BBQ Compound Butter: An insanely delicious and easy way to fancy up your next steak, baked potatoes, fish, and veggies!

Let me put this right out there: I never thought I would be sharing a recipe for butter with you.

I mean, it’s butter, right? BUT!

This butter is different! It’s a compound butter, which means that it’s butter that has been mixed with something special.

I often find myself swooning over garlic herb butter served at restaurants that goes along with that delicious crusty bread so many restaurants plop down in front of you. And without even giving it another thought, the butter is gone. And the bread is gone.

By that time, I’ve overfilled myself to the point where I’m debating about just asking for a to-go box for my dinner before it even arrives at the table.

But I digress. The butter I’m referring to is a compound butter! This compound butter you find in restaurants is usually a combination of fresh garlic or garlic powder with fresh or dried herbs mixed into soften butter.

I debated about even sharing this recipe with you in its own space here on the site but it was such a hit when I made it that I felt like it needed to be showcased. And since I made it with my BBQ spice rub, I also wanted to show you a different way you could use the spice rub. You know, aside from simply sprinkling it all over everything you’ll be grilling this summer.

Because oh man! You’re going to want to use this BBQ compound butter on every.damn.thing.

How to Make BBQ Compound Butter

So, let’s get down to how to make this butter! And let me tell you, it couldn’t be any easier to make! I’m mean, it takes maybe 5 and a half minutes to throw together.

Here’s what you’ll do:

1. Mix up the BBQ spice rub in a small bowl.
2. Mix 1 ½ tablespoons of the spice rub into 1 stick of softened butter in a small bowl.
3. Wrap the butter in a small piece of parchment, pipe it into small rounds, or leave it in the bowl.
4. Chill for at least 4 hours or freeze for at least 2 hours before using.

That’s it, friends! Like I said, this should take you less than 6 minutes to make. And after all is said and done, you’ll have a crazy good butter to spread onto grilled bread or corn. Or you could drop slices into baked potatoes with some sour cream. OR! You could add a pat to the top of your next grilled steak. So fancy, right?

There’s a bit of smoky heat and a little sweet going on from the BBQ spice rub mix so it’s the perfect flavor profile to add to food that could use some extra flavor (like veggies!).

Compound Butter Varieties and How to Use Them

As you can imagine, there are numerous ways you can make compound butter. Here are a few of my favorites:

• garlic herb compound butter: I’ve been making this for several years and it’s always such a big winner! We’ve put this butter on everything from fresh ciabatta bread to steak to baked potatoes
• ancho chile compound butter: I topped off some halibut and black beans with this compound butter and baked it in foil packets for a super easy dinner!
• blue cheese compound butter: This was one of my more adventurous attempts at compound butter. I mixed blue cheese and chives with butter and then we topped beef tenderloin slices with it. Talk about a decadent Christmas dinner!

Now that I’ve got your attention with all things compound butter, let’s get going and make a few different kinds for your next party, shall we?

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BBQ Compound Butter

Yield: 4 oz | 1 stick

Prep Time: 6 minutes

Chilling Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 6 minutes

BBQ compound butter is an insanely delicious and easy way to fancy up your next steak, baked potatoes, grilled bread, fish, and veggies! It's ready in under 6 minutes and tastes like it popped off a restaurant menu.

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Ingredients

• 1 ½ tablespoons BBQ spice rub
• 1 stick (4 oz) salted butter, softened to room temperature

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix the spice rub into the softened butter until completely combined. ½
2. Transfer the butter to a small rectangle piece of parchment paper and shape the butter into a log. Roll the parchment around the butter and twist the edges closed. Alternatively, you could pipe the butter into rounds on a piece of parchment paper, or leave it in the bowl.
3. Chill for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator or 2 hours in the freezer before using.

Storage: Butter will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month or up to 6 months in the freezer when kept in an airtight container or zip-top bag.

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