Cowboy Butter Recipe
This 20 minute cowboy butter recipe whips unsalted butter into a herbed mustard-spiked compound loaded with paprika, lemon, and a kick of horseradish. I roll it into a parchment log, slice off coins, and melt them over hot steak.
Ingredients
- 4 sticks softened unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 peeled and small diced shallot
- 6 finely minced garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ tablespoons prepared horseradish
- coarse salt to taste
Instructions
- Add the softened butter to a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and whip on medium to high speed until light and fluffy, which takes about 5 to 7 minutes.
- In the meantime add the oil to a medium-sized frying pan and heat for 1 minute over low to medium heat.
- Add in the onions and garlic and cook for 4 to 6 minutes or until softened and very lightly browned.
- Turn the stand mixer speed down to low and transfer the cooked onions and garlic to the stand mixer and add them in.
- Next, add in the paprika, cayenne, red pepper flakes, thyme, parsley, rosemary, salt, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and horseradish.
- Turn the speed back up to medium-high and mix until incorporated. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.
- You can add it to a container and place it in the refrigerator or freezer. I added the whipped butter to a piece of parchment paper that I then rolled to form a cylinder. I like to do this so that I can take slices from it and use them in recipes.
Notes
This is simple, whip the butter longer than you think you need to. Most home cooks pull the paddle out around the 3 minute mark when the butter looks pale and smooth, and the finished compound ends up dense and herb-flecked instead of spoonable. I keep my mixer going a full 5 to 7 minutes, until the butter has almost doubled in volume and holds a soft ribbon off the paddle, because every minute past 3 is what gives the cowboy butter its airy, melt-on-contact texture once the herbs and horseradish fold in.
Season the butter to taste big, not balanced: I season my finished butter intensely on a small spoon, almost to the point where it tastes like too much on its own. It is not a dip, it is a finishing element, and once a coin melts onto a hot piece of meat the flavor mellows by half. I season it for the meat, not for the spoon.
Swap the herbs to what you have: I sub oregano, basil, chervil, or chives in for one of the three in the mix whenever the fridge calls for it. What matters is that I keep the combination of soft and woody herbs together, not which exact 3 are in the bowl.
Wipe the shallot pan dry before the butter: Any olive oil left in the saute pan ends up in the mixer with the shallot and garlic, and it thins the whipped butter the same way melted butter would. I scrape the aromatics out with a spatula and leave the residual oil in the pan.
Pull the butter out 2 hours ahead: I leave my unsalted butter on the counter for about 2 hours before I start, then I press a finger into it. If the butter holds the indent with a little resistance, it is ready. If my finger sinks straight through, it has gone past softened and I put it back in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Make-Ahead: I cook this 5 days ahead and keep it in the refrigerator until I need it.
How to Store: I keep the rolled parchment log in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
How to Reheat: I do not reheat cowboy butter. The point of the log is to slice a cold coin onto hot food and let the food do the melting. Microwaving it breaks the emulsion and the herbs lose their fresh edge.
How to Freeze: I freeze the parchment log directly in a labeled zip-top bag for up to 6 months. I slice coins off the frozen log straight onto hot meat. No thaw, no fuss.
Nutrition
Calories: 202kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 3gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 313mgPotassium: 304mgFiber: 5gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 2851IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 88mgIron: 3mg