New Orleans BBQ Butter Sauce

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy-bottomed saucepan or small Dutch oven
• •Wooden spoon
• •Microplane or fine grater for garlic (optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Melt the butter slowly

   Cut the butter into tablespoon-sized pieces and add them to a heavy-bottomed saucepan or small Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Let the butter melt slowly without browning, about 3 to 4 minutes. You want liquid gold here, not brown butter. Keep the heat gentle.

   Cold butter straight from the refrigerator is fine. The slow melt gives you time to prep your garlic and rosemary if you haven't already.
2. 2

   Bloom the aromatics

   Add the minced garlic and chopped rosemary to the melted butter. Let them cook gently for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. The garlic should soften and turn fragrant without taking on any color. The rosemary will release its piney oils into the fat. Your kitchen will smell like a New Orleans restaurant kitchen right about now.

3. 3

   Build the flavor base

   Pour in the Worcestershire sauce. It will sputter and hiss when it hits the hot butter, that's good. Add the black pepper, salt, hot sauce, and cayenne. Stir everything together and let it simmer gently for 5 minutes. The Worcestershire needs time to cook down slightly and marry with the butter.

   Two tablespoons of black pepper looks like a lot. It is. This sauce is supposed to have serious pepper presence. Trust the process.
4. 4

   Add beer if using

   If you're using beer, pour it in now. It will foam up considerably, so don't panic. The beer adds a malty depth that rounds out the sauce. Let it simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes until the foam subsides and the alcohol cooks off. Skip this step if you prefer a richer, more purely buttery sauce.

   Abita Amber is traditional in New Orleans, but any dark lager or amber ale works. Avoid hoppy IPAs, they'll turn bitter.
5. 5

   Finish with brightness

   Remove the pan from heat and stir in the fresh lemon juice. The acid cuts through all that butter and wakes everything up. Taste the sauce now. Adjust salt if needed. The flavor should hit you with butter first, then garlic and rosemary, then that peppery Worcestershire punch, with brightness at the finish.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Let the sauce rest for 5 minutes off heat. This allows the flavors to settle and the garlic bits to sink slightly. Serve warm in a cast iron skillet, a shallow bowl, or spooned directly over whatever you're blessing with it. Have crusty French bread ready. You'll need it.

Chef Tips

• •This sauce is the classic bath for New Orleans BBQ shrimp. Sauté head-on Gulf shrimp in a hot skillet, pour this sauce over them, and serve in the same pan. The shrimp shells add flavor as you peel and dip.
• •Use good butter here. This is not the place for margarine or bargain brands. The sauce is mostly butter, so quality shows.
• •Freshly cracked black pepper makes a real difference. Pre-ground pepper loses its volatile oils and tastes dusty. Crack it yourself, coarse, right before you cook.
• •The sauce will separate as it cools, that's just physics. A quick whisk over gentle heat brings it back together.
• •At Lagniappe, we serve this with French bread from Leidenheimer Bakery. Any crusty bread with a chewy crumb will do the job, but skip the soft sandwich bread.

Advance Preparation

• •The sauce can be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. The butter will solidify, which is normal. Reheat gently over low heat, whisking to re-emulsify.
• •For longer storage, freeze the sauce in ice cube trays, then transfer cubes to a freezer bag. Each cube is about 2 tablespoons, perfect for adding to pasta or finishing a piece of fish. Keeps frozen for 3 months.
• •Do not add the lemon juice until you reheat if making ahead. Fresh acid loses its brightness over time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 80g)