Smoky Garlic Butter Mushrooms
We’ve all been there, guests coming over for a BBQ and you have the meat ready and you think to yourself, what am I serving with it?
You’re over the normal slaw and potato salad side dishes. You might be OK with just eating a big steak on its own but feel you will not be able to sell that idea to your better half.
So what do we do? We pull out the superfood, that umami of all foods to give the whole plate a boost it needs, mushrooms and roast them with garlic, butter, and herbs on your grill or smoker.
How to make garlic butter mushrooms
The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity. You only need a handful of ingredients besides the mushrooms. I used freshly chopped thyme but you can easily use dried or swap the thyme for oregano, rosemary or basil.
If you are grilling meat on your grill or smoker you can roast these over charcoal, with a little cherry wood to give them a little smoky flavor.
Any barbecue or grill with a lid will do the trick, or you can use your oven and still get great results.
What type of mushroom is best?
You can grab any mushrooms from the supermarket for this dish, but feel free to experiment with different types or combinations.
Here are some mushroom options you can try:
- Porcino Mushrooms, also known as bolete, Polish mushrooms or the penny bun are actually the pick of the bunch but are hard to find at times. They have a very smooth texture and nice woodsy flavors.
- Oyster Mushroom, or abalone mushrooms as they are sometimes called. They are used extensively in Asian dishes due to their delicate odor and flavor.
- Shiitake Mushroom, also known as the black mushroom or oriental black, although they have a very light woodsy aroma and flavor, you will find plenty of dehydrated versions as the flavor is intensified when dried.
- Portobello Mushroom or the field mushroom is the most common mushroom used in Italian cooking. These mushrooms, due to the umbrella cap on them, are sometimes used as burger buns and lend really well to grilling for their rich dense flavor and texture.
- Cremini Mushrooms are young Portabello’s, also known as baby bellas. These are closest to what we are looking for with a stronger and more robust flavor than the older Portobello. There is one mushroom these are commonly used instead of and most wouldn’t realise.
- White Button Mushroom or the champignon is what we are after. This mushroom is found everywhere and has a nice mild taste. These are the mushrooms of choice for pizzas, soups and salads and can even be eaten raw, not that we will do that. You should be able to find these at any grocery or supermarket.
How to season mushrooms
Since the white button mushrooms we are using have a mild flavor, we really don’t want to overdo the seasoning on them. What we need to do is pair them with flavors that will intensify their already earthy tones.
We’ll keep this simple by roasting the mushrooms in some unsalted butter and balsamic vinegar, then we’ll add to the depth of flavor by adding in garlic and thyme.
The only other seasoning that this dish requires is some of nature’s MSG, that being salt and pepper.
If you didn’t already know, salt is a flavor enhancer. I think too many people just have it sitting on a table and do not use it as its intended purpose and that is to intensify a meal’s flavor, not just shake a bunch of cheap table salt all over the place out of pure habit.
How to serve these mushrooms
These garlic butter mushrooms stand alone on any plate, to the point they can even be the hero if cooked correctly.
They also make a perfect side dish when grilling steak or any hero cut of meat.
I have also served these mushrooms with pasta, I just added some fried chicken breast pieces into the mix and found myself eating one of the easiest and quickest tastiest meals I’ve had in a long time.
Mix in some semi dried tomatoes, slice up a baguette into thin ¼ inch slices and toast them, spoon on some buttery garlic mushrooms with semi dried tomatoes and you’ll be in heaven.
I think we look at side dishes as exactly that, something we have on the side without giving it a second look but with a little imagination and thought, we can create many dishes with just a humble mushroom.
Garlic Butter Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1 lb white button mushrooms cleaned
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 tsp freshly thyme chopped
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place mushrooms in a baking tray.
- Mix butter, garlic, thyme and vinegar and pour over mushrooms.
- Give a good seasoning of salt and black pepper.
- Toss to make sure all is covered.
- Put in Hooded BBQ (or oven) for 20 minutes at 375°F, or until golden and tender.