Huge Reverse-Seared Tomahawk
Prep
15m
Cook
75m
Total
90m
Bigly says
OK so here's the deal. The tomahawk. The DRAMA steak. The bone-in ribeye with the long frenched handle that, when you walk it out of the kitchen, makes the entire dinner table stop talking and reach for their phones. Some people will tell you the tomahawk is style over substance — that it's just a ribeye with a long bone, that you're paying twenty dollars for a piece of cartilage. To them I say: yes. And also no. Yes, the bone is theater. No, the bone is not pointless — bone insulates, bone radiates, bone tells a story. The tomahawk is a steak with a STORY. And I have eaten more story-steaks than anyone alive.
Here's where most home cooks blow it. They throw a two-inch-thick tomahawk on a screaming-hot grill, they char the outside in three minutes, they cut into it expecting medium-rare, and they find a piece of beef that is BLACK on the outside, RAW in the middle, and gray and overcooked in between — a sad bullseye. A tragic bullseye. I have witnessed this. I have wept for the steak. The fix is the REVERSE SEAR. Low oven first, then a hard sear at the end. You bring the entire inside up to temperature slowly and evenly, and then you give it that beautiful Maillard crust in the last two minutes. It is the only correct way to cook a steak this thick. Period. Even my critics admit it.
A man named Ramón — different Ramón, do not get confused, this is the Texas Ramón, not the kabob Ramón — taught me the reverse sear at his ranch outside Lockhart. He had a smoker the size of a small car. He didn't say much. He pointed at the thermometer. He pointed at the steak. He pointed at the cast iron. Then he walked away and let me figure out the rest. I figured it out. So will you. This is the steak you cook for an anniversary, for a birthday, for the night you finally tell your in-laws you bought a kayak. It is HUGE. It is GLORIOUS. It is, no contest, the best steak you can cook in a home kitchen.
Ingredients
- 1 (about 2.5-3 lb)bone-in tomahawk ribeye, 2 to 2.5 inches thick(ask for one with even thickness, not a tapered cut)
- 1 tbspkosher salt
- 2 tspblack pepper, coarsely ground
- 2 tbspneutral high-smoke-point oil(avocado, grapeseed, or refined safflower)
- 4 tbspunsalted butter
- 4garlic cloves, smashed
- 2fresh rosemary sprigs
- 4fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 tspflaky sea salt, to finish
- 1instant-read thermometer(non-negotiable for a steak this thick)
Steps
- 1
Pat the tomahawk completely dry with paper towels. Season heavily on all surfaces, including the edges, with the kosher salt and black pepper. Press it in.
- 2
Place the steak on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, to dry-brine and dry the surface.
- 3
Remove the steak from the fridge 45 minutes before cooking. Position a rack in the center of the oven.
- 4
Preheat the oven to 250°F.
- 5
Roast the tomahawk on the rack until the internal temperature at the thickest part (not touching the bone) reads 115°F for medium-rare or 120°F for medium, about 45-60 minutes depending on thickness.
- 6
Remove the steak from the oven and rest it loosely tented under foil for 10 minutes while you heat the pan.
- 7
Heat a heavy 12-inch cast-iron skillet over high heat until smoking, about 4-5 minutes. Add the oil and swirl.
- 8
Carefully lay the steak in the pan. Sear hard, undisturbed, for 90 seconds. Flip and sear the second side for 90 seconds.
- 9
Stand the steak on its fat edge with tongs, rolling it for 30 seconds to render and crisp the cap.
- 10
Reduce heat to medium. Add the butter, smashed garlic, rosemary, and thyme. Tilt the pan and baste the steak with the foaming butter for 60 seconds.
- 11
Check temperature: pull at 130°F for medium-rare or 135°F for medium — it will climb another 3-5°F as it rests.
- 12
Transfer to a cutting board. Rest for 10 minutes. Do not skip this.
- 13
Slice off the bone first, then carve the ribeye against the grain into 1/2-inch slices. Top with flaky sea salt and the herby pan butter. Serve immediately.
One more thing
Look at that crust. Look at that perfectly even, edge-to-edge medium-rare interior. No gray band, no raw center, no apologies. You carved it at the table. People clapped. Somebody took a video. Pour yourself a glass of something dark, sit down, and eat slowly — this is not a steak you rush. We did it. Beautiful.
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