Amp Up Your Steak's Flavor With Scott Conant's 6-Spice Blend

There's more than one school of thought on the best seasoning ratio for steak. For some, a heavy dose of salt and pepper is all you need to season your steak, no matter the cut or cooking method. Others may opt for a pre-made steak seasoning filled with plenty of savoriness and spiciness to get deep, rich flavor throughout. No matter the flavor-filled route you choose to go, a steak can't simply be cooked naked — it needs something to amp it up.

Scott Conant — a chef and restaurateur with an appreciation for a properly cooked and seasoned steak — has a seasoning that he uses in all of his restaurants. While Conant is certainly a proponent of heavy salting on a steak, it's his special beef spice blend that he hopes people will remember when they eat a steak at any of his establishments. We had the chance to chat with him at the New York City Wine and Food Festival and were lucky enough to get the recipe for his beef spice mix.

The blend is simple, but each element works to add a different flavor profile to the mix. Whole allspice, cumin seeds, yellow mustard seeds, Szechuan peppercorns, and crushed red pepper are toasted until fragrant, then combined with sweet smoked paprika. The blend is cooled slightly, then ground into a fine powder in a spice grinder, such as this Amazon Basics model. And just like that, you've got a spice blend to rival anything on grocery store shelves.

When using the beef spice blend on a steak, the method is just as straightforward as the mix itself. Scott Conant recommends combining the spice blend with a good amount of olive oil, then letting it rest so that the flavors in the blend permeate through the oil. Once the steak has been cooked and is off the heat, brush the spiced oil over the steak and sprinkle with some sea salt. Then, let the flavors get into the meat as it continues to cook while it rests, so keep an eye on the temperature.

For Conant, it's this blend of savory, spicy, and herbaceous flavor that emanates the future of steak. "If that steak were to mature into something like a spice, I'd like to think this is the evolution of what that steak would taste like," he said. "When I eat it, hopefully when others eat it, the intention is it's just a flavor that continues to grow, but in an interesting, fun, sexy way."