DIY Herb Butter for Cooking Red Meat

Have you ever cooked red meats in butter? It’s a wonderful way to add some extra flavor, especially when you use herb butter! Let me show you how to create a DIY herb butter for cooking red meat.

When I started using cast iron in the kitchen, I just naturally started replacing olive oil with butter. I found I particularly loved the additional flavor butter gave to braised roasts, tender steaks and even my stew meat tasted better when it browned in butter.

More recently, I’ve started experimenting by using herb butters (which are also known as compound butters) in my cooking. And I have to say, I love the results!

Let me show you how to make easy herb butter that will add excellent flavor to your red meat and is excellent for searing roasts, sautéing stew meat and of course, for frying up delicious steaks!

What is Herb or Compound Butter?

Are you familiar with herb or compound butters? If not, let me introduce you!

Herb butter (aka compound butter) is created by combining fresh, finely minced herbs with room temperature butter. There are many different types of herb butter you can create for many different types of food.

But in this tutorial, I’m going to give you a herb butter that is well suited to red meats.

What Kind of Herbs Go In Herb Butter?

I have yet to meet a herb that doesn’t pair well with butter! The options and combinations you can create in your kitchen are endless.

But before you start making herb butters, you need to ask yourself “how do I plan to use it?” If you intend to use it for cooking red meats, be sure to choose herbs that pair well with red meats (sage, oregano, thyme, green onions, etc). The same goes for chicken, fish and pork.

In this case, we’re going to create a herb butter that can be used to cook red meats. Trust me. These herbs will add delicious flavor to your finished meat dish!

Tools and Ingredients You’ll Need

To make this recipe, you’ll need to ensure you have the following items on hand.

• a sharp knife
• wooden cutting board
• a plate for mixing
• fork for mashing butter
• room temperature butter
• fresh spring onion greens
• fresh oregano
• fresh or dried thyme

Tips for Making Herb Butter

Here are some tips that will make the process more enjoyable for you!

1. Always let the butter warm to room temperature, so it mashes easily.
2. Onion greens can be harvested from spring multiplier onions or even your globe onions.
3. Oregano should be fresh and finely minced.
4. Your thyme can be dry or fresh. There’s no need to mince the tiny leaves! If using fresh thyme, be sure to strip the leaves from their tough stems before adding.
5. Have fun! When you mash herbs into the butter, do a good job of it and enjoy the process!

How to Store Herb Butter

Are you wondering how long herb butter will last in the fridge? In most cases, it should be good for at least 8 weeks. If you want to preserve it for longer, I recommend freezing it.

If tightly wrapped and sealed, herb butter is supposed to last for 5-6 months in the freezer.

So once you know what you like & use in your kitchen, you may want to make a large batch of that herb butter variation and freeze it in smaller portions, so you can pull it out whenever you have need of it for cooking red meats!

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