The Seasoning Pete Hegseth Uses For His Hot Grilled Steak

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth likes to cook from time to time, and his forte is the grill. He's shared more than one crowd-pleasing, fire-cooked recipe with the public over the years. Hegseth's game day grilled pizza is a great way to make a charred pie without a pizza oven, and his steak makes just as much of a fiery impression. Meet Pete Hegseth's hot grilled steak: a New York Strip or a ribeye seasoned in a crust of spice, seared on high heat, and finished on the top rack of the grill.

Hegseth uses a combination of seasonings for his signature steak – Quebec steak seasoning, Slap Ya' Mama Cajun seasoning, chipotle seasoning, salt, and pepper. He coats both sides of the steak in a thick layer of seasoning mixture and lets it rest for an undisclosed amount of time at room temperature. Then, the steak goes onto a piping hot grill, seared on each side for about three minutes, and moved to the top rack to finish cooking for two to three minutes.

Pete Hegseth's hot grilled steak recipe is very specific about cooking technique – only flip that steak once on the hottest part of the grill before you transfer it to the cooler, top rack. The one-flip rule is an age-old tradition that helps create a good, crusted sear on each side of the steak without losing any of the seasonings. However, it's been debunked by many chefs and pitmasters – they say you can flip steaks as much as you want, with experiments showing that a steak will develop a crust just as well if you flip it every 30 seconds as it does if you flip it once. Flipping repeatedly can also lead to more even cooking on the inside and be a smidge quicker. But, if you want to stick to the book on Hegseth's technique, only flip that piece of meat one time.

Regardless, you should let the steak rest before serving, though the amount of time varies by opinion. Some say if you want a restaurant-quality steak, let it sit for at least five minutes, and others are a little more nuanced with their strategy, such as letting grilled meat rest for exactly half the time it cooks.