Smoked butter is deadly addictive. Once only found in restaurants with clever creative chefs. Now you can easily make it at home and pile on the pounds, because you won't be able to stop eating this stuff!
I am addicted to this butter. Fresh crunchy baguette or sourdough slathered in smoked butter takes my tastebuds to heaven. I first tried smoked butter at Lennox Hastie's Surry Hills restaurant Firedoor. I was won over that first slather.
The great thing is that it is easy to make at home. All you need is a smoking gun, favourite butter, baking paper, plastic bag, and some hand beaters.
Using a smoking gun allows you to cold smoke the butter. It is the same method I use for my smoked turkey recipe. Except you smoke the butter once. Overdoing the smoke will ruin the taste of the butter. It's all about being subtle.
Sara xxx
What's in this post
Ingredients
Butter: Is the only ingredient you need for this recipe. Choose a salted butter you enjoy eating. Splurge and buy the good stuff. Don't use cultured butter.
Equipment
- Smoking Gun: You may think you don't need one. That is until you own one and realise all the things you can do with a smoking gun. The Polyscience Smoking Gun is relatively inexpensive especially if you grab it when it is on sale. I own the Breville Smoking Gun which I find incredibly easy to use.
- Woodchips: The woodchips used with smoking guns are quite fine. I have used Hickory, Applewood, and Cherrywood to smoke butter. If you buy the Breville multipack it contains a selection of woodchips you can try. Once you know what you like buy the larger packets of woodchips from Sous Vide.
- Zip-lock/Zip-top Plastic Bags: The butter is placed in a large zip-lock bag and you fill it with smoke. It is then sealed to allow the smoke to penetrate the butter to flavour it.
- Baking Paper/Parchment Paper: This is used to stop the butter from sticking to the zip-lock plastic bag.
- Electric Hand Beaters/Mixers: Whipping the butter after smoking makes it creamier and ensures that the smoke flavour is evenly distributed through the butter.
Recipe Walk Through
Cut butter into cubes. Place butter cubes on baking/parchment paper and slide it into a suitably sized zip-lock/top bag.
Place the rubber hose from the smoking gun into the top of the bag. Zip the bag closed to secure the hose end inside the bag
Following your smoking gun manufacturer's instructions light the woodchips and turn the gun on to smoke.
Fill the bag with as much smoke as it will take.
It's best to do this in an open area as some smoke will escape the bag.
Once the bag is full of smoke, quickly remove the smoking gun's rubber hose and seal the bag completely.
Leave the butter to absorb the smoke for around 10 minutes. Once you can clearly see the butter in the bag, it will look like the smoke has disappeared, remove the butter from the bag.
Place the smoked butter into a glass or metal mixing bowl. Using electric hand beaters/mixer whip the butter.
Transfer the smoked whipped butter to a ceramic or glass container to be stored (covered) in the fridge.
The butter will last for up to a month in your fridge.
Printable Recipe
Smoked Butter
Special Equipment
- Smoking Gun
- Woodchips
- Zip-lock/Zip-top bag
- Baking Paper/Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 250 grams (2 sticks) salted butter good quality, not cultured
Instructions
- Cut butter into cubes. Place butter cubes on baking/parchment paper and slide it into a suitably sized zip-lock/top bag.
- Place the rubber hose from the smoking gun into the top of the bag. Zip the bag closed to secure the hose end inside the bag.
- Following your smoking gun manufacturer's instructions light the woodchips and turn the gun on to smoke. Fill the bag with as much smoke as it will take.It's best to do this in an open area as some smoke will escape the bag.
- Once the bag is full of smoke, quickly remove the smoking gun's rubber hose and seal the bag completely.
- Leave the butter to absorb the smoke for around 10 minutes. Once you can clearly see the butter in the bag, it will look like the smoke has disappeared, remove the butter from the bag.
- Place the smoked butter into a glass or metal mixing bowl. Using electric hand beaters/mixer whip the butter.
- Transfer the smoked whipped butter to a ceramic or glass container to be stored (covered) in the fridge.The butter will last for up to a month in your fridge.
Oven Temperatures
All oven temperatures are fan forced.
Measurement Notes
All measurements are Australian metric standard. All measures are level, and cups are lightly packed unless specified. 1 teaspoon = 5ml / 1 tablespoon = 20mls / 1 cup = 250ml /4 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon.
Recipe Notes
- 1 teaspoon equals 5ml
- 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml (Nth America, NZ & UK use 15ml tablespoons)
- 1 cup equals 250ml (Nth America use 237ml)
- 4 teaspoons equals 1 tablespoon
- I use the below unless specified in my recipes;
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
The recipe's nutritional information is an approximation based on an online calculator. It is meant solely for reference purposes. If you're looking for precise details, be sure to double-check with your own research.
More Recipes to Spread on Bread
You may also like my confit smoked garlic butter recipe. Or for something sweet whip up some Tim Tam spread, it's Aussie cookie butter at its finest.
Jacinta
Quick question! Is the butter cold, softened or room temperature before smoking?
Sara McCleary
Hi Jacinta
Good question. As I usually make this in summer in Australia (it's a Christmas go-to for me), I take the butter out of the fridge as I prepare everything. The butter softens while it is sitting taking in the smoke. If you are making this in winter in the UK, or USA, I would allow it to sit a little to let the butter come to room temp (or close to it) and then smoke it.
If I had it at room temperature here in Aus it would be a melted puddle by the time the smoke had infused :p
Hope you enjoy and Merry Christmas
Cheers, Sara
Jacinta
Thank you. I’m in Sydney so all makes sense to me.. I’ll give it a go tomorrow!