summer BBQ

Born and bred in the South, I pride myself on being well-versed in fried foods, making the best darn grits and frequently implementing the age-old adage “when in doubt, add more butter.” So, imagine my shock when I learned of cowboy butter—a never-before-heard-of but absolutely decadent buttery concoction that will change the way you and I eat for the better.

Delish is responsible for opening my eyes to the cowboy lifestyle—a beautiful way of life that includes flavored butter. Doesn’t sound too bad, now, does it?

What’s In Cowboy Butter?

According to the recipe, you’ll need several ingredients to amp up the flavor of this buttery dipping sauce. Shallots, lemon juice, garlic, dijon mustard and hot sauce are just a few of the items that you’ll use to make the best-tasting butter you’ve ever had.

While this may call for quite a few ingredients, it really isn’t difficult to whip together—and just in time for summer barbecues, too!

This video details step-by-step instructions, but basically, what you’re going to do is: Melt butter, add and whisk in the various spices and other ingredients and serve warm. It’s as simple as that, y’all.

Delish recommends eating this with steak, chicken and even cornbread (yum!). But that’s only the beginning of what you can do with cowboy butter.

You can also use it on baked potatoes and slather it on top of corn before wrapping the cobs in tin foil and throwing them on the grill. I’m telling you—the possibilities are endless.

And if you’d like to have some cowboy butter on reserve, it’s easy to make some in advance, let harden in the fridge and then eat whenever you’re ready.

According to the Juggling Act Mama blog, all you have to do is mix the softened butter and other ingredients together, spread onto parchment paper, roll into a log shape and refrigerate for at least four hours.

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Cowboy Butter Vs. Gold Rush Sauce

If you’ve never heard of cowboy butter but the ingredients sound familiar, perhaps you’ve heard it called Gold Rush Sauce. Gold Rush calls for butter, mustard, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup (in some cases), salt, garlic and cayenne pepper.

A recipe for Gold Rush from an old French’s mustard recipe booklet has made its way around the internet, with people sharing memories of it from childhood.

Like cowboy butter, Gold Rush Sauce can be added to meat, potatoes, corn and even veggies. One Food.com reviewer said she loves it best on a bone-in chicken breast on an outdoor grill, adding “If I’m using it inside, I cut the butter in half. I always reduce the salt and bump up the cayenne.”

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Another reviewer suggested using the buttery concoction as a sauce to bake meatballs in, though she notes that she reduces the amount of butter used. While this bacon bourbon meatballs recipe is a Simplemost favorite—and may be hard to deviate from—the idea of a meatball in a tangy, sweet mustard-based sauce does sound quite delicious!

Now, no amount of sauce is going to save poorly cooked meat. The next time you throw a steak on the grill, be sure you bring the meat to room temperature first and don’t forget to let it rest before cutting it.

On the other hand, there’s pretty much no wrong way to enjoy cowboy butter—or Gold Rush Sauce, whatever you want to call it. So, go ahead and mix up a batch of this golden goodness ASAP. I’m hungry just thinking about it, aren’t you?