Nicholas Gavin is the Culinary Creative Director of ChefSteps, where he develops recipes and is responsible for making all the food look beautiful. Nick has worked at ChefSteps for over a decade; he and ChefSteps co-founder Grant Crilly worked together at Modernist Cuisine. Nick has worked in professional kitchens both in the United States and abroad, most notably at Mugaritz in San Sebastian, Spain.

Nicholas Gavin

<a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/recipes/glazed-pork-roast">Pork roasts</a> and <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/recipes/transform-pork-shoulder-into-a-spiral-fresh-glazed-ham">hams</a> just cry out for a sweet and sticky savory glaze, and this old-fashioned root beer glaze produces a gorgeous caramel-colored coating that makes the savory pork even more delicious. Using root beer as a base provides caramel coloring, hints of vanilla and sarsaparilla, and a hit of tanginess from the citric acid (or, sometimes, phosphoric acid), which is used as a preservative and flavor enhancer in sodas. To capture the more pronounced botanical notes of old-fashioned root beer formulas, we bolster the glaze with dried sassafras and sarsaparilla so the root beer flavor really pops (similar to what we do with our <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/recipes/root-beer-syrup">Root Beer Syrup</a>), and the extra honey and sugar guarantee the glaze takes on the right texture when it’s slathered over a roast, producing a thin, even, and beautifully shiny coating.

Sweet and Sticky Root Beer Glaze