I’ve been seeing cowboy butter flying around the internet for a little while now and I’ve been dying to give it a go. I’ve tweaked this recipe more times than I can count, but I’m incredibly excited to share the final result with you! Follow me…
Cowboy Butter Ingredients
The ingredients in cowboy butter all marry together to make the most glorious butter in the world. Your steak is going to thank you! Let’s take a look at what you’ll need:
Butter – I use unsalted butter to gain more control over the overall saltiness. Herbs – I go for parsley, chives and a small amount of thyme. I find thyme to be quite loud, especially in this context, so there’s significantly less than the other two herbs. Make sure they’re all fresh and finely diced. Don’t sub dry herbs! Dijon Mustard – This gives a lovely bit of heat. I see some recipes using 1 tbsp+ but after testing around I find a tsp offers more than enough flavour. Too much and it just completely overpowers the butter. Garlic – I started this recipe with 3 cloves, but quite frankly it blew my socks off. I now go for 1 clove, but you could go for 2 if you love garlic. Worcestershire sauce – This adds a lovely depth of flavour. Seasoning – Smoked paprika is a must for its lovely colour and gorgeous smokiness. I also go in with some chilli flakes for a kick of spice, alongside the usual salt and black pepper. Lemon Juice – This brings the butter to life and cuts through the richness.
Cowboy Butter Sauce
You can make cowboy butter and serve it in two different contexts:
Firm Compound – You could mix the ingredients using softened butter, then roll it into a log and store it in the fridge to firm it up. From there you’d usually slice into wedges to use as and when you need it. Sauce – I like to just about melt the butter so it’s nice and creamy, then use the butter as more of a sauce/dip.
How do I soften the butter?
You’ll want to dice it into small pieces then microwave in very short bursts (4-5 seconds). Whilst you could, I personally don’t like completely melting the butter because the ingredients separate. Having the butter a little creamy keeps every well-distributed. Process shots: dice butter (photo 1), partially melt (photo 2), add ingredients (photo 3), mix (photo 4).
Cowboy Butter for Steak
Whilst I imagine this butter would be great in many different dishes, there’s no better pairing than steak. The butter has such bold flavours that only a juicy steak can tame.
What kind of steak should I use?
Use your favourite cut! Here I’ve gone for Sirloin as that’s my usual on a weeknight at home.
Preparing the steak
Whichever steak you choose, here’s some tips to getting the best out of it: I typically baste steak in butter as I fry it, but here I’m actually just going to fry the steak in oil and pour over the butter at the end. Reason is that you risk the herbs burning in the hot pan. Process shots: pat steaks dry (photo 1), season (photo 2), add to hot pan (photo 3), fry both sides (photo 4).
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes! In fact this will help the flavours marry together. Just tightly cover in the fridge until needed then loosen up with short bursts in the microwave (stirring in between).
What else could I serve this with?
I’ve only tried steak but I imagine chicken, prawns/shrimp and even veggies would be awesome!
Can I tweak the ingredients?
I’d keep the base the same the first time around and just do minor tweaks (chilli flakes, salt and pepper) then branch out after and go wild.
Will this freeze?
Yes! Just thaw in the fridge then use as needed.
Serving Steak and Cowboy Butter
Here I’ve served with oven fries (no shame) and a simple side salad. Check out my Side Dishes for more inspo (Mashed Potatoes would be awesome). Looking for more steak sauces? Check out these beauties:
Steak Sauce Recipes
Creamy Mushroom Sauce Blue Cheese Sauce Whisky Cream Sauce Creamy Peppercorn Sauce Garlic Cream Sauce
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this cowboy butter and steak shall we?!
How to make Cowboy Butter for Steak (Full Recipe & Video)
