What is a Tomahawk Steak?

How to Cook a Perfect Tomahawk Steak – This glorious cut of meat is actually a large ribeye steak that is specifically cut with about 8-12 inches of the rib bone left on it.

The bone is “Frenched”, a culinary term that means it is trimmed of fat and meat. The Tomahawk steak is meant to look like the handle of an ax. It’s the same technique that is used on a rack of lamb.

The bone is intended to give it the “wow” factor however it also helps insulate the tender meat while it cooks.

The Tomahawk steak is extremely tender and buttery, with beautiful marbling. It’s also relatively simple to make!

Because of its size and 2″ thickness this steak requires a different cooking method than a regular sized steak, which usually just gets a quick sear on the grill.

We chose the indirect “reverse sear” method for our Tomahawks and we’ll show you how to do it, with step-by-step directions, so you will get it just right every time!

Preparing Ribeye Steaks for Reverse Sear

There are 2 steps to preparing the steak, which need to be done ahead of time, so be sure to allow time for this important step.

Step One – Salting and Dry Brining

• The first step to prepping this big steak is salting it liberally with kosher salt.
• Allow the salt to sit on the steak for 12-24 hours in the refrigerator uncovered. Place the steak on a rack on top of a baking sheet for best results.

We have found that salting (dry brining) improves the texture and flavor of nearly every type of red meat, not just steak. Why? Its science at work. When the salt is applied to the uncooked meat the juices inside the meat are drawn to the surface. The salt then dissolves into that liquid, forming a kind of brine that is then slowly reabsorbed into the meat.

The end result is an incredibly tender, moist, buttery steak loaded with flavor. This method works well on pork chops too.

Step Two – The Seasoning Rub

• Once the steak is done with the 12-24 hour salt brine take it out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature
• Prepare the rub mixture which is a thick paste of olive oil, paprika, black pepper, and crushed garlic
• Coat the entire steak and the bone area with the rub, return to the rack, and let it sit for about 15 minutes
• Preheat the oven to 200˚F

How to Cook a Tomahawk Ribeye Steak:

Because of the size of this steak the reverse sear method is the perfect way to cook it.

Reverse searing involves slow roasting the meat in a low temperature oven, to bring it to the desired internal temperature, and then finishing it with a quick sear on the grill to create a delicious crust and lock in the flavor.

Step-by-step for Reverse Searing Meat in the Oven:

• Place spice rubbed steak in a 200˚F oven, on a rack, over a baking sheet to catch any juices
• Start preheating the grill to medium-high while the steak is in the oven
• Check the steak after about 30 minutes, but it will likely take closer to 40 minutes to cook
• We highly recommend using an instant-read thermometer to check internal temperature
• Cook until the internal temperature reaches preferred doneness:
• Rare = 120˚F which is a cool bright red center and pinkish toward the outside
• Medium Rare = 125˚F which is a warm red center but still very pink and slightly brown toward the outside
• Medium = 130˚F which is a warm light pink center with outer portion brown
• Remove steak from the oven and move it directly to the grill
• Sear for 2-3 minutes on each side to lock in flavor and develop a crust
• Let steak rest for about 5-minutes uncovered before slicing. The temperature of the meat will continue to rise about 5°F during this time (also known as “carryover cooking”)

Read More : Islandwalkbarandgrill.com

How long should you let steak rest?

Resting steak is an important step because the heat of cooking pulls the juices in the meat toward the surface.

If you immediately slice into it after cooking, all of those flavorful, amazing juices will end up on the plate, not in your steak. Allowing your steak to rest will give the juices time to sink back in throughout the meat, keeping it moist and flavorful when serving.

How many servings are in a Tomahawk Steak?

The steak in our photos weighed in at 2.8 pounds (45 ounces). Once we cut the steak away from the bone we had about 32 ounces of meat. This easily served four people (plus the bone for the pup!)

How to serve this steak:

Because the giant bone makes the Tomahawk larger than life you should definitely include it in the presentation. It’s the bow tie on the tuxedo.

• First cut the steak away from the bone
• Then slice the meat, against the grain, into slices
• Arrange the meat back around the bone so it appears to still be on the bone and serve on a large platter

Great sides to serve with steak

A great steak needs amazing side dishes to go along with it and here are a few of our favorites:

• Since the grill is already hot try our easy Grilled Caesar Salad or we served it with our Grilled Artichokes with Lemon Dill Aioli
• Grilled Corn on the Cob with Sweet Chili Sauce is always a perfect match
• Our nice light summer Strawberry Spinach Salad pairs well

Your Sommelier Wine Pairings:

It only makes sense that the King of Steaks should only be paired with wine royalty!

When pairing wines with this delicious masterpiece you should look no further than a rich robust full bodied Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

These beautiful Cabernet’s make a wonderful pairing for this tender, buttery, steak lovers dream dinner.

The Bordeaux region of France also produces some beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blends that make an equally stunning partner for our Tomahawk master.