FOOD NEWS
What Exactly Is Cowboy Butter?
By Carly Weaver
Although the origins of cowboy butter are a bit unclear, it did recently blow up on TikTok, leading to everyone wanting a bite. It pairs well with grilled meat such as steak and chicken, and it can level up even soakable carbs like dinner rolls, cornbread, or biscuits — but what is it?
Cowboy butter is essentially an easier-to-make version of a compound butter that marries together any and every ingredient that pairs well with steak. Each recipe varies a bit, but the main stars tend to be butter, lemon, garlic, dijon mustard, paprika, cayenne, red pepper flakes, and fresh herbs like parsley, thyme, or chives — with some recipes including Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, or shallots.
It can be made like a true compound butter, resulting in a solid log to be used as a meltable spread like traditional steak butter, but it is more commonly used as a dipping sauce for steak. However, whatever combination of ingredients is chosen, it will create a salty, savory, spicy, herbaceous, buttery delight.