Cowboy Butter
Call it an open-road flourish—buttery, garlicky, lemony heat with herbs and a little mustard. It’s great as a warm dipping butter for steak bites or chilled into a coin for finishing.
Cowboy Butter
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Finishing Sauce
Cuisine
American
Author:
Chief Flame Tamer Michael McDearman
Servings
~1 Cup
Prep Time
10 minutes
The Meat Hook
Call it an open-road flourish—buttery, garlicky, lemony heat with herbs and a little mustard. It’s great as a warm dipping butter for steak bites or chilled into a coin for finishing.
Ingredients
-
8 Tbsp Unsalted Butter (1 stick or 113g)
-
2 Tbsp Avocado Oil (or other neutral oil)
-
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
-
2 Garlic Cloves (microplaned)
-
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
-
½ Lemon Zest
-
1 Tbsp Parsley (finely choppped)
-
1 Tbsp Chives (finely chopped)
-
1 Tbsp Dill (finely chopped)
-
½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes (to taste)
-
½ tsp Smoked Sweet Paprika
-
¾ tsp Kosher Salt
-
¼ tsp Black Pepper
-
1 tsp Capers (minced - optional)
-
½ tsp Hot Sauce (optional)
Directions
DIP - Melt butter gently with olive oil. Whisk in Dijon, garlic, lemon, herbs, flakes, paprika, salt, pepper (and capers/hot sauce if using). Serve warm for dipping.
COINS - Let mixture cool until spreadable; roll in parchment like a compound butter and chill. Slice coins for steaks or shrimp or other finishing.
Recipe Note
— ✦ — ✦ —
Rookie ✦ Backyard Pro ✦ Pit Legend
Rookie
✦ Dip steak bites or grilled shrimp.
✦ Drizzle over baked potatoes.
Backyard Pro
✦ Split: add 1 tsp honey to half for ribeye; leave half savory.
✦ Finish grilled veg with a thin brush, not a pour.
Pit Legend
✦ Add ½ tsp anchovy paste for umami depth.
✦ Warm coin on the slice; add fresh herbs right at the table.
From the Fire
Chuck-wagon energy meets steakhouse finish—heat, herb, lemon, butter.
Tips, Tricks & Techniques
Keep heat low so garlic doesn’t brown.Salt lightly if your steak was dry-brined.For clarity, strain garlic/herb bits for a cleaner dip.
Pair It
Steak bites • Shrimp • Skewered veg • Bread serviceZero-proof: Lemonade with bittersLight bourbon highball
Pitmaster/Grillmaster
Michael McDearman is a PitMaster/Grillmaster, Restaurateur, and Good Ol’ Country Boy with a Passport full of Cook-Offs and a Phone full of Grill Photos — not a backyarder playing PitMaster online. He’s represented 50+ Major BBQ & Grilling Companies, served 3 Years as Grillmaster for Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner., Won Contests Around the World, earned SIX Straight Golden Tickets to the Steak World Championship, and Judges Food Competitions on the World’s Largest Food Sport Stages.
Michael and Stoking the Coals is here to help busy families, new grillers and seasoned hosts get Pro level results without the chaos and catastrophes. We are in this together!