Cowboy Butter – Barefoot in the kitchen

Packed with powerful garlic, zesty lemon and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes, Cowboy Butter is an absolute treat on steak, vegetables or fresh bread.

What is cowboy butter?

My brother Karl first told me about this spread. I had never heard of cowboy butter. He assured me that this Spicy Garlic Herb Butter was actually a real thing.

So you can imagine my excitement when I was visiting my friend Sandra and she mentioned that she was making cowboy butter for our steaks that night. It was love at first taste! Juicy, grilled meat topped with scoops of slow-melting cowboy steak butter is heavenly.

cowboy butter

This is not your average butter. It is a savory, creamy concoction enriched with garlic, citrus and spices with an irresistible taste. I begged her for the recipe.

Luckily, it’s as easy to prepare as possible. You can mix this compound butter together in just under 5 minutes. The hardest part is waiting while it cools in the fridge and sets again.

If you serve it with meat, it’s worth the wait. You want the butter to slowly melt over your steak, rather than instantly dissolving. Still delicious once melted, only better when served chilled over hot steaks.

How to make cowboy butter

What I like most about compound butter recipes is that anyone can adjust the ingredients to suit their taste. You can make it spicier by adding cayenne pepper or by adding more pepper flakes.

Alternatively, you can increase the lemon juice or even use limes to give it a more pronounced citrus flavor. I’ve seen mustard and horseradish variations and others that included loads of fresh herbs.

This recipe shows how to make cowboy butter the way I have loved it and my kids are crazy about it. However, if you use other ingredients, I’d love to hear how you like it at home.

Cowboy Butter Recipe

• butter
• lemon
• chopped garlic
• Italian parsley
• red pepper flakes
• freshly ground black pepper

First, in a mixing bowl, add softened butter, parsley, garlic, finely chopped lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Beat until fluffy with an electric mixer.

Then squeeze half a lemon into the bowl (about 2 tablespoons). Beat again until well combined.

Place the butter in an airtight container and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours. When ready, pour the set butter over the hot steaks. If you have leftover butter, toss with hot vegetables or serve at room temperature and spread on bread.

For a stronger garlic flavored cowboy butter, you can double or triple the amount of garlic in this recipe. I almost always use a little more than the recipe card says.

How long does compound butter keep?

Compound butter feels like a special treat every time I make it. The extra flavor it brings to the table is worth the minutes spent preparing a serving. And you don’t have to worry about how it stays fresh in the fridge.

Cowboy butter will keep for several weeks if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or wrapped in wax paper. So even if I make double the amount, there’s no chance of it going bad. And you can even freeze it for several months.

Garlic Herb Mixed Butter

For those of you who are a fan of this cowboy butter recipe, I want to share three of my favorite words with you: jalapeno honey butter. It’s a sweet and tangy slice of heaven.

During a trip to New York, I learned all about butter. It’s as good as it sounds. I also like this grilled salmon with peppery dill butter.

If you need a great steak recipe to try with cowboy butter, try a reverse fried NY strip steak. I’m a big fan of the reverse sear method because it always cooks evenly.

I’ve got my eye on these buns that I’m planning to try soon with this fabulous spread. And stir-fry green beans would be an ideal candidate to use up the rest of a batch.