The cowboy butter sliders I made back in June were so freakin’ delicious, I had to try another version of a cowboy butter recipe. Behold: cowboy butter steak tacos! This super easy recipe packs a huge punch thanks to the the hot sauce, garlic, mustard and red pepper flakes in the butter. Plus, they’re tacos. Whether it’s steak, pork, lamb or seafood, tacos are just the best!
Just a couple notes to keep in mind as you get started on this recipe — make sure you marinate the steak in the fridge for at least four hours to get good color and flavor. Also, roast your salsa verde veggies over the fire to get that extra smoky flavor. You’ll be glad you did!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Cowboy Butter Steak Tacos
If you’ve been around here for a while, you know I’m a huge fan of cowboy butter. Combining unsalted butter, herbs, garlic, mustard, my FYR GLD Hot Sauce and red chili flakes gives you a sauce that’s out of this world. It’s a compound butter that’s the perfect accompaniment to any meat, so this recipe takes Taco Tuesday to the next level. I use skirt steak in this cowboy butter steak taco recipe, but you can use flap steak, flank steak or even flatiron steak if that’s what you have on hand.
For more cowboy-inspired recipes, check out Cowboy Candy, Cowboy Campfire Breakfast Recipe and Cowboy Steak and Eggs.
Cowboy Butter Steak Tacos Ingredients
- Steak: We’ll marinate 2-3 whole skirt steaks (or whichever steak you choose) in cola soda, FYR BLK Hot Sauce, lime juice, orange juice, sliced white onion and jalapeño.
- Cowboy Butter: Unsalted butter, herbs, garlic, mustard, my FYR GLD Hot Sauce and red chili flakes are all you need for a freakin’ delicious sauce to top these tacos.
- Salsa Verde: This salsa is made of tomatillos, lime juice, white onions, jalapeños, fresh cilantro and water.
- Tacos: Because you can’t have tacos without corn tortillas, shredded cheese, diced onion and chopped fresh cilantro, right?
Cowboy Caviar
While we’re on the theme, cowboy caviar — an easy bean salad — makes a great side dish for these tacos. Toss together a couple of diced tomatoes, a couple of diced avocados, 1 can of drained and rinsed black-eyed peas, 1 can of drained and rinsed black beans, a diced jalapeño, a diced bell pepper and about a cup of sweet corn (you can use frozen if you can’t find fresh). Then, make a dressing of 1/2 cup olive oil, 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of lime juice and kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder to taste. Pour the dressing over the vegetables, stir it all together and serve with tortilla chips.
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Making Cowboy Butter Steak Tacos
I’m stoked for you to try this new way to use cowboy butter. We’re taking steak dinner to a whole new level!
Prepping the Steak and Cowboy Butter
Begin by seasoning your skirt steaks with my Chipotle Garlic Seasoning (or your favorite steak seasoning). Then add all the marinade ingredients — 1 cup cola soda, 2 tablespoons of FYR BLK Hot Sauce, juice from 3 medium limes, juice from 1 navel orange, 1/2 cup of sliced white onion, 1 diced jalapeño and 2 tablespoons of canola oil — to a bowl and mix them together thoroughly.
Next, add your 2-3 whole skirt steaks to a food safe bag or bowl and pour in your marinade. Mix everything together to coat all the steak. Seal the bag or cover the bowl, then place it in the fridge for at least 4 hours but ideally overnight.
In a separate small bowl, mix together 2 cups of clarified melted butter, 1/4 cup of chopped parsley, 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, 1.5 tablespoons of FYR GLD Hot Sauce and 1.5 teaspoons of red chili flakes. This is your cowboy butter! Set that freakin’ delicious sauce to the side until you’re ready to assemble the tacos.
Grilling Your Steaks
Bring your grill fire up to high heat (about 450 degrees Fahrenheit) for direct cooking. After your steaks are done marinating, pull them out of the bag and discard any excess marinade. Place steak on the grill and let them cook for about 4-5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 125 degrees F.
Once they’re done, pull the steaks off, top with a drizzle of the butter mixture and let them rest for 10 minutes. Once rested, slice your steaks against the grain, then into bite size cubes.
Making the Salsa
Preheat your grill to medium-high temperature (around 375 degrees F) for direct cooking. Grill 5-6 tomatillos, removed from the husk, 2 de-seeded jalapeños and 1/4 of a white onion over the high heat for 6-8 minutes, until the vegetables are slightly charred. Remove them from the grill. Then, add the roasted veggies and the juice of 3-4 medium limes, 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, 1/2 cup of water and kosher salt to taste to a blender. Blend until smooth, then pour into a small bowl. Set to the side.
Assembling Your Tacos
Place a cast-iron skillet on your grill over medium heat. Add 1 corn tortilla to the skillet, cook one side, then flip the tortilla and top it with a handful of shredded cheese. Fold the tortilla with cheese in half, then cook both sides until slightly crispy and the cheese is melted. Remove the tortilla from heat, open it up, and add your sliced steak and salsa verde. Finally, drizzle that delicious melted butter on top. Serve and enjoy!
What to Serve with Cowboy Butter Steak Tacos
Cowboy caviar with tortilla chips, Mexican rice or cliantro-lime rice, or a simple red cabbage slaw with lots of lime juice and scallions would be delicious to round out this recipe!
Leftovers and Reheating
Store steak, salsa and leftover butter in separate containers in the fridge. The steak will last for 3-5 days in an airtight container. The salsa and cowboy butter should be good for up to a week. To reheat your steak, wrap it in foil to keep it from drying out and place it in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes. For the butter, just heat it low on the stovetop until it melts again.
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FAQs
Definitely. Cowboy butter is really just a catch-all term for a spicy garlic butter with fresh herbs. It’s versatile because it can be served melted or as classic cold compound butter. Depending on what flavors you want, you can substitute fresh cilantro or fresh chives for the parsley, and chili powder, paprika or thyme for the red chili flakes.
A cowboy butter sauce recipe opens up all kinds of flavor possibilities. It’s so freakin’ delicious on grilled meats like steak, chicken or pork. You can toss it with pasta and seafood to take your meal up a notch. I also love to drizzle it on bread (cowboy garlic bread, anyone?) or baked potatoes. Try my grilled ribeye with cowboy butter or use your imagination!
I’m sure people could spend hours debating this one. Basically, all you need to know is that corn tortillas are firmer and have an earthier flavor. Flour tortillas are softer and sweeter. My opinion: you can’t really go wrong. But, I think the flavor of corn tortillas is perfect for these cowboy butter steak tacos.
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Cowboy Butter Steak Tacos
Ingredients
Steak & Marinade:
- 2-3 Whole Skirt Steaks
- 1/4 cup Chipotle Garlic Seasoning or favorite steak seasoning
- 1 cup Cola Soda
- 2 tbsp FYR BLK Hot Sauce
- 3 medium Limes juiced
- 1 Navel Orange juiced
- 1/2 cup Sliced White Onion
- 1 Jalapeños diced
- 2 tbsp Canola Oil
Cowboy Butter:
- 2 cups Clarified Butter melted
- ¼ cup Chopped Parsley
- 2 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1.5 tsp FYR GLD Hot Sauce
- 1.5 tsp Red Chili Flakes
Salsa Verde:
- 5-6 Tomatillos removed from husk
- 3-4 medium Limes juiced
- 1/4 White Onion
- 2 Jalapeños de-seeded
- ½ cup Chopped Cilantro
- 1/2 cup Water
- Kosher Salt to taste
Tacos:
- Corn Tortillas
- Shredded Cheese
- Chopped White Onion garnish
- Chopped Cilantro garnish
Instructions
Steak & Butter:
- Begin by adding all the ingredients for the marinade to a bowl and mixing together thoroughly.
- Next, add your steak to a food safe bag/bowl and pour in your marinade. Mix together to coat all the steak. Seal and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours but ideally overnight.
- In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the Cowboy Butter and set to the side.
- Preheat your fire to high heat (around 450F) for direct grilling.
- Pull your steaks out of the bag and discard any excess marinade.
- Add your steaks to the grill to cook for about 4-5 minutes per side or until they are 125F internal.
- Once done, pull the steaks off, top with a drizzle of the butter sauce and let them rest for 10 minutes. Once rested, slice your steaks against the grain then into bite size cubes.
Salsa:
- Preheat your grill to medium high temperature (around 375F) for direct cooking.
- Grill your tomatillos, jalapenos and onion over the high heat for 6-8 minutes until slightly charred.
- Pull off the grill and add the roasted veggies and the rest of the ingredients for the salsa to a blender. Blend until smooth and pour into a bowl. Set to the side.
Tacos:
- Add a cast iron skillet over medium heat to preheat.
- Add a tortilla and cook one side then flip and top with a handful of shredded cheese. Fold the tortilla with cheese over in half, then cook both sides until slightly crispy and the cheese is melted.
- Pull the tortilla off and open up. Add sliced steak, salsa verde and drizzle the cowboy butter on top. Serve and enjoy!
The butter sauce was fantastic! In fact, it made the meat even tastier than it already was. The recipe itself was a little difficult to make, but well worth it in the end. Good job, Derek!