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How To Cook a Tomahawk Steak Perfectly

Follow this guide for how to grill, smoke or oven-cook the ideal Tomahawk steak.

It can be daunting to try to prepare a new cut of meat. I know that whenever I invest in a different steak than I’d normally buy, the fear sets in that I am going to mess it up. 

This is especially true when I’ve made an investment in a prime-grade steak for a special occasion. The loss is two-fold: my wallet and my tastebuds! Because I don’t want anyone else to struggle with that same level of anxiety, I am going to teach you how to cook a Tomahawk steak perfectly!

A Tomahawk steak being grilled over fire and being held by the long bone
(AlexRaths via iStock Photo)

A Tomahawk steak is a bone-in ribeye steak that has been trimmed to resemble the shape of a Tomahawk. It is cut from the beef rib, similar to a Porterhouse steak. These are prime-grade or Wagyu cuts, known for exceptional marbling. This extremely tender meat is preferred for its rich, buttery flavor with a texture that practically melts in your mouth.

It is also thick steak, adding to the cost and complexity when it comes to cooking it masterfully. And, as you might infer from the name, a Tomahawk steak has a long bone from the rib still intact, making it also reminiscent of the handle of an ax. 

Many believe that the bone adds additional flavor when the steak is prepared in certain ways, a theory that we are going to lean into here!

How to Grill a Tomahawk Steak

Are you looking for tips on how to grill a perfect Tomahawk steak? Look no further!

Grilling is often a preferred method for cooking steak because it adds so much flavor.

Tomahawk steak is so thick that it’s easy to mess up cooking it if you don’t use the proper methods. The last thing you want is a steak that’s cold and raw inside, or overcooked — I’m not sure which is worse.

Cooking a Tomahawk steak on the grill requires using what is called a two-zone heating method, which is a lot easier than you might imagine.

If you’re using a charcoal grill, you will want to fill a chimney starter with coals and light them until they are hot. They are ready when they ash over and turn gray.

For a gas grill, you’ll simply fire up one side of the grill when you’re ready to begin.

Before cooking, remove your refrigerated steak and allow it to rest at room temperature for approximately one hour.

You will also pat your steak dry using a paper towel and add desired seasonings — you only want to do this just before placing the meat on the grill.

Now you will set up your two-zone heat.

On one side of the grill, you will place your charcoal, or start one side of your grill on low heat. Do not wait for the grate to heat — place your seasoned steak on the cool zone of the grill, not over a heat source.

(ahirao_photo via iStock Photo)

Flip the Tomahawk steak every 5 minutes on all sides. Keep it as far from the heat source as the grill allows.

Using a digital meat thermometer (a critical step!), check the center of the meat every 15 minutes or so. When the center of the steak hits 95 to 100 degrees, remove from the heat and cover with aluminum foil for 15 minutes.

Next, we will sear the steak, which will involve turning up the heat! For this, you want to add fresh, newly heated charcoal for a charcoal grill, and for a propane grill, turn up the heat.

Related: Learn one chef’s secret to cooking the perfect steak.

This time, place the Tomahawk steak directly over the heat source for one minute on both the top and bottom. Next, sear all edges for approximately 30 seconds. If you have not yet achieved the char you’re looking for, you can sear again for a few seconds at a time, though for best results you do not want to try to take this too far as you can overcook the steak.

Remove the tender steak from the heat and top with compound butter and salt flakes. Slice fairly thin for that super soft, rich texture and flavor.

A man wearing an apron and grilling
(monkeybusinessimages via iStock Photo)

How to Cook a Tomahawk Steak in the Oven

To cook a delicious Tomahawk steak in the oven, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Pat the steak dry with paper towels and season liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Allow the steak to come to room temperature.

While you allow the steak to warm up, trim the top quarter inch off a garlic bulb and drizzle it with oil. Add a pinch of salt and wrap in a foil tent. Roast the garlic in your preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the cloves are soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F.

In a large, heavy-duty cast iron pan or skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until it just starts to smoke. Lay the Tomahawk steak in the skillet and sear for approximately 3 minutes. Be careful as the hot oil will splatter.

Using tongs, grasp the bone and turn the steak over, cooking for another 3 minutes. Next, sear the short side of the steak opposite the bone for about 1 minute.

(Lisovskaya via iStock Photo)

Transfer the steak to a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven, roasting 9 to 10 minutes, or until desired doneness is reached. You can also use a rack placed on the baking sheet with the steak on top to allow for hot air to flow around it.

Using an instant-read thermometer, measure the temperature of the thickest portion of the steak. Stop at your desired internal temperature — 125° for rare, 135° for medium rare, and 145° for medium.

Tip: The meat will continue to cook while it rests and the temperature will increase by 5 to 10 degrees, so factor this in when deciding when to take the steak out of the oven.

While the steak is in the oven, add half a stick of butter to your skillet and melt over low heat. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into the butter, stirring with a wooden spoon, and add 4 thyme sprigs. Cook about 2 minutes.

Once you remove the steak from the oven, transfer it back into the skillet. Use a spoon to baste both sides, one at a time, for about a minute total. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and tent with foil. Let the steak rest for about 10-15 minutes.

Slice the steak against the grain and drizzle with more garlic butter.

Serve and enjoy!

How Long to Smoke a Spatchcock Turkey Image
(Rasa Petreikiene via iStock Photo)

How to Smoke a Tomahawk Steak

Apply a small amount of olive oil to room-temperature steaks and season with your choice of rub.

Rub the rub into both sides of the steak with your hands. Then, place some of the rub on the sides of the steak as well.

Set your smoker to 225°F with indirect heat. If your smoker uses a water pan, fill the pan with water.

Choose your smoking wood — any good smoking wood will do.

Once the smoker is ready, place the steaks directly on the smoker grate.

Let the steaks smoke until they reach an internal meat temperature of 110°F. Using a leave-in or continuous-read thermometer will provide excellent accuracy and also monitor the temperature in real time. If you don’t have a leave-in thermometer, check about every 20-30 minutes.

Related: How to smoke a spatchcocked turkey.

You can estimate that this part of the process will take about 1.5 hours. Other approaches take a lot less time, but plenty of people argue that smoking is the best way to cook a delicious steak.

Before the steaks are finished cooking, fire up the grill or a charcoal chimney starter to reverse sear them when they reach the target internal temperature of 110°F.

You can also use an oven broiler if you don’t have a grill available. Be sure not to use a glass pan to broil. 

Monitor the steaks during the searing process and aim for an internal temperature of around 130°F.

Allow the steaks to rest off the heat and under tented foil for about 10 minutes. This will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the entire steak.

Now that you know how to cook the perfect steak, the fun part begins — enjoy Tomahawk steaks at home!

FAQ: How to Clean a Smoker Grill

Perfect Grilled Ribeye Image
(Lisa Grant)

Cowboy Steak vs. Tomahawk Steak

Cowboy steak and Tomahawk steak are similar and the names are often used interchangeably, but there are, in fact, some minor differences.

Tomahawk steak is generally a larger cut of meat and more exterior fat is left in place. The bone is usually cut in a longer fashion than Cowboy steaks.

Cowboy steaks tend to be trimmed more cleanly, leaving mostly meat and marbling with a smaller piece of bone.

Both steaks are bone-in ribeye steaks that are a unique size and cut.

Other names for this similar cut and style include cowboy New York steak, Delmonico, or rugged cowboy steak.

Perfect Grilled Ribeye Picture
(Lisa Grant)

You can ask your local butcher to trim a steak exactly how you want it, and to walk you through some of the differences of the best steaks they have available. You may also be able to find bone-in steaks like these at higher-end grocery stores.

Leftover steak? I doubt it, but on the off chance, you may be wondering how to enjoy this great steak in a new way on the second or third day after preparing it.

Try leftover steak in a carne asada taco recipe, or whip up a sauce and make a steak sandwich