Doctor Up Instant Ramen Cowboy-Style And You'll Never Want It Another Way Again

Without any external enhancement, a packet of ramen barely qualifies as a meal. When grocery funds are low, instant noodles floating in salty broth is enough to fill the belly, but it doesn't do much more than that. Fortunately, it just takes a nice pat of cowboy butter and a few pieces of cooked protein to turn that dish into something gourmet.

For those that have never tried it before, cowboy butter is a condiment that not so long ago absolutely took the internet by storm. Specifically, it's a type of compound butter, which means the spread has been enhanced with other ingredients. The origin of the cowboy variant is not certain, and recipes vary. However, the ingredient list typically includes such items as garlic, paprika, chile powder, cayenne pepper, mustard, lemon, and herbs like parsley, chives, and thyme. It's not hard to see how a flavor-packed pat might improve a dull bowl of ramen.

Fixing up that ramen is about more than the condiment, though. It also needs some protein. Cowboy butter's ability to elevate steak helped it ascend to internet virality. So that is going to be the go-to choice here. Whether you use cowboy butter to cook leftover ribeye or add a spoonful of it to freshly grilled and thinly sliced sirloin, the pairing is a guaranteed hit.

Beef is closely tied to cowboys, but the butter that bears their moniker can fit with any protein.  For instance, it's great for making steakhouse-style salmon. The condiment also pairs well with chicken, roasted vegetables, or really just about anything. Some folks even suggest swapping cowboy butter into shrimp scampi recipes. The one downside that some diners find in this ramen styling is that it doesn't exactly connect the bowl to its Asian roots.

Butter does not feature heavily in a lot of Japanese cuisine, but it plays a larger role in the food of Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan. This colder region is renowned for all sorts of dairy products. In fact, it is not uncommon for a bowl of ramen in Hokkaido to be topped with a rich pat of butter. The broth for this version is traditionally miso-based, and common toppings include sweetcorn, scallions, and other vegetables. It may deviate somewhat from other cowboy-style ramen recipes, but mixing in a few of these traditional Northern Japanese ingredients will certainly help the recipe to land closer to home on the palate.

The alternative, of course, is leaning into the Americanization of this cowboy ramen, eschewing the more Asian-inspired side of things and opting instead for ingredients that scream cattle country. Some folks have been known to add a splash of barbecue sauce to the mix, while others claim that ranch dressing is an instant ramen upgrade. That decision we will leave in the hands of whatever kitchen cowboy is currently holding the reins.