How to Cook a Tomahawk Steak

Last Updated on 17th December 2021 by Pauline

The unique looking tomahawk steak is a high-quality piece of rib eye steak. This rib eye cut usually has a minimum of five inches of bone left in it. The long bone sticking out of the steak gives it an interesting look and that’s also how it gets its name.

I want to show you how to cook a tomahawk steak, and you don’t have to be intimidated by trying to cook this high-quality meat without much experience. I know some people are a little skittish about cooking high grade steak on their own. They are afraid they will mess it up and burn it or season it poorly and it won’t turn out very well. Then, that’s an unfortunate waste of a great steak.

Once I show you how to cook a tomahawk steak indoors, you won’t have to worry about how it will turn out. I’ll break it down step by step, and you can see the process used to make it for yourself. You can make this at home and feel good about the results, if you follow my directions carefully. I will share two methods with you for cooking this steak.

How to Cook a Tomahawk Steak in Oven

I’m going to keep things simple, using just a few ingredients to season this steak. A little butter, thyme, garlic, and salt and pepper are all you need to make this tasty steak.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place a rack in the centre of the oven. Then, dry your tomahawk steak with paper towels. Season using black pepper and kosher salt and allow the steak to reach room temperature.

As the steak is acclimating, prepare your garlic. You can take the top quarter inch off of a garlic bulb then pour little oil on that in a pinch of salt. Wrap the garlic in foil and roast it for 30 minutes until all the cloves have softened. Take it out of the oven and let it cool, and then raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cook two tablespoons of oil on medium heat in a large skillet. Keep heating until the oil starts to smoke, and then place the tomahawk steak in the skillet and allow it to sear for about 3 minutes. Do not move it around while it is searing.

After it is seared on one side, use tongues to flip the steak over and cook on the other side for three minutes. Then, sear the steak short side for about a minute, which is the part opposite the bone. You can hold onto the bone as a handle to keep the steak in place.

Take the steak out of the skillet and place on a baking sheet. How long to cook a tomahawk steak? Let it cook in the oven for 9 to 10 minutes, or until it is as done as you want it to be. How to cook a tomahawk steak in the oven to completion?

You can check the internal temperature of the steak with a kitchen thermometer. Ensure that it has reached at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit for medium cooking. If you’re cooking the tomahawk steak medium rare, the internal temperature should be 135 degrees Fahrenheit. For rare, check for 125 degrees Fahrenheit.

As the steak cooks, melt your butter in the skillet on a low heat. Let out the garlic cloves into the butter and stir them around. Next, add in the thyme and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Once the steak has finished cooking, remove it from the oven and put it into the skillet once more. Pour the butter and garlic over the steak with a spoon and turn the steak over and coat the other side with butter. Move the steak to a cutting board and cover it in a tent style with foil, allowing it to rest for 10 minutes.

When carving this steak, cut against the grain. You can coat with the butter and garlic once more after you cut. This is how to cook a tomahawk steak in oven simply and perfectly every time.

How to Cook a Tomahawk Steak on the BBQ

I’m going to show you an outdoor method for cooking tomahawk steak. This is how to cook a tomahawk steak Gordon Ramsay style, and it’s the method most cooking experts recommend for this cut of steak.

Start by preheating your grill as high as it will go. Preheat the oven as well, to 375 degrees. We are just using salt and pepper to season for this method, so season your steak generously at this point. Make sure you get all the sides including the edges. The tomahawk steak is usually a thick kind of steak, so use plenty of salt.

Put your steak on the grill and allow it to sear for about 3 minutes on each side. How do you know when the steak is ready to flip? It should come easily off the grill.

Once the steak is cooked on both sides, move it to a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, and ensure it reaches an internal temperature of at least 130 degrees Fahrenheit. You can use the kitchen thermometer to determine that. If you are going to slice the steak after it cooks, allow it to rest for about 10 minutes first.

One method for how to cook a tomahawk steak UK is to wrap the bone in foil while it is in the oven. The purpose of this is to ensure that the bone doesn’t become charred and that it has that pleasant, appealing look. This also keeps the bone from getting too smokey.

This is kind of a pricey steak, and that’s because of the extra work that goes into it. Meat has to be removed from the bone to achieve the look of the tomahawk steak, and it has to come from a particular part of the rib section.

It is also considered a high-quality cut of steak and prime meat. So, expect to pay a high price for this steak compared to some other cuts.

It’s a good idea to coat your steak in butter before allowing it to rest. What this does is tenderise the steak and make it easier to eat. You’ll find that just about any steak chef will use a butter coating while cooking their steak.