Tomahawk Steak professional tips will give you the confidence to cook this amazing cut of beef at home the way a professional chef does!
Tomahawk Steak
One of the most beautifully fat marbled cuts of beef, tender and rich in flavor.
Basically the Tomahawk steak is a Bone-in ribeye, but oh how we love its swag!
While it may appear intimidating to many, it is easy to cook, if you have a professional chef’s secrets how, which I do, right here!
Whether you cook the Tomahawk on the outdoor grill or use the stovetop and oven, this cut comes out perfectly if we just do a few simply things to it.
Steak
Did you know that a steak is one of America’s top favorite eats?
No one said you have to eat it every night, but when you do, you must admit that a great steak is something to remember!
What cut of steak is your favorite? I didn’t grow up cooking steak. It intimidated the heck out of me.
I wasn’t sure how to make it tender, or cook it properly, or how to know when it was cooked enough, without becoming dry and over cooked.
Then, I grew up, had a son who is an executive chef for a top event catering company, 50-years strong, in the nation’s capital tri-states of DC, Maryland and Virginia.
My son can COOK steak perfectly, every dang time!
Professional Tips From A Chef
When my son Omar was growing up, he used to pick (yes, with fingers), any piece of fat he found in his meat, lay it on the side of the plate and keep on eating.
Fast forward, after two culinary schools and a decade of experience cooking (at times), 500 filet mignon on open fire grills, for a luxury, ‘china, crystal, linen and champagne’ meal.
Every steak cooked to perfection!
Teach mama how to cook steak! He did.
He taught me how to cook a steak perfectly, no matter the cut, using my stove and the oven.
Cook On A Steak
- OUT. Leave that steak out! Like, let is sit out for 2 hours, if possible, before even thinking about cooking the steak. If you want the inside to cook properly, it won’t happen if it’s cold.
- SALT. That’s it. Salt is all you need. Don’t even think about using some goopy store bought sauce. Rub that steak all over with coarse salt and let it sit out.
- HEAT. The second the steak touches heat, the magic begins, so make sure your heat is as hot as hell, stove or grill.
- REST. Once off the heat, let that gorgeous, sizzling steak rest 10-minutes.
What Is A Tomahawk Steak
Fred Flintstone? First time I saw a tomahawk steak, all I could think about was Fred Flintstone. Flint? As in, strike a match and make a hot fire?
I think the secret to cooking his fabulously huge steaks was already hidden in his name!
A Tomahawk steak is also known as the ‘ribeye’ cut of beef, only without the rib.
Steak And Bones
That rib left on the Tomahawk Steak is for show purposes only and what a show it makes, don’t you think?
Truth be known though, any bone left in a piece of meat, gives it an extra measure of flavor.
Consequently, I don’t understand why it costs more to buy meat with bones removed, when the flavor and nutrients are in the bone.
Steak In Brazil
Yes, I lived in Brazil for several years, where it is said that there are more cows (vaca), than people.
Of course, if you lived along the coastline, it was primarily seafood.
Never, ever, did I have beef in Brazil that was anything less than amazing, no matter what the cut was.
In my home in Goiania Brasil, I bought what most families had on their patio, a grill!
Not like the metal grills here, but a real stone/brick grill that was delivered completely ready to use. (and yes, that is an electric wire on top of a 12 foot fencing around my house, a story for another time).
Seasoning on the steak in Brazil was one simple ingredient; SALT!
Heavy, coarse salt was rubbed into the beef, left out to sit room temperature (basically body temperature warm), then cooked over hellish hot wood fires outside, or over cast iron pan inside.
Tomahawk Steak Professional Tips On The Cook
Whether you grill a steak on an outdoor grill or a cast iron griddle on your stove, the Tomahawk Steak is the most impressive steak to cook!
A luscious Tomahawk will weight about 2-3 pounds, while an average thickness ribeye weighs half that.
The bone weighs in and of course ups the price, but let’s admit how impressive it looks on the plate… well, perhaps the platter.
If you don’t want to pay extra for the bone, just go with a ribeye and cook it exactly the same.
How To Season A Tomahawk Steak
Quite honestly, that gorgeous steak doesn’t need much else, other than salt, for seasoning but, we can jazz up the flavor a bit, just in the last minutes of it cooking.
Rosemary, olive oil, butter and garlic bring a little extra panache to the final flavor of the steak.
These are the flavors I prefer when cooking lamb and find they best compliment beef as well.
Chop the rosemary and mix with a little olive oil and crushed garlic to brush over the steak before turning it over.
Once the steak is turned over, toss a cube of butter in the pan (or brush melted butter if grilling), and let that nutty, creamy flavor of the butter mingle with the fat of the steak.
Spoon, spoon and spoon the liquids over the steak several times and let that flavor sear into the steak crust.
What To Serve With Tomahawk Steaks
Why, potatoes, of course! The absolutely best potato to serve with an impressive tomahawk steak is an equally impressive Hasselback Potato!
Cut properly, and seasoned with the same olive oil, butter, garlic and rosemary you will add to the tomahawk steak at the end of searing it, will pair beautifully with the steak.
The Hasselback potato takes about an hour to bake and can sit out, wrapped, when the steak gets popped into the oven for its finally cook time.
Greens With My Tomahawk For Sides
I don’t know about you, but when I am cooking an expensive cut of meat, I want my full attention on the meat, not worrying about the sides.
For this reason I chose the Hasselback potato, since it requires no thought or time, once it has been prepped to bake.
However, greens can become needy the last minute.
Sure, asparagus is great to toss on the griddle while the steak rests, but my green of choice is Green Bean Bundles.
They are prepped in advance and get popped into the oven while the steak rests and look so festive!
Ingredients Needed
- Tomahawk Steak
- Coarse salt
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Rosemary
- Butter
Equipment Needed
- Large cast iron pan – a really wide one makes the job easier.
- Heavy sheet pan
- Sharp knife
- Garlic crusher
- Small mixing bowl
- Stovetop or burner
- Oven
Tomahawk Steak Professional Tips
Ingredients
- 2-3 lb Tomahawk Steak
- 1-2 tbs Coarse salt
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 Garlic cloves crushed
- 2 Rosemary stalks one chopped the other for garnish
- 1 tbsp Butter
Instructions
- Rub the steak, both sides, with salt and let it sit out on a sheet pan for 2 hours, yep, 2 hours!
- Meanwhile, chop 1 branch of rosemary into pieces. Mix with olive oil and garlic and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 450 and place a heavy cast iron rectangle pan (long enough to accommodate the length of steak and bone) in the oven to get hot.
- Move the heated pan to the stove top, turn on the fire. Place the steak on the pan (bone hanging off) and sizzle it on one side, about 3 minutes.
- Turn it over, brush with rosemary mixture and sizzle another 3 minutes.
- The last minute, toss in the butter. As it melts and mixes with the juices in the pan, spoon that mixture over the steak several times.
- Carefully transfer the pan to the oven. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until internal temperature is 130-135 F.
- Remove. Let the steak rest 10 minutes. Slice and serve.
Video
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.