Tomahawk Steak
Recipe video above. Don’t cook a tomahawk steak entirely on the BBQ - you’ll end up with a thick, overcooked band! The best way is to use the reverse-sear method: oven first, then BBQ. It's stress free and you'll have blushing pink meat from edge to edge with a killer crust - steak perfection! All credit to J Kenji Lopez-Alt for popularising this now world renowned method which can be used for all thick cut steaks.No BBQ? See note 5 for the oven-only method.PS Please a meat thermometer to nail the doneness - this is not the time to guess.PPS Even if you overshoot to 60°C/140°F, it still eats like medium-rare. Also - see FAQ above for making stacks for a tomahawk party!
Servings: 2 - 3 people
Ingredients
Tomahawk Steak
- 1 tomahawk steak (1.2 - 1.5kg / 2.4 - 3lb) (Note 1)
- 2 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Steak sauce options
- Cowboy butter (pictured in post - Tomahawk worthy!)
- Bearnaise sauce
- Cafe de Paris
- Creamy mushroom sauce
- Chimichurri sauce
- Blue cheese sauce (page 330 of Dinner)
- Red wine sauce (page 327 of Dinner, requires homemade beef stock)
- Dijon or seeded mustard
Instructions
ABBREVIATED:
- Season, slow-roast on rack at 140°C/285°F (120°C fan) for 40-45 minutes to 50°C/122°F. Rest 10 minutes. Preheat BBQ until screaming hot, drizzle steak with oil, lower BBQ to low/med low and sear on hot BBQ 3 - 4 minutes on each side (temp 55°C (128°F)). Rest 3 minutes (temp rises to 57°C/135°F = perfect medium rare 🙌🏻). Slice, serve with Cowboy Butter!
FULL RECIPE:
Oven slow-roast:
- De-chill - Take the steak out of the fridge 1 hour prior to cooking. Remove from packaging and pat the surface dry. (Do not salt).
- Preheat the oven to 140°C/285°F (120°C fan-forced).
- Season - Sprinkle the steak meat with salt and pepper, then use your hands to rub it in.
- Slow(ish) roast - Put the steak on a rack and set it on a baking tray. (Note 2) Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 50°C/122°F (for medium rare, see Note 3 for other doneness).
- Rest - Take the tray out of the oven and leave the steak on the counter for 10 minutes. (Internal temperature should rise by 3 degrees).
Sear:
- Preheat the BBQ on high until it's screaming hot. Use the flat plate side if you're not a confident BBQ'er, or the grill side if you're a BBQ master. (Note 4)
- Oil - Drizzle the oil on the steak and lightly pat to spread (don't rub off the salt), using most of the surface area of the meaty part.
- Turn BBQ DOWN - If using the grill side, reduce to low (if yours is strong, mine is) or medium low (for weaker ones). If using the flat plate side, lower to medium. Do this just before putting the tomahawk on.
- Edges first - Using tongs, hold the steak upright and sear the edges and bone first (only if you've got meat on it), rotating and moving every minute or so to achieve this all the way around. ⚠️Flare-ups – If searing on the grill side, don’t walk away - flare-ups are inevitable. See Note 4 for managing.
- Steak crust - Then place the steak down on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature is 55°C / 131°F. For classic X grill lines, rotate once 45° partway through.
- Rest the steak on a rack for 3 minutes - the internal temperature will rise to 57°C/135°F which is perfect medium rare.
- Serve - Cut into 1 cm / 0.4" thick slices. Serve with steak sauce of choice! (Pictured: Cowboy Butter, highly recommend!).
Notes
1. Tomahawk steak - Comes in various sizes depending on thickness of cut (usually 5 cm / 2" thick). A 1 kg/2 lb tomahawk will generously feed 2 people (the bone weighs 200g/7 oz).
2. Rack - Elevating the steak off the base of the tray keeps the underside from getting wet and steamy so you get a nicer crust when you sear it. Not the end of the world if you don't do it.
3. Other doneness: Here are the target temperatures for different levels of doneness. Medium rare is optimum juiciness and the default used by restaurants and chefs - recommended!
4. BBQ - The grill side gives better smoky flavour and char, but I recommend using the flat iron side if you're not an experienced BBQ'er. Open grills cause flare ups that need to be managed (because tomahawks are fatty - that's why they're so good!). Shift the steak around or move off the heat as needed to avoid scorching. We’re after a good char, not a burnt crust! If flare-ups are too hard to control, switch to the flat plate side.
5. Broiler / oven grill method (no BBQ) - Works incredibly well!! Take the tomahawk out of the oven at 45C/113F (30 to 35 minutes). While it's resting, crank up the oven grill/broiler to 250C/480F with the shelf set so the surface of the steak will be 5 cm / 2" from the heat source.
Oil steak per recipe. Leave the steak on the rack on the tray. Use scrunched up foil so the surface of the meat is as level as possible (KEY TIP). Broil 3 to 4 minutes, flip and repeat with the other side to get good browning on the steak - the internal temperature should be 52C/125F at this stage. Rest on rack 5 minutes (temperature will rise to 57C/135F = medium rare 🎉). Slice and serve!
Leftovers will keep for 3 days but it seems a shame not to eat steak this good freshly cooked!
4. BBQ - The grill side gives better smoky flavour and char, but I recommend using the flat iron side if you're not an experienced BBQ'er. Open grills cause flare ups that need to be managed (because tomahawks are fatty - that's why they're so good!). Shift the steak around or move off the heat as needed to avoid scorching. We’re after a good char, not a burnt crust! If flare-ups are too hard to control, switch to the flat plate side.
5. Broiler / oven grill method (no BBQ) - Works incredibly well!! Take the tomahawk out of the oven at 45C/113F (30 to 35 minutes). While it's resting, crank up the oven grill/broiler to 250C/480F with the shelf set so the surface of the steak will be 5 cm / 2" from the heat source.
Oil steak per recipe. Leave the steak on the rack on the tray. Use scrunched up foil so the surface of the meat is as level as possible (KEY TIP). Broil 3 to 4 minutes, flip and repeat with the other side to get good browning on the steak - the internal temperature should be 52C/125F at this stage. Rest on rack 5 minutes (temperature will rise to 57C/135F = medium rare 🎉). Slice and serve!
Leftovers will keep for 3 days but it seems a shame not to eat steak this good freshly cooked!