Photo Credit: Austin Kirk

Let’s be honest: the only thing wrong with bacon is that it won’t get you jacked on caffeine. But you can end all of that nonsense with our hyper charged energy drink cooking ideas below. From sauces to sautes, there are tons of completely underutilized excuses to bring an extreme edge to your edibles.

Rockstar Glazed Ribs

Colas are already a staple in BBQ sauces, so why not take it a twitchy step further? You can really get those ribs cracklin’ by putting Rockstar or any other energy drink in that sauce instead of standard pop. Not only will your sauce be sweeter with a splash of soda, but your pork ribs will be glistening like a mofo.

Parboiling Brats

Pros know that the best way to rock sausage is by cooking it in beer first to help soften the casing and give the brats that hefeweizen flavor. With a sweet or spicy sausage cooked in your favorite energy drink, though, you could have yourself a truly swinging sausage party. Just pour a couple energy into a sauce pan, add the sausage and let the supercharged stew simmer.

Red Bull Bacon

Eggs, bacon, and coffee is the classic breakfast, but who has time to cook all that? Skip a few steps in your morning prep by making Red Bullified bacon. Just look up a recipe for brown sugar bacon and replace the sweet powder with a can or two of your favorite energy drink for the ultimate meal on the go.

Monster Mango Habanero Chicken Wings

Looking for a sweet and spicy kick? Try adding energy drinks into all sorts of glazes. For instance, this hot wing variation is just begging for you to add a can of Monster Energy drink and unleash the beast on your taste buds. That’s one kickin’ chicken!

Red Bull-Battered Onion Rings

Beer-battered onion rings? You clearly don’t have a huge English paper due tomorrow. For a deep fried and totally jacked take on this fast food favorite, sub out beer in your batter for a little Red Bull.

Rockstar Marinated Steak

As mentioned above, sodas are already a favorite for glazing meats and a necessity for barbecue sauces. But you can take it other level if you marinate a t-bone in some energy drink—in other words, soak it overnight. The carbonic acid will soften the meat, while the sugar will seal in the steak’s flavorful juices. The copious amounts of caffeine are solely for your pleasure.

Red (Bull) Velvet Cupcakes

And finally, dessert. The only thing extra you’ve ever wanted from this beetroot-dyed classic is a little buzz. The Red Bull allows you to replace buttermilk or sour cream with a little whole milk without sacrificing flavor. Add some Red Bull to mix the dry ingredients in your batter to give your red velvet cake a fizzy airiness, or splash some into the cream cheese frosting to your tastes to truly give your cupcakes some wings.