12 Great Recipes to Pair with Syrah or Shiraz

Blue Cheese Burgers

Syrah and Shiraz. The grapes might go by different names, but they're actually the same fruit, making welcoming wines with flavors of raspberries and blackberries, white pepper, currants, and cassis and aromas of black fruit, smoke, leather, tar, and coffee. Syrah loves the grill. Try it with grilled burgers, rib recipes, or even grilled eggplant or portabella mushrooms. It also likes roasted duck, grilled sausages, beef chili recipes, and beef casserole recipes. If you crave red wines with fish, try Syrah with grilled tuna or salmon. So as you can see, Syrah is a very food-friendly wine. Here are some of our favorite recipes that pair perfectly with Syrah or Shiraz.

01 of 13

Chef John's Grilled Bacon Meatloaf Burgers

Chef John's Grilled Bacon Meatloaf Burgers
Photo by Chef John. Chef John

"I love meatloaf, but not as much as I love meatloaf sandwiches," says Chef John. "In fact, I'll make a meatloaf just for the leftovers. I'll fry the cold slice in a buttered pan until hot and crusty, and enjoy it on toast with ketchup. This recipe is basically that, plus bacon, in burger form."

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02 of 13

Cassoulet

Chef John's Cassoulet in a red cocotte
catherine.drew

The world's greatest baked bean casserole. You'll simmer white beans with garlic, onions, bay leaf, and a whole clove. Then combine them with sautéed aromatic vegetables and bacon. What else is in there? Sausage, duck confit, diced tomatoes. "This is the world's greatest baked bean recipe, and a classic French dish," says Chef John. "It's perfect for a cold winter night."

03 of 13

Duck Breast with Three Red Fruits

Duck Breast with Three Red Fruits
Photo by magda.

"A simply seasoned pan-fried duck breast is served with a ruby red sauce made with red plums, strawberries and raspberries," says Phil. "Roasted potatoes sprinkled with fresh rosemary is a great side dish to serve alongside this duck."

04 of 13

Braised Lamb with Radishes and Mint

braised lamb and radishes with mint garnish
The Gruntled Gourmand

In this Basque-inspired braised lamb shoulder, the radishes that are cooked with the lamb absorb the other flavors in the dish," says Chef John. "I really hope you give this strange, but exciting braised lamb dish a try soon."

05 of 13

Curly-Q Grilled Sausages

Curly-Q Grilled Sausages
Photo by Baking Nana.

"Giving a sausage a cool, coiled shape isn't just fun or frivolous; it's also fully functional," says Chef John. "The extra surface area picks up additional delicious smoky, caramelized flavors from the grill. You could brush barbecue sauce on an un-helixed Italian sausage, but here you're literally flavoring the sausage inside and out. I served them on buns with homemade basil-garlic mayonnaise."

06 of 13

Blue Cheese Burgers

Blue Cheese Burgers

"Hamburgers? Yes. But basic fare? Definitely not!" says QUIKSMYLE. "What a treat they are, and the wise cook will make up a dozen or so for the freezer. If you like blue cheese, you'll never forget these burgers."

07 of 13

Slow Cooker Roast Beef

Slow Cooker Roast Beef
Photo by wannabe chefette.

"Excellent roast beef with plenty of juices which can be thickened for gravy," says GLASSWOMN9.

08 of 13

Emily's Chipotle Chili

Emily's Chipotle Chili
mommyluvs2cook

"The chipotle peppers give this slow cooker chili a subtle, smoky flavor," says emily.weaver.brown. "Add more minced chipotle peppers to taste. Serve with sour cream, sharp Cheddar cheese, and chopped fresh cilantro."

09 of 13

Irish Lamb Stew

Irish Stew with lamb, potatoes, and carrots in green bowl
Allrecipes Magazine

"A hearty and traditional Irish lamb stew," says Danny O'Flaugherty. "It's best to refrigerate the stew overnight, and reheat it the next day for eating. This soup 'ages' well!"

10 of 13

Portobello Penne Pasta Casserole

"Portabello mushrooms, spinach, cheeses and penne combine to make a delicious casserole dish," says chmadden.

11 of 13

Baked BBQ Baby Back Ribs

top-down view of pork ribs on a plate with potato salad in the background
Chef John

Ribs aren't just for summer anymore. Here's an easy oven technique that produces fall-off-the-bone tender and delicious baby-back ribs. "If you're in the mood for a little virtual trip into summer, give this technique a try," says Chef John. This works with literally any dry rub and barbecue sauce combo."

12 of 13

A Scotsman's Shepherd Pie

A Scotsman's Shepherd Pie on a white plate
Katie Ogletree

"Yes, shepherd's pie is predominantly thought of as Irish or British," says Larry Short. "But since I'm Scottish, I thought I'd give it a unique twist to suit my ancestral tastes. The use of lamb, the smoky, heather taste of Guinness Draught (Irish, I admit), and the topping of sharp Cheddar and smoked paprika give this version its unique, smoky-sweet flavor."

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