The world has gone bacon crazy, and unfortunately it has nothing to do with the food item actually made from pork belly. I’m talking about products sold in tubes, squeeze bottles, jars, cans and tablets, all flashing the word “Bacon!” as it’s only selling point and not an ounce of real pork in its ingredients. Apparently, that one word is so powerful, the products are still flying off the shelves!
I’ve seen “bakon” vodka (Twitter member @MarcSeattle said it tastes like “bac-os mixed with motor oil”), zero-calorie bacon flavor spray packaged in a hairspray-like bottle by celebrity chef David Burke, cardboard bacon air freshener that you can dangle from your rearview mirror and even bacon-flavored lip balm. When did pretending to staple two strips of fatty pig to lips become sexy?
I recently visited a friend who happens to be a vegetarian. Before I could even put my purse down and exchange pleasantries, she excitedly thrust a jar at me, “This is my newest obsession…bacon flavored mayonnaise…Baconnaise! Isn’t it genius!?” Though I have to admit, it’s not that bad in a sandwich. And I get the excitement, especially for those who are omnivores-turned-vegetarians but miss the whole meat flavor thing.
For me, I’d rather have the real deal. Spraying “bacon” flavoring on my eggs in the morning just seems so pathetic! And there’s no better way to enjoy steak than to slather it with a butter made of real bacon and real blue cheese!
Step-by-Step: Bacon and Blue Cheese Butter
First thing you’ve gotta do is cook your bacon and then mince it up in teeny tiny pieces. You should also crumble your blue cheese if it’s not crumbled already.
Soften your butter to room temperature — I use unsalted butter because the bacon and blue cheese are already salty. Smash, smush and mix with a fork.
Grab a large piece of parchment paper and plop down your bacon near the edge.
Now time to dust off your cigar-rolling/cigarette rolling or whatever rolling skills you have and roll the butter tight in the parchment paper, smoothing and evening out the butter so that it becomes a nice, tight, even log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Though, really, size doesn’t matter in this case. If you want a bigger butter log, go for it. But make sure you’re rolling and smoothing tight because you don’t want air bubbles or lumps.
Twist the ends tight (to compact butter even more). Refrigerate until firm, an hour should do the trick …or if you run out of time, stick it in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Ladies and gent…may I present to you umami-ness….Bacon and Blue Cheese Butter. Open that baby up and slice into 1/2-inch coins. You can use this butter on vegetables, fish, baked potatoes….ooooh….baked potatoes….
….or top a hot, just-taken-off-the-grill steak with a slab of this precious Bacon and Blue Cheese Butter.
Bacon and Blue Cheese Butter Recipe
Why use plain butter when it’s so easy to make your own compound butter? My latest combination is real bacon and blue cheese, perfect for topping a fresh-off-the grill steak. The butter keeps in the refrigerator for about a week. If you’re not a fan of bacon and blue cheese, just pick your favorite spices and/or herbs to mix with the butter. I also like garlic-parsley-smoked paprika (use a garlic press to smush 1-2 cloves garlic + 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh parsley + 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika + good pinch of salt).
1 strip bacon, cut into 3 pieces
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened to room temperature
1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
9-inch x 13-inch piece parchment paper
Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp (or use your preferred method of bacon cooking). Drain, pat dry and chop the bacon into very fine pieces. Add the bacon, blue cheese crumbles and the butter in a bowl and use a fork to mix well.
Lay the parchment paper flat with the long side facing you. Spoon the butter mixture near the bottom of the paper. Roll the paper up, smoothing out the butter to resemble an even log about 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Try to roll it pretty tight to get rid of any trapped air. Twist the ends of the parchment paper to secure and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until butter is firm. To use, unwrap the parchment paper and cut butter into 1/2-inch circles. Re-wrap remaining butter in parchment paper and refrigerate up to one week.
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!
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Just in time for summer , I will definitely try this . Thanks!
Needed a quick pick me up for a steak on the grill!! Perfect, easy and always staples in my home! Just mixed up some twice baked and still debating on the vege! Thanks so much….it’s delicious as I cheated 🙂
Yummo!
Is it bad that I want to eat this ALL BY ITSELF? Who needs the steak, anyway? Another genius recipe! 🙂
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I’ve made this several times now, but I cut the recipe in half, but also add one large garlic clove chopped finely. Good stuff! What made it even more decadent is I placed the medallions on some rib eyes that I had dry aged for 45 days using the DrybagSteak product discussed here before!
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Great match of flavors here. I have made alot of compound butter before but this one seems so bold. I’m thinking I want to top a burger with it. Anyway thanks for this nugget.
Try bleu cheese, butter and sundried tomatoes!! It is to die for! Also great on bread or cracker bread! YUM
A stroke of genius. As simple as that…
Uh. Why on earth would someone want bacon scented air freshner? Bacon smells great up until the point that you’ve eaten the last piece. Then you realize your house smells like a truck stop.
My husband was looking over my shoulder when I pulled up this post. He said, “Oh, that looks good!” Think I will be making this.
I’m with you. I hate fake food. And it’s such marketing hype. A few slices of bacon is not that many calories or bad for you, but spraying bacon..well that could kill you….but you’ll die thin.
Your steak is mouthwatering. I wouldn’t even mind a rib eye with some real steak fat!
Wow. This looks great. We did bacon and Robiola tacos this weekend, but the addition of butter takes this up a step!
I made this for dinner tonight. It was fantastic!!!
WOW! That looks amazing. Three of my favorite things: butter, bacon & bleu cheese! YAY!
in reply to Debi’s comment above: I just made Chicken Saltimbacco for the first time a week or so ago, delicious!
Yeah, the bacon obsession has gone a LITTLE crazy….but this butter I could get into! Yum!
Love compound butters—so versatile, and they add a lot of flavor with just a little bit of effort. Try adding a blend of prosciutto/sage/butter to grilled chicken breasts…if you like Chicken Saltimbacco, you will love this grilled version.
Beautiful shot of the steak!
I’m with you. If I’m going to eat bacon, it needs to have oinked at one point :-p The steak looks fabulous!
Great photos. I just love blue cheese and with bacon and butter, that’s triple indulgent. I think the steak is meant for me.
Wow- that butter looks absolutely sinful! I love blue cheese and this looks like a great way to serve it atop a beautiful, juicy steak. Holy Hannah that’s a great recipe! The photos are gorgeous too! Makes me feel like I could just reach right through my computer screen to enjoy the food itself…
OH MY! Three of my favorite ingredients…butter, bacon and blue cheese! My idea of HEAVEN! 🙂
EVERYTHING tastes better with bacon. And butter. But the substitutes scare me. This looks divine. I’ll wipe the drool off my keyboard now …
Ooooooh! That may be the best recipe I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait to tryit.
Tim
This is also very freezer friendly. We typically have several assorted compound butters in our freezer. Typically they will last in the ice box 3+ months. Just after you wrap them in parchment give them another wrap in plastic wrap, which you can keep re-using on the same one until it is gone.
It can be sliced frozen and used that way, though we typically do not want it chilling down our food so we slice it in advance, putting the rest away. However the frozen slices can be used to your advantage too. It gives you a few minutes longer on or near the open flame (cooking), it is easier to stuff under a skin before cooking.
That bacon flavoured craziness hasn’t hit our country yet… but who knows… I prefer the real deal in any sense and something tells me; it’s not gonna be so popular here (but I have been wrong before)
That butter…. is just plain fabulous!
ohmy this looks wonderful. If it weren’t 17 degrees today in Denver, I might just grill up a steak and make this butter. I’m going to save the recipe for warmer days. Thanks for the post.
Delicious. I’ll be making some for tonight’s steaks. For another great bacon recipe check out Homesick Texan’s bacon jam: http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2009/09/bacon-jam-recipe-make-it-at-home.html
That looks delicious. And yet another fabulous photo of steak, how DO you do it?
Real bacon, real butter, real blue cheese. A real steak deserves no less! I was going to make sage-blue cheese compound butter today; now I think I’ll add some bacon to the mix.
you are right, the whole world has gone bacon crazy!! i cringe everytime i see those bacon lollipops or bacon cupcakes and even chocolate covered bacon! i love bacon, but those are a bit too extreme for me!! THIS dish on the other hand. YUM. i want to turn the grill on now, and it’s only 10am!!!
Is this the kind of fare you have at the steak house? Me want!
I just adore compound butters for steak! And I’m with you on the Baconaise. Clint over at Smoke In Da Eye used it in place of a mustard slather on a rack of ribs this week. While I enjoyed the novelty of him doing it, I don’t think I’ll be running out and getting some Baconaise. Fake bacon is for Beggin’ Strips, imo.
A friend of mine makes a bleu cheese butter. Adding bacon to it just might make me swoon. You kill me, Jaden!
I’ve never come across bacon in a butter like this but it sounds and looks gorgeous.
You have a great blog here, I’m glad I came across you on Twitter. I’ll be adding you to my blogroll 🙂
Thanks for the recipe. Just in time for steaks tonight! Will be making a steak of yours in a previous posts. Will let you know how it turns out.