Matthew McConaughey has stirred the pot recently with a few unexpected culinary hot takes that some fans think are far from “alright, alright, alright.” (Sorry!)
Take his signature tuna salad, which calls for surprising mix-ins like wasabi paste, chopped apples, frozen peas and corn, and Italian dressing. Or consider his strong affinity for ketchup—and the fact that he used to routinely eat heads of lettuce with ketchup for dinner.
But the vast majority of his recipes and cooking tips are as crowd-pleasing as his rom-coms. We swear by his trick to make juicy, flavorful burgers (add a packet of onion soup mix to the meat) and love recreating his favorite two-ingredient Texas bite at home.
Whether or not you agree with all of his ingredient combinations, it’s clear that McConaughey is passionate about food and knows his way around a kitchen as well as he does a film set. He looks right at home alongside a celebrity chef in a recent video on Gordon Ramsay’s YouTube channel.
Ramsay asks, to open the 31-minute cooking demo: “What happens when a Brit and a Texan come together?”
“We cook some cow. Rib-eye,” McConaughey confirms.
In fact, Ramsay’s mission is to coach the actor, Oscar winner, author, tequila brand co-founder, and passionate home cook on how to perfect steak and eggs using (you guessed it) rib-eye. Both Ramsay and McConaughey agree that when it comes to beef, this is the best cut of steak thanks to its marbling.
The Recipe Matthew McConaughey Has Perfected Over 25 Years
The most surprising part of the steak and eggs recipe isn’t the steak or the eggs—it’s the “contraband” plastic bag of spice blend McConaughey pulls from his back pocket when it comes time to season the rib-eye.
“It’s called ‘The One,’ and I’ve been working on this rub for 25 years,” McConaughey explains as he offers Ramsay a smell to try to guess the ingredients.
When Ramsay asks, “What’s in there?” McConaughey quickly changes the subject, generously sprinkles it over the steaks, and confirms with a laugh, “I can’t tell you that. Tell me what you think after you taste.”
The duo continue to chat about “The One,” and McConaughey reveals that this is his own signature seasoning blend. “It’s not a thing that’s on the market, but I go down in the basement and make a wheelbarrow full of it every Christmas,” he says. He shares it with friends and family who treasure their stash of MM spice blend.
A Spicy Secret Worth Keeping
So what’s included? McConaughey keeps this close to his chest, as does his wife, Camila Alves McConaughey. She discussed it on a March 2022 episode of the podcast, “Your Last Meal.” (Yes, that spice blend is part of her last meal, which includes “the rib-eye that my husband makes,” seasoned with his secret family spice blend, of course, with sides of yuca fries and sautéed kale.)
Still, Camila offered one clue: It contains “maybe 10” different spices. And it’s so craveable that those lucky enough to receive a portion of that wheelbarrow-sized batch simply send McConaughey a photo of their empty jar with a plea: “Can I please have some more?”
McConaughey’s treasured family spice blend is a better-kept secret than KFC’s 11 herbs and spices, but Ramsay offers a few helpful hints after smelling the contents of the bag: “It’s fragrant. It’s not citrusy, but it’s vibrant…It’s lovely. I’m dying to know what’s in there now!”
Our Best Guess at Matthew McConaughey’s Secret Spice Blend
Based on that tiny hint, it sounds like sumac might be in the mix. This spice, a frequent star of Middle Eastern dishes, is tangy, bright, and reminiscent of fresh lemon juice with floral, earthy, and sweet undertones.
Onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, salt, and black pepper are mainstays in many steak spice blends, which cover a few more possibilities. From there, considering McConaughey’s Longhorn roots, we wouldn’t be surprised if his secret recipe includes sweet and spicy elements—much like Texas barbecue sauce—such as brown sugar and cayenne pepper.
But since we can’t taste or smell it (yet—Matthew, we’d love to be added to your holiday food gift list!), that’s just a hypothesis.
Until we know more—and perhaps we never will—we’ll take this as a reminder to refresh our stocks of some of our most versatile and vibrant red meat-friendly blends, like Chef John’s All-Purpose Steak Rub and Barbecue Dry Rub, Steak Dry Rub, Hugh’s Dry Rub, and Bangin’ Steak Rub.