine is much better suited to quality meat with a stronger taste, especially steaks or large cuts from longer bakeries. Rinse each piece of good steak with a sip of red wine, hold it in your mouth for a second and combine the meat and the wine to achieve a true harmony of flavors. The more we explore the full spectrum of flavors offered by grilled meat, the more we appreciate the accompaniment of a quality wine. But I’m also a fan of choice: let everyone drink what they want from the grill, whether it’s a glass of good Merlot, white or red wine, after all, house beer.