When I started writing about barbecue, a tomahawk was an Indian ax. No one had heard of beef tomahawks.

Today, you can’t go to a steakhouse—or even your local supermarket—without being tempted by this magisterial cut of beef. The beef tomahawk has become the new steak status symbol—one restaurant in Miami even serves it clad with gold leaf. (You don’t want to know the price.)

Given beef prices these days, a beef tomahawk is definitely a splurge, but for a special occasion, you may just want to sizzle one on your grill.

What Is a Beef Tomahawk?

So what is a beef tomahawk? In a nutshell, it’s a bone-in ribeye steak with the entire rib bone attached. (In butcher speak, it’s IMPS/NAMP Number: 1103B.). Often that rib bone is “frenched,” that is scraped clean of meat. Picture a monster steak, 2 to 3 inches thick, with a bone that extends 5 to 8 inches. For all you meat geeks out there, know that tomahawks are cut from ribs 6 through 12 on a steer’s ribcage.

A steak this size presents the griller with several challenges. Try direct grilling it, as you would a regular rib steak or rib-eye, and you wind up burning the exterior, while leaving the center cold and raw. Try smoking it, as you would a brisket, and you miss out on a sizzling seared crust.

No, a beef tomahawk requires a special technique for cooking it to perfection and that technique is, drumroll please, reverse searing.

How to Reverse Sear a Beef Tomahawk

In a nutshell, you start cooking the steak low and slow, as you would true barbecue, like Texas brisket. Once the center reaches an internal temperature of 100 degrees, you take the steak off and rest it on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Raise your grill heat to high to sear the steak on the outside and direct grill it to the desired doneness.

Reverse-searing has several benefits: the meat cooks evenly from top to bottom (no more blood-red “bullseye” in the center, and the timing is a lot more forgiving because you can do most of the cooking ahead of time. Add wood chunks or chips to the fire to give your steak the smoky flavor of barbecue. That’s always a big win in my book.

Two Other Ways to Grill a Beef Tomahawk

Note: There are two other ways to grill a beef tomahawk. If you have a grill with a raisable and lowerable grate (like a Santa Maria-style grill or KUDU), position it high (18 inches) above the fire. Direct grill your steaks slowly, turning every few minutes. Lower the grate the last few minutes to lay on a crusty sear. The cooking time will be 20 to 30 minutes.

Alternatively, if you have a large grill, set it up for direct grilling, one side on medium-high and one side on low. Start the steak on high, then when the surface begins to sizzle and brown, slide it to the low zone. Keep sliding it back and forth between the hot zone and cool zone. The Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet company calls this the “sear and slide” method. The cooking time will be 20 to 30 minutes.

Recipe

The Raichlen Beef Tomahawk

By Steven Raichlen

Yield: Serves 2 to 3

Ingredients

• 1 beef “tomahawk” (rib steak with long rib bone attached and dry-aged, if possible) or very thick ribeye, 24 to 30 ounces and 2-1/2 to 3 inches thick
• Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and coarsely and freshly ground black pepper
• Cowboy Butter or other compound butter

Cowboy Butter

• 8 oz. (organic) butter, unsalted (2 sticks)
• 1 tsp smoked sea salt
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 shallot, small, minced
• Zest from 1 lemon
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon thyme, stems removed
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Very generously season the beef tomahawks on both sides with salt and pepper. Set up your grill for indirect grilling and heat to medium-low (250 degrees). Brush or scrape the grill grate clean and oil it well.
2. Arrange the tomahawks on the grate away from the heat. Add wood chunks or chips to the fire. Smoke-roast the steak to an internal temperature of about 100 degrees. This will take 40 to 60 minutes.
3. Transfer the steak to a wire rack over a rimmed sheet pan and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, set up your grill for direct grilling and heat to high.
4. Arrange the tomahawk steak over the hottest part of the grill grate, running diagonal to the bars of the grate. Direct grill until both sides are sizzling, browned, and crusty, 2 to 4 minutes per side. You want a final internal temperature of 120 to 125 degrees for rare; 130 to 135 degrees for medium-rare; or 140 to 145 degrees for medium. If the exposed parts of the rib bone start to burn, slide a sheet of aluminum foil under it.
5. Transfer the tomahawk to a cutting board or warm platter. Carve the beef off the bone and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices for serving. Top with Cowboy Butter (if desired), following the recipe below.

Cowboy Butter Instructions

1. Before grilling your steaks, let’s start by making the compound butter.
2. Let butter come to room temperature. Combine all ingredients with a stick blender or a food processor. Roll butter onto a large piece of plastic wrap forming a log. Roll the plastic wrap up into a log and twist on the ends. Store in the refrigerator until it is time to use.

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