Buttered Up: 6 Compound Butter Recipes

 

The simplest way to take a steak from delicious to extraordinary—compound butter!

What is compound butter?

Compound butter is simply a mixture of butter and additional ingredients that add flavor. They can be herbaceous, sweet, salty, or savory, and they make an excellent addition to rich, dry-aged beef. And literally anything else, because butter is awesome.

We’ve got some tried-and-true recipes for you to pair with our dry-aged USDA Prime and Choice beef. You can also pair these with fullblood Wagyu if it tickles your fancy, but we often recommend serving those with simple seasonings to let the marbling shine.

Cajun Compound Butter

·       ½ cup salted butter (1 stick, softened)

·       2 tsp smoked paprika

·       1 tsp garlic powder

·       1 tsp cayenne pepper

·       ½ tsp onion powder

·       ½ tsp oregano, dried or fresh

·       ½ tsp white pepper

·       ½ tsp black pepper

·       ¼ tsp sea salt

·       ¼ tsp fresh thyme

Cut the butter into tablespoon sized pieces and soften at room temperature. When soft, add in your spices and beat vigorously with a spoon to evenly distribute all the flavors.

Place on wax paper or parchment paper and form into a log. Put it in the fridge to harden, then slice off pats to top steak, ribs, and more!

Caramelized Onion + Parsley Compound Butter

·       ½ cup salted butter (1 stick, softened)

·       ½ yellow onion, finely sliced

·       ½ shallot, finely sliced

·       3 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

·       ¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground

·       Butter and olive oil for caramelizing

Cut the butter into tablespoon sized pieces and soften at room temperature. While the butter is softening, prepare your onions and shallots for caramelizing.

Finely slice the shallots and onions. Heat a pan to medium low on the stove top, then melt a little butter and olive oil in the pan. Add your onions and shallots and salt them early in the process—this draws out water and helps them caramelize more deeply!

Then, be patient. A beautifully caramelized onion takes a while! Stir every few minutes until they are deeply golden brown, between 20 and 30 minutes.

Let them cool, then add them and the rest of the ingredients to the softened butter. Beat vigorously with a spoon to evenly distribute all the flavors.

Place on wax paper or parchment paper and form into a log. Put it in the fridge to harden, then slice off pats to top steaks, potatoes, and whatever else needs some sweet, herby, caramelized goodness.

Miso Compound Butter

·       ½ cup salted butter (1 stick, softened)

·       4-6 tbsp miso

·       ¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Cut the butter into tablespoon sized pieces and soften at room temperature. When soft, add the miso and pepper and beat vigorously with a spoon to evenly distribute all the flavors.

Place on wax paper or parchment paper and form into a log. Put it in the fridge to harden, then slice off pats to top steaks, sides, and more!

Herb + Garlic Compound Butter 

·       ½ cup salted butter (1 stick, softened)

·       Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

·       1 clove garlic, minced

·       3 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

·       2 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped

·       ¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Cut the butter into tablespoon sized pieces and soften at room temperature. When soft, add in the herbs and garlic and beat vigorously with a spoon to evenly distribute all the flavors.

Place on wax paper or parchment paper and form into a log. Put it in the fridge to harden, then slice off pats to top steaks (or baked potatoes or bread or corn on the cob or green beans or….you get it).

Sweet + Smoky Compound Butter

·       ½ cup salted butter (1 stick, softened)

·       1 tsp brown sugar

·       ¼ tsp smoked paprika

·       ¼ tsp garlic powder

·       1/8 tsp cumin

·       1/8 tsp black pepper

·       1/8 tsp chipotle chili

·       1/8 tsp ancho chili

·       1/8 tsp cinnamon

Cut the butter into tablespoon sized pieces and soften at room temperature. When soft, add in your spices and beat vigorously with a spoon to evenly distribute all the flavors. Taste it, and up the smokiness or the sweetness to your liking!

Place on wax paper or parchment paper and form into a log. Put it in the fridge to harden, then slice off pats to top steak, ribs, and more!

Brown Butter + Bourbon Compound Butter

·       ¼ cup salted butter

·       1-2 tsp bourbon

Place half a stick of butter, cut into tablespoon sized pieces, in a saucepan over low heat to melt. When the butter is fully melted, turn the heat to medium and allow the butter to brown. This is when the butter fats caramelize for a rich, nutty flavor.

Watch it closely and stir constantly to avoid burning. It will foam and pop—this means you’re doing it right! Browning butter takes about 5 to 8 minutes, and when you smell a nuttiness and the foam subsides, remove from the heat and stir in the bourbon. (It’s also great without bourbon.)

Let cool at room temperature until it becomes more solid and give it a stir occasionally as it cools to redistribute the toasty butter fats.

Pop a spoonful of this on a New York Strip as it’s resting. You can thank us later.

Pro Tip: Use your nose when you’re browning butter! If you start to smell anything burnt, immediately remove from the heat.