Due to its thickness, tomahawk is usually trickier to work with than other steak cuts.
With this recipe, however, you’re sure to master cooking tomahawk in just one try! Cook flawless tomahawk steak that’s very tender on the inside and beautifully charred on the outside!
Two Things You Must Know About Tomahawk Steak
Tomahawk is a pretty interesting steak cut, so let’s talk about two fun facts about this steak before we talk about grilling it!
Tomahawk Is Ribeye Steak with the Bone Intact
Tomahawk is essentially just ribeye steak, except the bone is left intact for presentation and flavor.
That said, just like ribeye steak, tomahawk is known for its rich flavor and excellent marbling.
When cooked properly, it’s undoubtedly one of the best steaks you can enjoy.
Tomahawk is Usually Cooked with Two Cooking Methods
Since tomahawk steak is cut along the rib bones, it is often regarded as the thickest steak cut.
Hence, to ensure that the innermost sections of the steak are cooked thoroughly, you should combine the typical steak searing process with a secondary cooking method.
Often, that cooking method is either by baking in the oven or slow cooking on a grill with indirect heat.
For this recipe, we’ll start by grilling the tomahawk on indirect heat for about 45 minutes.
And once it’s nearly cooked, we’ll switch to direct heat in two ways.
First, we’ll sear one side of the nearly cooked steak on the grill to achieve nice char marks, then finish cooking the other side in a hot cast iron skillet while basting with butter.
Perfectly Grilled Tomahawk Recipe
Indulge in this tender tomahawk steak, first cooked using indirect low heat for up to an hour before being grilled over high heat and basted for maximum flavor!
Ingredients
- A 2-inch-thick tomahawk steak (about 2.5-3 pounds)
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons of salted butter
- 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme
Instructions
- 2 hours before cooking, remove the tomahawk steak from the fridge. Place it on a cooling rack and season all sides with kosher salt. Coat evenly and allow the steak to sit at room temperature, uncovered, for 2 hours.
- For this recipe, we’ll follow a two-zone cooking setup. In other words, one side of your grill should have direct heat (whether you’re using coal or gas), and the other side should only have indirect heat. We’ll call these two the “hot side” and the “cool side”. The cool side should maintain a temperature of 225°F, so adjust the hot side’s heat as needed.
- Once your grill is ready, pat the steak dry to ensure there’s no excess liquid.
- Place the tomahawk steak on the “cool side” of the grill. Face the bone away from the hot side so you don’t accidentally char it.
- With the lid covered, cook the steak over the cool side’s low heat until it reaches an internal temperature of 120°F. This usually takes 45 minutes to an hour, but since every grill is different, it’s best to rely on the meat thermometer instead of the time. Make sure to flip the steak halfway through to ensure it cooks evenly.
- Before the steak reaches 120°F, prepare the garlic butter. In a small pan that’s over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the minced garlic and fresh thyme. Cook until fragrant and set aside.
- Once the steak reaches 120°F on the “cool side” of the grill, remove it from the heat and loosely cover it with foil. Crank up the heat on the “hot side” of the grill, aiming to reach 450°F.
- If your grill is big enough, place a cast iron skillet near the far edge of the hot side of the grill, leaving enough space to fit the tomahawk steak. If not, place a hot cast iron skillet on the “cool side” of the grill instead.
- Directly sear one side of the steak on the grill grates of the hot side of the grill. Place the steak diagonally to the right, first, then after about a minute, turn it to the other angle, creating an “X” pattern on the steak. This process should take no more than 2 minutes.
- If you’ve already preheated the cast iron skillet on the “hot side” of the grill, simply reposition it to a hotter center, and proceed to the next step. But if you placed it on the “cool side,” allow it to heat up first until it’s as hot as it can be before you proceed.
- Transfer the steak to the skillet, with the side with grill marks facing up. Add the butter you made earlier and spoon it over the steak continuously (basting). After about a minute or two of basting, remove the steak from the skillet and transfer it to a cutting board.
- Slice the steak or serve it whole with your preferred sides and enjoy!
Notes
Image credit to ©grillaholics.
Featured image credit to ©herdandgrace.