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My recipe for Smoked Tomahawk Steak is mouthwatering and easy to make even for total beginners to smoking steak! It's packed with flavor and ready to enjoy in under 2 hours.
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What is a Tomahawk Steak?
Cut from the ribs, tomahawk steak is a steak renowned for its tender meat and heavy marbling. If you're familiar with ribeye steak, it's the same cut, but with the rib bone intact for extra flavor. It's characterized by this rib bone, giving it an axe-like shape with a "handle".
As a specialty cut of meat, you might not find tomahawk steaks at the grocery store. I recommend checking out local butcher shops if your grocery store doesn't have it. They're the best place to get quality steak.
What You Need to Know
- Rest the steak to let it come to room temp before smoking.
- Pat the steak rub into the meat to ensure it's completely coated.
- Smoke until the internal temp reaches 125°F.
- Reverse sear to finish the steak, allowing it to reach your desired internal temp as read by a meat thermometer according to my steak temp chart.
Ingredients
- Tomahawk Steak: A hefty, 1-inch thick steak will work the best for this recipe. I adore tomahawk steak for the extremely tender texture and gorgeous marbling. If you can't find a tomahawk steak, ribeye works well, too.
- Thyme: Make sure to use fresh sprigs of thyme, which will be added to the skillet to season the steak as it's reverse seared.
- Butter: Salted or unsalted butter will work great for the reverse sear.
- Salt: It's critical to use a large-grain salt like kosher salt or sea salt for steak! Table salt has grains that are too small to stick well to the meat, and can leave a nasty metallic flavor.
- Black Pepper: Freshly cracked black pepper is ideal for steak, as it has larger grains and a fresher, sharper flavor.
- Paprika: Just a few pinches of paprika emphasizes the rich and earthy flavor of the beef without overpowering it, and by smoking the steak, you'll smoke the paprika too!
- Garlic Powder: Because this steak is getting smoked, it's better to use garlic powder than fresh garlic! If you'd like even more garlic flavor, you can add 1-2 garlic cloves to the pan for the reverse sear.
How to Smoke a Steak
1: Preheat the Smoker
Fill the pellet smoker with your favorite pellets (I like mesquite), then preheat it to 250°F. While it's preheating, let the steak rest on the counter until it comes to room temperature.
2: Season the Steak
Once the steak is room temperature, season it well with salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder, makings sure to rub it into the meat.
3: Smoke the Steak
Place the steak on the smoker rack and close the lid. Let smoke for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 125°F. Season lightly as soon as it comes out of the smoker.
4: Reverse Sear
Heat up a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, and add butter. Once melted, add in the thyme and steak, and sear for 1-2 minutes per side of the steak. If you like your steaks more well done, cook to your desired internal temperature. (Check out my temp chart below!)
3: Rest, slice, and serve!
Allow the steak to rest for 5-10 minutes, then slice against the grain and serve! Best served drizzled with the herb butter from the pan.
Helpful Tips for Steak
Tips for Smoking Tomahawk Steak
- You can use any sort of wood pellet for this recipe! I tend to use mesquite, but apple and cherry are great, too.
- Remove the steak from the smoker 10 degrees below your target temperature. This will allow it to come to temperature while it's being reverse seared!
- These are huge steaks, so make sure to use your largest cast iron pan to sear it.
- Because these steaks are so thick (often 2" thick!), it'll take them a long time to slow cook in the oven. Don't get impatient, and keep it at a medium heat; this will ensure it cooks evenly.
Resting the Steak
Letting the steak come to room temperature is a must! If you place a cold steak directly into the smoker, the interior will stay cold for much longer than the exterior, resulting in unevenly cooked meat with an overcooked layer on the outside.
Steak Temperatures
The cook time for steaks is always a suggestion; the most important part is the internal temperature! Measure the temperature close to the bone using a meat thermometer, as this area will heat up the slowest. This recipe is tuned for a medium-rare steak.
How to Store Leftover Steak
- Preparing the steak: First, slice all the meat off the bone, and discard it (or save it for making stock!). Once the meat is cooked, you no longer need the bone, and it's a pain to fit in the fridge.
- Refrigerator: Slice the steak into thin slices, then store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container. You can also wrap the slices tightly in plastic wrap, or store them in a plastic bag.
- Freezer: I don't usually recommend freezing cooked steak, as it will never reheat with the same fresh-cooked tenderness and consistency. If you must, however, then skip slicing the steak and freeze it in a solid piece, then seal it in a freezer-safe plastic bag and store for up to 3 months.
- Thawing and Reheating: Frozen steak should always be thawed in the refrigerator overnight; fast-thawing it can risk bacterial growth. Reheat it in a pan over medium heat with a little butter until just hot.
FAQ
Tomahawk and ribeye steaks are nearly the same cut, as the meat is the same! However, tomahawks are much thicker cuts that tend towards being 2-inches thick, and contain the entire rib bone. Ribeyes are usually 1-inch thick, and don't contain bone.
You can absolutely cook a tomahawk steak in the oven! Check out my recipe for Reverse-Seared Ribeye; you can cook it just the same way, but may need to let it roast in the oven for just a little longer.
Sauces for Tomahawk Steak
- Simple Au Jus - A simple classic perfect for pairing with steak! This sauce subtly enhances the natural flavor of the beef.
- Red Wine Reduction - Beef is a natural pair for red wine, and a red wine reduction will make every succulent slice of steak just that much more mouthwatering. This is my favorite steak sauce for fancy dinners!
- Chimichurri Sauce - An Argentinian classic made from oil, lemon juice and lots of fresh herbs, this sauce is silky smooth and perfect as a lighter sauce.
- Bearnaise Sauce - Rich, tangy, and utterly decadent, Bearnaise sauce pairs rich egg yolks and tarragon for a truly unique flavor experience.
What to Do with Leftovers
Wondering what to do with your steak leftovers? Try any of my Leftover Steak Recipes!
Smoked Tomahawk Steak
The first time I tried smoked steak was actually at a friend's house for a backyard BBQ. He was just getting ready to take it out of the smoker when we got to the party, and the smell alone was so mouthwatering that when we went home, Ron and I agreed it was time to get a smoker of our own.
Not only is smoking steaks easy even for someone totally new to smoking, but the results are just incomparable. Slow cooked in a smoker for a unique flavor, then finished with my favorite reverse sear method, these smoked tomahawk ribeye steaks might just be the perfect steak!
Oven Instructions
This recipe works great in the oven, too! Check out my recipe for Reverse-Seared Steak. It works perfectly for Tomahawk steaks and doesn't require a smoker. If you want some of that smoky flavor, consider adding smoked paprika or a single drop of liquid smoke to the butter.
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