Jalen Hurts Claims He’s the ‘Greatest in the Game’ at Cooking This Texas Staple

Jalen Hurts just cemented his place in football history as the MVP of Super Bowl LIX, but his dominance isn’t limited to the field. Off the gridiron, the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback claims another title: one of the best cooks in the game.

Although he’s now a proud (and decorated) Philadelphian, Hurts is a Texas native, which means he still has a soft spot for Southern cooking. His athletic career may have forced him to part ways with much of his grandmother’s homestyle comfort food, but there’s one family staple he refuses to leave behind.

In fact, he’s so passionate about this dish, he’s even considered opening a restaurant dedicated to it one day.

Jalen Hurts’ Favorite Southern Staple

Texas is known for its bold and flavorful cuisine, from Matthew McConaughey’s go-to BBQ side to George Strait’s beloved menudo. But Hurts’ signature dish is more of a regional specialty than a statewide staple. In his hometown of Houston, there’s nothing quite like a good old-fashioned crawfish boil.

Now, you won’t catch him digging into just any pile of crawfish. Just like on the field, Hurts holds himself—and his cooking—to the highest standards. If the boil isn’t done right, he won’t touch it.

“The thing about crawfish is, I oughta smell ‘em from a mile away,” he told Andscape. “I should smell ‘em walking to the street, and once I get to the backyard or front yard, I know what time it is.”

And, nobody makes a boil quite like his father, Averion Sr., who built a reputation in their community for hosting legendary crawfish boils. Hurts learned the craft from his dad at a young age and is carrying on the crawfish legacy, regularly bringing his teammates together for low-country feasts in the off-season. 

With a mentor like his dad, Hurts is confident in his cooking skills—and he’s not afraid to say it.

“I cook the best crawfish that they’ve ever had,” he once told GQ. “I think I’m the greatest in the game.”

Jalen Hurts’ Secret to the Best Crawfish Boil

So, what goes into the QB’s boil? Crawfish, of course, as well as shrimp, potatoes, and corn. “You want it to be filling,” he explained in a video with Andscape. “You get down in the South, you have turkey necks, neck bones.” He said his dad has even experimented with chicken wings in the mix.

While he won’t give away his family’s full recipe, Hurts did reveal one crucial step: proper cleaning.

“I will tell you this, if they’re not clean, then you can put all the nice things in there, all these fancy seasonings in there, but if they’re dirty crawfish, they won’t amount to anything.”

And, with all his expertise in the subject, Hurts hasn’t ruled out turning his culinary skills into a business. When he was once asked what he would be if he weren’t an NFL quarterback, “professional crawfish cooker” was his immediate answer. In fact, Hurts also told Andscape, “Maybe one day I’ll open up a little crawfish restaurant or something like that to give everyone an experience.”

If that’s the case, you won’t catch any of us here at Allrecipes crying at his football retirement party. 

As for now, with a fresh Super Bowl ring on his finger, we can only wonder: will there be a massive championship crawfish boil at the Hurts household this weekend? We don’t know for sure, but that’s an invite we’d like to score.