# Rum substitute?



## lbb87

I have a black bean recipe that calls for 1 cup dark rum. I don't have rum (or any other alcoholic beverages) and I don't plan on buying any just for a bean recipe. What would happen if I omitted the rum? Is there something non-alcoholic that I could substitute instead?


Here's the recipe (from the Food Network website):

1/2 pound chorizo sausage, diced 
1 large Spanish onion, finely diced 
1 large carrot, diced 
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
1 pound black beans, soaked, cooked until tender and drained well  
1 cup dark rum 
1/8 cup honey, or more to taste 
1/8 cup molasses, or more to taste 
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar 
Salt and freshly ground pepper 
3 to 5 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth 
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, optional

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

   Cook sausage in a medium saute pan until golden brown and fat has rendered. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Add the onion and carrot to the pan and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. 

Place the beans in a large bowl, stir in the cooked onion mixture, rum, honey, molasses, sugar, and cooked chorizo. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the mixture to a casserole or baking dish and pour 3 cups of the stock over. Bake the beans, covered, for 20 minutes. Check to see if the mixture is dry and add more stock, if needed. Continue baking an additional 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven, and fold in the cilantro, if using. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.


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## grumblebee

Dark rum has a strong molasses kind of flavour, so maybe adding in more mollasses would provide you with the best flavour. I'd increase the molasses to about 1/2 cup (or more if you like the flavour) and use the larger amount of stock. Perhaps even a bit of apple juice added might help as well... ?


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## RDG

Very interesting recipe...I've copied it.
The use of high gradation alcool gives a back taste that is difficult to imitate. Personally, I don't see variations without alcool. Can't you consider wine? A red wine might be good....Even a red _sweet_ wine...(perhaps) 
Perhaps, the best way is....not use anything.


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## Andy M.

I wouldn't add molasses as there is already a lot of honey in the recipe. You probably should add some liquid to replace he rum. You could use wine, broth or a combination.

There is a lot of sweet stuff in this recipe.  What's it called??


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## Alix

You can buy rum extract in the grocery store to give it the same flavour without the alcohol. Then you could just up the liquid accordingly.


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## licia

I would leave it out - you may have to add more liquid, chicken broth, water, or such, but it won't hurt to leave it out. There are enough flavors going on.


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## auntdot

I kept staring at the recipe and do not know what the rum will add.

Alcohol does extract certain flavors but a cup of it in this seems to me a bit of a lot.

Cook with alcohol but do not like a boozy flavor in my food, and I have a feeling this will taste a bit like that.

The alcohol might help cut the sweetness of what will be very sweet beans.

Would probably just leave it out and give it a go.

But I am still confused by the recipe.


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## jennyema

I'd just add more stock.  Or maybe look up another recipe, as that one seems like it's supposed to be distinctly flavored with rum, as it's titled "honey rum beans."


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## bobngreen

*rum*

Hi:

don't try to substitute anything for the rum.  It will great without the rum, I doubt that you will miss it.


Bob


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## Michael in FtW

lbb87 said:
			
		

> What would happen if I omitted the rum?


 
It wouldn't taste the same - although if you've never had this dish before you wouldn't notice it. 



			
				lbb87 said:
			
		

> Is there something non-alcoholic that I could substitute instead?


 
*NO!* It would be better to leave it out. I'm with bobngreen there.

I'm like auntdot - I've been looking at this recipe trying to figure out why that volume of rum. Only thing I can figure out is based on chemistry and the solubility of the fat from the chorizo and the water solubility of the sugars. Fat and water don't mix - but - alcohol can bind them together so that they can create new flavors (alcohol molecules have a fat end and a water end so they can join the two together).


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## Dakota Rose

As Andy notes, there *is* a lot of sweet in this recipe! So I'd skip the rum in favor of fresh orange juice ... for a nice, tangy, balance. 

Dakota


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## buckytom

cool, i didn't know that michael.

i think the fat end of the molecules keep getting stuck in me, cause the water end seems not to stay in so long.


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## jennyema

Dakota Rose said:
			
		

> As Andy notes, there *is* a lot of sweet in this recipe! So I'd skip the rum in favor of fresh orange juice ... for a nice, tangy, balance.
> 
> Dakota


 
Orange juice is a nice "island" touch but a cup of orange juice would really change the taste and mouthfeel of the beans.  Maybe a bit of juice and water or stock would be better.  You will still need to add a cup of liquid.


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## lbb87

Ok. So, I think I'll leave the rum out and see what happens. If I decide to make it again I could try some of the other suggestions.


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## Poppinfresh

You can buy imitation rum...it's right near the imitation vanilla.

The thing is...a fifth of cooking rum (i.e. rum that's too cheap to drink unless you don't have discerning tastes in alcohol :P) will only cost you about 8 bucks.  You don't have to go out and buy a bottle of Captain Morgan's Special Reserve or anything--you're going to be burning out the alcohol, anyways.  It keeps forever, and there are *so* many recipes out there that call for it that are just amazing, to say nothing of experimentation (one of my favorite concoted rib recipes was one in which I created a rum glaze for them, for example).  

I mean, I guess if you're on a tight budget or don't really explore cooking much then it might be a while before you used it all, and thusly could probably exempt it from this recipe; but it's really a few bucks well spent overall.


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## mish

Rum extract might do the trick. Try using a tbl or so, taste as you go. I would not omit the rum altogether, as it imparts a certain flavor to the dish. Here's a link to give you some ideas (and a lovely recipe too, I might add, IMO.)

http://www.mccormick.com/productdetail.cfm?id=6024

I sometimes add a cup or so, of fresh brewed coffee to recipes, roasts etc. That is one idea; but I don't know how the flavors will 'marry' in this particular dish. Also depends on your taste.  Beef broth in place of chicken broth, might be another way to go.


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## Constance

I found this on the web...Betty Crocker says for 1 cup rum, substitute 1 cup water and 2 tsps rum extract.


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