How do you like your steak well-done or medium-rare? It’s a tie, 24% of Americans choose well-done and 23% choose medium-rare, and the rest like something in between. But we think both taste extra great with steak butter.
Our family has always been steak lovers. We do steak for Father’s Day, date night, and sheet pan fajitas. And don’t get me started on surf and turf.
Nom, nom, nom.
Steak, it’s a thing with our foodie family. So, although you can marinade, rub, or season your steak we think salt, pepper, and some delicious steak butter is the way to go.
A good steak doesn’t need much to make it sing.
So, keep reading for our tips to find a delicious steak and how to make an easy herb butter for steak, your family will love.
We order stock-up packages from Omaha Steaks to keep our freezer filled with great cuts of meat, like these top sirloin steaks… as well as slow cooker meals and more. And it’s all delivered right to our door!
Table of Contents
What Makes the Best Cut of Steak
What are the qualities that make a steak tender and flavorful? We rely on Omaha Steaks to send us the choicest cuts of meat. But there are 4 main factors you should know about when choosing the perfect steak.
1) Animal Diet
Grass-fed vs. grain-fed, which one is better? Either is an okay choice, but you will want to know the difference.
All American beef is pasture grass-fed. What makes the difference is how the animal is feed, or “finished,” right before harvest.
Both grass-fed only and grass-fed-grain-finished are delicious steak options, but A grass-fed-only diet will result in a leaner cut of meat with less marbling. If better marbling and texture are what you seak go with grain-fed.
2) Marbling
The marbling, the white lines, and flecks of fat in your cut of meat, matter. It adds to the tenderness and juiciness of a steak when it cooks. Essentially the fat melts into the steak.
That’s why some people rave about Wagyu. The marbling adds richness, flavor, and a preferred texture. Basically, fat tastes good.
3) Cut Location
Where, the location, on the animal the meat is cut will affect the tenderness of the steak.
Muscles that are used less have less connective tissue and result in a more tender cut.
Many excellent cuts of steak come from the loin region of the animal.
4) Aging
Aging beef means letting it sit in a controlled environment after it’s been cut. During this process, the toughness of the tissue naturally begins to break down. This makes the meat more tender.
It’s most common to find meat wet-aged (that means in plastic) for a minimum of 21 days. Or you may find a rarely used traditional butcher’s technique of dry-aged steaks (open-air). Dry-aged meat takes a full 90 days in controlled conditions that give the beef deep, earthy flavors.
How to Make Herb Steak Butter
It’s so easy to make this herb butter you’ll be shocked you never tried it before. The key is to start with room temperature butter. Otherwise, the butter with be too stiff to mix well.
Ready to make your own homemade steakhouse Steak Butter?
Homemade Steak Butter: How to Make an Easy Steakhouse Herb Butter for Steak
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives, finely chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix together softened butter and seasonings.
- Apply rounded tablespoon to top of hot steak right before serving.
If you’d like to make perfect steak butter coins:
Layout a piece of wax paper and shape butter into a log.
Roll the butter in the paper, twist the ends to seal, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
When ready to use, remove from paper, cut into thick coins, and place on freshly cooked steak.
When to Put Butter on Steak
Be careful if you’re going to add steak butter while your meat is cooking. It will melt, of course, and can burn which isn’t the result we are going for. I like to cook the meat to the desired steak doneness, and then add the steak butter while dripping it over the steak.
Adding butter to steak this way adds extra richness and can also soften the charred exterior, making a steak more tender.
Once you take them off the heat, let the steaks rest before slicing. You can also place one of the steak butter coins on top while it rests before serving. You can add another butter coin before serving if desired.
Your herb butter for steak should complement the natural steak flavors, not smother them.
Final Thoughts on Steak Butter
Making this easy herb butter for steak is a great way to add flavor to your meat without overpowering an already delicious cut of meat. No A1 sauce is necessary.
This steak butter is easy to assemble and looks really impressive when you have it prepared, chilled, and cut into coin for your steak. It can rival any high-end steak house.
And guests are always impressed with the presentation.
To make your patio parties even more impressive we recommend paring your steaks with one of these super easy summer mocktails. They look as good as they taste.
And as we look forward to grilling season we think you may also like this post on hamburger doneness and our fun DIY grill table.
Have you made steak butter before? Let me know in a comment below!
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