Coke Butter

Serendipity Sauce - an accidental discovery

I posted a recipe for steak a few weeks back on Twitter and I accidentally typed “Coke” butter instead of “cold” butter. It sent my comment section into a frenzy with people asking “What is coke butter!”. I clarified the mistake, but a seed was planted. What would a good Coke butter (the drink, not the kitchen vitamin) taste like? Thus began the experiment.

At first, I figured it would be too sweet to just add coke to butter without balancing out the flavors. In essence, Coke is just sugar and coloring, so why not reduce it down and use it as a base? I don’t like anything sweet with my steaks, so I began thinking in terms of flavor for a pork chop or roasted lamb, something that holds up well to sweeter flavors - something similar to honey butter.

I started by adding aromatics to build a base, deglazed with the coke, and folded into butter. The flavor was similar to that of a sweet butter used on freshly baked bread. I liked it, but I wanted more pop. Considering the application for pork chops, I decided to bloom some chili powder into the sauce and brighten it up at the end with lemon juice and some bite from Dijon mustard. It worked.

In this case, I smothered freshly seared pork chops (another post on pork chops coming soon) with the butter. It melted all over the resting chops and created a layer of addiction to the caramelized exterior.

My work here is done. COKE BUTTER has been born.

Recipe:

reduction

2 teaspoon avocado oil or butter

1 large shallot diced (rouhgly 1/2 cup)

4 cloves garlic minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 cup coke

1 lb softened butter (cut into chunks)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 lemon juiced and zested

1 tablespoon sea salt or kosher salt

1 tablespoon chives (any fresh herb will work)

STEPS:

Saute the shallots for 3-5 minutes until soft and lightly caramelized.

Add garlic and chili powder and saute for another 30 seconds.

Add your coke and reduce until it almost reaches a syrupy consistency.

While the coke is reducing add your butter and other ingredients to a bowl (butter must be softened at room temp or quickly in a microwave).

Once the coke reduction is complete, cool in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

Mix all of the ingredients together with a whisk. It will seem broken at first so you must whip it together vigorously to combine (about 3-5 minutes).

Smother over your freshly seared pork chops - or serve with freshly baked bread. This is great on chicken as well!