Perfectly Cooked Tomahawk Steak

🥩 What is a Tomahawk Ribeye?

A tomahawk ribeye is a ribeye steak with at least 5 inches of rib bone still intact. Trimming the bone of meat and fat makes it look like a handle, this is called "frenching".

This technique leaves a steak that will turn heads and is very impressive in size on your dinner table.

Tomahawk Ribeye vs. Ribeye

The two main differences in these steaks is the long rib bone and the large size of the tomahawk steak compared to the standard ribeye. The tomahawk is normally cut from a large rib resulting in a steak that is a minimum of 2 pounds in weight.

A normal ribeye steak might be 1 inch thick, where as the tomahawk steak will be closer to 2 inches or more in thickness. We will go over the differences on how to cook a tomahawk steak compared to a normal sized ribeye.

Where to buy?

Where as ribeye steak can be found easily at a super market or butcher, a tomahawk steak is less common. These flintstone sized steaks are normally found in stores only during summer time during the height of grilling season.

Market / butcher shop

Local butcher, online meat market, or large club stores such as Sam's club or Costco are the best places to purchase these steaks.

I purchased these two tomahawk ribeye steaks from the online meat market Wild fork foods due to my local stores not carrying them. Averaging about 2.5 pounds each, these steaks came with great marbling.

Prime / Choice meat

When purchasing steak you will have the option of purchasing prime meat or choice meat. Prime meat which is labeled with a sticker saying 'USDA Prime' will have more interior marbling and more flavor.

Choice beef is still a great steak, but will have less interior marbling than prime beef. Due to this, choice will be less expensive than the USDA Prime beef.

How to cook a tomahawk steak

Let's get started making these thick and juicy ridiculously great tasting bone in ribeyes. I'm going to walk you through the prep, seasoning, cooking, and pairing some great sides for this perfect tomahawk steak recipe.

🔪 Prepping the steaks

When it comes to getting these steaks ready to go on the grill, there isn't much that needs to be done. A little bit of seasoning and these bad boys are ready for the fire.

Bring to room temperature

Before seasoning, make sure the steaks have time to rise to room temperature. This should take about 30 minutes to 1 hour of being removed from the refrigerator and sitting on the kitchen counter.

If the steaks are frozen, which they will come if ordered online, remove from freezer and allow to defrost in the fridge for 2 days before you plan on cooking them.

If you are in a hurry and forgot to pull your steaks out of the freezer, no worries. You can place the wrapped steaks in a bowl of cool water to speed up the defrosting process. Do NOT use hot water, cool room temperature water works best.

Seasoning the steak

I use an equal amount of salt and pepper with about ½ as much garlic for my tomahawk steak recipe. Mix the salt, pepper, & garlic together in a dish and sprinkle liberally onto the room temperature steaks.

This seasoning can be put on the meat right before grilling, no need to allow them to 'marinate' with the spices before grilling.

Grilling the steaks

Grilling tomahawk ribeye steaks is my go to cooking method. Note that it is a little different than grilling a regular ribeye. Due to the thickness, the cooking time and the temperature is going to be different.

🌡️ Temperature

Normally when cooking a steak I like to get the fire raging and cooking them at 450-500°F. When it comes to the tomahawk steaks, keep the grill temperature a little lower at 350-400° Fahrenheit.

If the grill is too hot, the fat on these steaks is going to flame up resulting in burning the outside of the steak before the inside is fully cooked. Since they have a much longer cook time, the lower grill temp is very important and the outside will still sear nicely.

⏲️ How long to cook tomahawk steaks

Once the grill is pre-heated, throw the seasoned tomahawk ribeye's on and close the grill lid. Let those cook for 5 minutes and then rotate the steak 90 degrees to achieve the checkerboard pattern on the steak.

Cook another 5 minutes and then flip the steak over and repeat. (Cook 5 minutes then rotate 90 degrees for another 5 minutes)

These 2+ inch thick steaks take about 10 minutes a side for a total of 20 minutes when cooking at 350-400°F to an internal temperature of 125°F. This is about twice the cook time my normal ribeye steaks take when cooking at 450°F.

Choosing internal temperature

When it comes to cooking steaks, cook to internal temperature of the meat instead of time. Use an instant read thermometer to keep track of the internal temperature while cooking.

Choose your desired doneness from the chart below, medium rare is perfect for me!

Keep in mind that you should pull the steaks off the grill 5-10°F before reaching your desired doneness. This is due to the steaks continuing to cook while they rest.

Allow your tomahawk ribeye steak to rest for 10 minutes before slicing/eating to allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. This will help the steak stay nice and juicy!

Top with a little bit of butter for looks and that nice extra flavor!

🥗 Perfect side dishes

Congratulations! You have just cooked one of the best steaks you will every eat, so let's make this great steak into an even better meal.

Pairing this grilled ribeye recipe with some great side dishes will round out your meal. Here are some sides I recommend you try with your ribeye steak.

• Smoked Vegetables
• Smoked Baked potatoes
• Roasted potatoes
• Corn on the cob

Gas & charcoal grills

These are the best two grills to use when grilling a tomahawk ribeye. The gas grill is easy to maintain temperature and a charcoal grill will impart the best flavor.

These ribeye's take a while to cook since they are so thick, so these grills are a great way to give them some high heat to get them cooking.

When it comes to charcoal grills, the Weber kettle is about my favorite to use. I love how inexpensive and easy they are to use.

When it comes to gas grills or natural gas grills, weber also makes a great grill. The new Weber Genesis smart grills definitely will take your grilling to the next level.

Do you need all that tech stuff to grill a steak? No. The best grill to use is the one you already have! So fire it up and let's get to grilling.

Smokers

I've smoked plenty of great tasting steaks on my pellet smoker, just like the Camp Chef 36 smoker. Pellet smokers are an easy and great way to impart fantastic smoke flavor on your steaks and other meats without having to babysit a firebox all day.

A traditional offset smoker, like this Oklahoma Joe's Smoker can also be used when making smoked steaks. Grab your favorite wood and get your smoker fired up.

Try these smoked dishes!

Old Pro Tips

• Grill at a lower temperature than you would a thinner steak to prevent burning the outside before the inside is cooked.
• Allow the steak to rest for 10 minutes to let the juices redistribute throughout the meat before slicing.
• Season the ribeye on ALL sides right before grilling.
• Remove the steak from the grill 5-10 degrees below your desired finished temperature, the steak will continue to cook slightly while resting.