Butter, dijon mustard, lemon juice, fresh herbs and spices. This is the perfect butter sauce and dipping sauce to serve with steak or seafood especially when looking to incorporate bold flavors. It is also great when placed in the refrigerator and hardened and then used as a delicious compound butter for resting on steak.
This flavorful butter recipe is especially popular during the summer months when surf and turf recipes are alive and well. This homemade butter is a perfect addition to a steak dinner. It can also be used as a dipping sauce to add flavor to prime rib at Christmas time or can be fun to dip your Thanksgiving turkey in. You can also add some heavy cream and turn it into a pasta sauce or toss lobster in it before adding it to a lobster roll. The flavorful ingredients shine in this cowboy butter sauce recipe.
This was inspired by my Horseradish Sauce on this site, and pairs well with this Reverse Sear Steak.
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Ingredients
- unsalted butter
- dijon mustard
- lemon juice
- garlic cloves
- fresh chives
- fresh parsley
- paprika
- red pepper flakes
- cayenne pepper
- salt
- black pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Step 1: Measure out paprika, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
- Step 2: Chop chives and parsley. Grate fresh garlic.
- Step 3: Melt butter on medium heat. Add in dijon mustard once melted. Add lemon juice and garlic. Cook about 3 mins.
- Step 4: Add spices and fresh herbs. Cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove butter mixture from heat. Allow to cool and save in the refrigerator or use immediately as a dipping sauce.
Hint: make sure the ingredients are constantly being mixed so that the butter does not brown too quickly and so the garlic does not burn.
Substitutions
- Chives - instead of chives use diced scallions for a similar flavor
- Butter - use ghee or clarified butter as a substitute
- Garlic - use garlic powder if necessary, fresh garlic is best to assure the most robust garlic flavor
- Lemon Juice - lemon zest can also be used in addition to the lemon juice for extra flavor
Variations
- Spicy - add hot sauce or cayenne pepper for extra spice
- Compound Butter - let the butter harden in the fridge and use it to rest on steak
- Pasta Sauce - toss pasta in the butter sauce as is or add heavy whipping cream to create a creamy sauce
- Garlic Bread - spread the softened butter on fresh bread and top with cheese for a cowboy butter garlic bread recipe
Equipment
To create this recipe you will need a sauce pan, whisk and measuring spoons. If grating the garlic a microplane is suggested. Additionally, a sharp knife and cutting board are needed to chop the herbs.
Storage
Store the leftover butter in the refrigerator. It can be stored wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container or small bowl. The butter will harden in the fridge. Good for 2-3 moths.
Top tip
Serve this sauce alongside sliced medium rare grilled ribeye steak. To cook a steak to medium rare, cook until the internal temperature reaches 135 degrees. This can be done either on the grill or in a cast iron skillet or stainless steel skillet on the stove. You can cook the steak using a reverse sear method explained in this Reverse Sear Ribeye Steak recipe.
FAQ
Add a little olive oil right after adding the butter. This will help keep the butter from burning too quickly. Cooking on a lower temperature will also help slow the process and allow the flavors to marry slowly without the butter burning and assure best results.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with homemade cowboy butter:
📖 Recipe
Cowboy Butter Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Sauce Pan
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoon course dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoon chives
- 2 tablespoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Measure out paprika, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
- Chop chives and parsley. Grate fresh garlic.
- Melt butter on medium heat. Add in dijon mustard once melted. Add lemon juice and garlic. Cook about 3 mins.
- Add spices and fresh herbs. Cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove butter mixture from heat. Allow to cool and save in the refrigerator or use immediately as a dipping sauce.
Notes
- save leftovers wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- use leftovers as a resting butter for steak.
Nutrition
Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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