I Tried Keto “Butter Meat” and It Made Amazing Leftovers

I know we’re all guilty of spending hours surfing the internet aimlessly, but when you’re rewarded with a new kitchen hack, it makes all the scrolling worth it. Recently, I came across a recipe that the keto community has raved about for years: butter meat. It’s as simple as it sounds; you slowly cook your choice of meat with nothing but butter and your favorite spices. Then, after six to 12 hours in the slow cooker, you’re rewarded with a piece of meat that’s incredibly tender, versatile, and (most importantly) rich in flavor.

According to Abby Durlewanger (aka @houseofketo), this is a fantastic way to take lean meats and add in loads of fat — something that keto home cooks are always looking to do. Here’s what happened when I tried her recipe from TikTok out at home.

Get the recipe: Butter Meats from House of Keto

To get things going, you’ll start by placing a slow cooker bag inside your cooker for easy cleanup — you’ll thank yourself later. Next, select your choice of meat (I chose chuck roast). Then grab your favorite spices and create a flavorful rub. My rub consisted of onion and garlic powders, paprika, ground coriander, dried thyme, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, and ground black pepper. One thing to keep in mind: Abby recommends making an all-purpose blend (here’s a great one to try), which will reward you with leftover beef ready to be used in an array of dishes. Sprinkle the rub all over the meat.

Next, slice one stick of butter into eight pieces. I must say I’ve never cooked any piece of meat with an entire stick of butter, so I was working off of trust here. Place four slices in the bottom of the slow cooker, position the seasoned meat on top, then add the remaining pieces of butter on top. That’s all! There’s no sauce, water, or broth that goes in — just butter.

Lid the slow cooker and cook for six to eight hours for tender meat that you’ll be able to slice, or for a total of 12 hours to yield fall-apart, shredded meat (a tip I picked up from this review on TODAY). Let your creativity run wild and create a quick meal with the meat, or serve as is with a couple of your favorite sides.  

Shortly after tasting a few pieces of the beef, I took a few slices and made steak fajitas. They were delicious. The meat was very tender — although honestly, I think it was the low-and-slow cooking that helped achieve the tender texture, not the butter. With that said, I thoroughly enjoyed the comforting feeling of my teeth sinking into such a decedent piece of meat, which I do credit the butter with. The flavors of the spice rub combined with the juices from the beef and the glorious butter — you can’t go wrong.

When making this butter meat recipe, it’s important to remember that chuck roast isn’t your only friend. I would encourage you to utilize slow cooker companions such as chicken thighs and pork shoulder. As for many slow cooker meals, leftovers usually follow.   

After hours of cooking, you’re going to be left with some pretty delicious beef. After enjoying your first serving of butter meat, I would encourage you to think outside of the box and truly take advantage of the tender beef you’ve made. Have fun with the leftovers. No matter if you choose tacos, low-carb sandwiches, meaty chili, saucy chicken casserole, or a variety of dishes, you will have a delicious meal in no time.

Have you tried butter meat? Let us know in the comments!