If you aren’t putting butter on your steak are you even living your best life?
This Denver Steak Recipe is the best. So easy and so darn good. A juicy, flavourful grilled Denver Steak cut is cooked to perfection and slathered with an insanely tasty, rich Creole Butter. Butter on steak is life and if you haven’t tried it yet this is the place to start.
Every year we buy a cow. But just half a cow. That probably sounds weird. What I mean is that every year we buy our beef from a local farm and we are provided with a freezer full of locally raised, grass fed beef. This year we received quite a few Denver Steaks which I had actually never heard of before and the natural questions in my head were probably what you’re thinking right now…
just What is a denver steak and what do you do with it??
Excellent question my friend. My thoughts exactly. What is this mysterious Denver Steak cut and how do I cook it? I’m about to give you my two bits on what it’s like to cook and to eat, but if you want to get your serious research on you can read this.
For shopping purposes, because I’ve got you and I know what it’s like to stand in the meat aisle googling cuts, you should know that you’ll also see a Denver Steak called a Denver cut, a Chuck Steak, a Bottom Chuck Steak or an Underblade Steak.
I find the Denver Steak flavourful and tender. You can see in the photo above that it has a good amount of marbling which of course equals flavour. It looks a bit like a New York Strip with marbling like a Rib Eye. When cooked, it’s a bit flank steak like and therefore best served medium-rare and thinly sliced, across the grain. You can grill it or cook it in a hot cast iron pan, but definitely don’t overcook it, and definitely slather it with a tasty butter. I’ll show you…
this denver steak recipe, how to make it…
A hefty seasoning of salt and pepper is all you need for this simple recipe. Denver steaks are flavourful, so they don’t really need more than that.
Let the steaks sit with the seasoning while you make the butter by stirring up some soft, salted butter with tasty things like garlic, chili powder, smoked paprika, brown sugar, cayenne pepper and fresh thyme.
Cook the steaks on a screaming hot grill. A few minutes per side is all they need and then you’ll want to let them rest for a couple of minutes before we slice them up, thinly and across the grain, slather them with richly spiced Creole Butter and serve them.
So good.
denver steak Recipe ingredients, tips, substitutions:
Seasoning a Denver Steak – I’m a purist with many things, especially steak. I like a good, heavy season of flaky salt and freshly cracked black pepper and nothing else. Remember, we’re slathering a tasty butter on these grilled steaks, so the seasoning should be simple.
Butter – I use salted butter. If you use unsalted then definitely add a little salt with the seasonings.
Cooking – I prefer cooking my steak outside on a hot grill mostly because my kitchen ventilation does not do the job it is supposed to do and my family generally likes their air uncomtaminated. ;). But, while I think grilling is the best way to cook Denver Steaks, they do also cook up beautifully in a hot cast iron pan, so if you have better ventilation than I do, go for it.
Denver Steak Recipe Variations:
- Feel free to step up the seasoning if you want… steak spice, ancho powder, chipotle… whatever you love on your steaks.
- Try a different compound butter recipe like the butter on my Truffle Butter Steak Bites or on my Red Wine & Balsamic Marinated Strip Steak With Tarragon Butter
- Serve it with a Chimichurri sauce like Arugula Chimichurri with Jalapeño
need ideas on what to serve with this Denver steak? Make it a meal with…
- A great appetizer like: Loaded Avocado Dip with Chili Crisp
- Side salads like: Spicy Cucumber Salad or Spinach Arugula Salad
- Tasty warm sides like: Marinated Brussels Sprouts with Maple Balsamic and/or Risotto Gorgonzola with Prosecco
- An incredible dessert like: Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Filling or Chocolate Orange Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Is your mouth watering yet?? Mine is. 🙂
Recipe-ish…
Denver Steak Recipe with Creole Butter
Ingredients
For the steaks:
- 4-6 Denver Steaks
- Flaky salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
For the butter:
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
Season the steaks:
- Season both sides of each steak well with the flaky salt and black pepper. Set aside.
Make the Butter:
- Combine the butter, garlic, brown sugar, cayenne, chili powder, smoked paprika and thyme in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
Cook the steaks:
- Grill over high heat for about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare.
- Remove from grill. Allow to rest for a few minutes.
For serving:
- Top the steaks with a good dollop of the Creole Butter, slice and serve immediately.
Let me know what you think below and if you like this Denver Steak Recipe with Creole Butter I think you should try my Truffle Butter Steak Bites because I just know you’ll love them.
