A Tomahawk is a Rib eye steak with the long rib bone left on. Ours weigh 1kg and are around 5cm thick, too thick to cook in a pan alone: the outside burns before the middle is ready. The answer is the reverse sear: cook it gently first, then sear it hard at the end, for an even pink middle and a dark, crusty outside. One Tomahawk feeds 2 to 3 people.
Quick version
- Salt the steak an hour ahead and let it lose its fridge chill.
- Cook at 120°C (oven or the cool side of a lidded BBQ) until the middle reads 48 to 50°C, about 45 to 60 minutes.
- Sear in a smoking-hot pan or over high heat, 1 to 2 minutes a side.
- Rest 5 minutes, carve off the bone and slice across the grain.
What you need
- 1 Farm88 pasture-fed Tomahawk steak (1kg)
- Sea salt flakes and cracked black pepper
- A little rice bran or canola oil
- Optional: butter, 2 garlic cloves, rosemary or thyme
- A meat thermometer: for a steak this thick, it's the only reliable way to know when it's done
How to cook a Tomahawk in the oven
- Salt it early. Season all over with salt an hour before cooking (or the night before, uncovered in the fridge). Take it out of the fridge 45 minutes before cooking.
- Cook it low. Heat the oven to 120°C. Sit the steak on a rack over a tray and cook until the thickest part reads 48 to 50°C for medium-rare, usually 45 to 60 minutes.
- Rest briefly. Rest for 10 minutes while you heat a heavy pan until it's smoking hot.
- Sear hard. Oil the steak lightly and sear 1 to 2 minutes a side, including the fat edge. In the last minute, add butter, garlic and herbs and spoon the butter over the top.
- Rest again. Rest for 5 minutes, then season with pepper.
How to cook a Tomahawk on the BBQ
Use the same method with two heat zones: on a gas BBQ, light the burners on one side only; on a kettle BBQ, push the coals to one side. Cook on the cool side with the lid down until it reads 48 to 50°C, then sear over the hottest part of the grill and rest as above.
Steak temperature guide
Take the steak off the heat 3 to 5°C before your target, because it keeps rising as it rests.
| Doneness | Final temperature |
|---|---|
| Rare | 50°C |
| Medium-rare | 55°C |
| Medium | 60°C |
| Medium-well | 65°C |
How to carve a Tomahawk
Run your knife along the bone to cut the meat away in one piece. Slice it across the grain into 1cm slices, then put the slices back against the bone and serve on a board in the middle of the table.
What to serve with it
Keep the sides simple: roast potatoes or chips, a green salad, chimichurri or a red wine jus. For a bigger spread, add sausages and other BBQ cuts.
Tomahawk steak questions
Is a Tomahawk the same as a Rib eye?
It's the same cut as our Rib eye, just with the long rib bone left on. For a smaller bone-in steak, try our Rib eye; for no bone at all, choose Scotch fillet. Our guide to steak cuts explains the differences.
Can I cook a Tomahawk in a frying pan only?
Not well. At 5cm thick, the outside burns before the centre is cooked. Start it in the oven or on the cool side of the BBQ, then finish it in the pan.
Can I get a Tomahawk delivered today in Melbourne?
Yes. Order by 3pm and we'll deliver it within 2 hours, 7 days a week. See our butcher delivery across Melbourne.
