Cowboy Butter Will Seriously Elevate Your Steak Game

The best thing that happened to butter was, no doubt, that it was created in the first place. Coming in close behind that, though, is probably the day when we realized it wasn't as bad for us as we were led to believe in the late twentieth century. Thank goodness that is over because, if not, people might never have experienced such culinary joy that lies in compound butters, baking with brown butter, and those trendy butter boards. The argument of how good or wicked butter is has been going on for over 150 years, as outlined by Bon Appétit, but it's safe to say that people agree on one thing: It tastes really good.

Slathered on bread, whipped into frosting, or melted over crispy smashed potatoes, butter is either necessary to or elevates thousands of dishes across a multitude of cuisines and countries. It even makes unexpected appearances in things we would never have guessed. Remember bulletproof coffee where butter was whooshed into hot coffee for an energizing treat? Or how about chefs who put a pat of butter in the middle of burger patties before they are grilled? Even serving grilled steaks with great dollops of soft, flavored butter on top puts diners in a good mood. Lesser known but in the same family, cowboy butter is now changing the way carnivores enjoy their favorite cuts of meat.

Many people will argue that a good steak needs nothing more than salt and pepper on top. It's safe to assume that these people have never had a dish of cowboy butter accompanying their medium-rare ribeye. Cowboy butter is essentially a compound butter or a butter that has been combined with one or more flavoring agents. Where it differs from steaks served with other types of butter is that cowboy butter is melted, not softened, and served on the side of steaks or whatever else your hungry heart desires, per Taste of Home.

Undoubtedly inspired by the compound butters of classic French cooking, per Epicurean Butter, it's difficult to say who first made and coined the name "cowboy butter." Still, it was Jason Ortynski of the TikTok channel jortskitchen who shared his recipe with his 400K+ followers, which then led to 10 million more people taking notice. Ortynski melts butter and whisks in paprika, cayenne, lemon zest and juice, dijon mustard, garlic, parsley, chili flake, thyme, chives, salt, and pepper. He then dunks slices of grilled meat into the mixture before consuming. Each ingredient complements the flavors of grilled meat, but together they create a flavor explosion that is worth checking out.