John Wayne's 'Peppered Cowboy Steaks' Are As Iconic As They Are Tasty

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John Wayne was famous for his cowboy roles. From his first leading role in 1930's "The Big Trail," to his last in 1976's "The Shootist," the actor was forever linked to the genre. It shouldn't be too much of a surprise that he liked to grill up cowboy steaks. This thick-cut, bone-in ribeye steak features a Frenched (aka cleaned) rib bone. It's a classic, like the Duke. Back when he was a kid and still known as Marion Robert Morrison, his family was too poor to afford steak — Wayne mostly ate peanut butter on saltines for lunch — but once he hit it big, steak became one of his staple meals.

He had his own way of grilling bone-in ribeye steaks, considered by some to be the perfect cut to cook on an open flame. Wayne called his recipe "peppered cowboy steaks." As you'd imagine, pepper plays a big role here. He used two kinds — black and red (plus some lemon pepper) — in a wet rub with olive oil, salt, garlic powder, dried thyme and dried parsley for a tasty and simple addition to the meat.

John Wayne, after applying the wet rub to the cowboy steaks, would refrigerate the meat for an hour before throwing it on the grill with the lid on. His secret to making sure the bone didn't char as the steak cooked was to wrap it in tin foil. The pepper gives this dish a bit of heat and pungency, and helps bring out the beef's umami flavors. The recipe can be found in "The Official John Wayne Way to Grill: Great Stories & Manly Meals Shared By Duke's Family."

Wayne liked to spend time grilling and, like fellow Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe, it was steak that he was most drawn to. Even after wrapping a film, instead of going out to a fancy Hollywood restaurant, Wayne would invite the cast and crew over to his place for a barbecue. "They would have a cocktail and gather around the grill," his son, Ethan Wayne, told Cowboys & Indians in 2015. "They talked, told stories, laughed, and smiled. It was in those moments when my dad really lived life. He loved it." So, harness your inner cowboy and throwdown on the grill like the Duke did with this easy and tasty steak style.