How to Cook Tomahawk Steak

Smoking a Tomahawk steak is highly sought after by those who want a flavor-filled boost. The best way to smoke a Tomahawk steak is to finish it in a skillet to provide a hot, crisp finish. How to smoke a Tomahawk steak and selecting the correct smoking time varies greatly depending on the cut of meat, thickness of the cut, quality of smoker, smoke and smoke retention, wind, etc. It is best to use a meat thermometer and base doneness off internal temperature.

Note: Steaks cooked under 130°F should not be cooked longer than 2½ hours at a time due to food safety concerns.

To begin, fire up your smoker and preheat it to 225°F.

• Place your well-seasoned steak onto the grates of your smoker, close the lid, and smoke the meat until the steaks reach about 10°F below the desired internal doneness temperature (see our Measuring Doneness Chart below).
• You can check for smoking doneness by internal temperature. Temperatures are as follows:
• Rare: 115°F
• Medium-Rare: 125°F
• Medium: 135°F
• Medium-Well: 145°F
• Next, preheat a skillet over high heat (this can be done on a grill or in your kitchen). Once hot, lightly coat the bottom of your skillet with a high smoke point oil such as avocado oil, canola oil, or grapeseed oil.
• Place the steaks in the skillet and sear them for approximately 2 minutes on each side. Cook until the steaks reach approximately 5°F less than your final desired internal temperature.
• Remove steaks from the skillet and allow them to rest for 5–10 minutes, covering lightly with foil. The temperature of the meat will continue to rise about 5°F during this time (this is called "carryover cooking").
• Resting steak is important because the heat of cooking pulls the juices in the meat toward the surface; if you slice into it immediately after cooking, those flavorful juices will end up on your plate, not in your steak. Allowing your steak to rest will give the juices time to sink back in and throughout the meat, keeping it moist and flavorful.
• To check the final degree of doneness, use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature of your steak.
• Prior to serving, expand upon the delicious taste by topping with Kansas City Steak Finishing Butters for full flavor
• After thawing, bringing to room temperature, seasoning, and preheating the sous vide; you're ready to start cooking.

Experience superb flavor and remove the guesswork from the cooking process by using the sous vide method for your Tomahawk steak. When you follow the directions for how long to sous vide a Tomahawk steak, you will be able to cook your steak cut perfectly to your desired doneness every time. Sous vide uses a low-heat, long-time cooking process which allows for evenly cooked steaks from end to end and guarantees every bite is as tender and juicy as the first.

Note: Steaks cooked under 130°F should not be cooked longer than 2½ hours at a time due to food safety concerns.

Here are the steps to follow when using the sous vide method:

Prepare It

• Preheat your water bath: Fill your sous vide container up with warm water and set the sous vide device to the appropriate temperature for the desired doneness. The sous vide device should be set as follows:
• Rare: 125°F
• Medium-Rare: 129°F
• Medium: 135°F
• Medium-Well: 145°F
• Repackage your steaks into sous vide heat-stable bags. We recommend seasoning your steaks with Kansas City Steaks Original Steak Seasoning for an enhanced flavor, prior to cooking in the sous vide. Another option is to add fresh herbs and a Kansas City Steak Finishing Butter, along with your raw steak, into the heat-stable vacuum seal bag before sealing.

Cook It

• Make sure the water bath has fully reached the desired temperature for cooking before adding in the steak.
• Place the packaged steak in the water bath and allow it to cook for the recommended amount of time, based on your desired degree of doneness.
• Rare: 2½ hours
• Medium-Rare: 2½ hours
• Medium: 2½ hours
• Medium-Well: 2½ hours
• Once your steaks are finished cooking, remove them from the sous vide and take them out of the packaging.
• Preheat a skillet over high heat for about 5 minutes (this can be done on a grill or in your kitchen). A hot skillet delivers the best sear.
• Lightly coat the bottom of your skillet with high smoke point oil such as avocado oil, canola oil, or grapeseed oil. Place your steaks on the skillet and sear for approximately 2 minutes on each side. Sear until the steaks reach the final desired internal temperature, according to the Measuring Doneness Chart below.
• The sear will give your steaks the rich golden-brown color and enhanced flavor that is typically associated with grilled steaks.
• Serve immediately. Unlike other methods of cooking steak, the low heat used in sous vide does not draw the juices of the meat to the surface so additional resting time is not needed.
• We recommend adding an additional savory flavor by topping your ribeye steak with with Kansas City Steak Finishing Butter (even if you added butter during the sous vide).

Take the cooking process a step further with reverse seared Tomahawk steak that is prepared professionally with the Chef’s technique.

• Preheat oven to 275°F. Place steaks on a wire rack over a baking sheet.
• Place baking sheet on the center rack of the hot oven. Cook until internal temperature reaches 10°F lower than the desired final temperature. This usually takes about 45 minutes to an hour. View our Measuring Doneness Chart and Cooking Times Chart below.
• Remove steaks from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes, covering lightly with foil.
• Preheat a heavy skillet or cast iron skillet over high heat until very hot, about 5 minutes. A hot skillet delivers the best sear.
• Add some butter or a high smoke point oil such as avocado oil, canola oil, or grapeseed oil and sear steaks for 1–2 minutes on each side. The final internal temperature of your steak should be 135°F for medium-rare and 145°F for medium.
• The sear will give your steaks the rich golden-brown color and enhanced flavor that is typically associated with grilled steaks.
• Serve immediately. Unlike other methods of cooking steak, the low heat of the oven used in reverse searing does not draw the juices of the meat to the surface so additional resting time is not needed.