I had never met a tomahawk steak until a few weeks ago. Quickly I was faced with the question of ‘where have you been all my life?’
A tomahawk steak is basically a thick-cut, bone in ribeye steak, with the entire rib bone intact. The bone is frenched, removing the meat and fat and leaving the steak in a vaguely hatchet-like shape. The thing I LOVED about this steak is that the marbling and the bone gave so much flavor.
Meet the Tomahawk Steak – basically a rib eye with the ‘rib’ still attached.
The steak I bought was 3″ thick and enough to feed 4 of us for dinner. Really, it meant business. You could grill it (and probably should), but for the apartment dweller that I am, I opted for my trusty cast iron skillet, a high flame and the broiler.
The trick to any good steak is a little salt and cold air and time. Salt it well – with more salt than you are comfortable with. Let it sit in the fridge on a cookie rack over a pan or bowl and let the cold air circulate around it. The bowl will catch drips and the cold air will create a crust to lock in moisture while the salt works its way into flavor the meat.
Just look at the marbling on this tomahawk steak!
I’ve talked before about that guy I mostly hang out with that happens to have a dairy allergy. My method for finishing a steak would usually be to put a pat of compound butter on top and let it dissolve its way into the meat. But Dairy Allergy = No Butter. I had to come up with a good alternative. Coconut oil to the rescue again! And no, it does not taste like coconut, just deliciousness.
Caramelized on high heat and then cooked low and slow.
I treated cold coconut oil just like I would butter. I mixed it with garlic and parsley and chives and salt and pepper. When the time came, I introduced the blend to the top of the tomahawk steak and then introduced everything to my broiler for some final melting, caramelization. Result? A 100% win. All the flavor, none of the pesky lactose.
Tomahawk steak – Served in slices with the coconut oil compound ‘butter’ melted into the meat
The moral of the story? Please do bury the hatchet.
-Lydia, I like my ribs to show…. and by ribs I mean baby backs.
Ingredients
- 1 Tomahawk Steak w/ Bone Still Attached; 2-3" thick
- Kosher Salt
- Grapeseed Oil
- For Coconut Oil Compound Butter:
- 1/2 cup Coconut Oil; cold
- 1/4 cup fresh Parsley, chopped fine
- 1 teaspoon fresh Chives, minced
- 1 clove Garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked Pepper
Method
- You cannot rush a tomahawk steak. Know that it will take an hour or so to cook properly and enjoy the process, the smell, the family popping their head in to take a peak, and the leisurely pace.
- At least 4-6 hours before you cook your steak. Salt it well with kosher salt on both sides and along the edges. Do not remove any of the fat cap - it will only add flavor.
- Place it over a cookie cooking rack that is resting over a sheet pan or bowl. Do not cover. The goal is for the salt to work its way into the meat, for air to circulate around the cut and for the pan to catch any drips. It will make or break your steak.
- Pre-heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat for 10 minutes. It should be almost smoking. Add a small amount of grape seed oil - just enough to coat the pan. Place the tomahawk steak in the skillet and allow the first side to caramelize and brown. After 3-4 minutes, where there is a solid brown crust, flip the meat and brown the opposite side. This will lock in moisture and flavor.
- Reduce the heat to medium and flip the meat again from side to side - slowly deepening the brown crust. If it starts to get too dark, reduce the heat further. It will take around 45 minutes to cook slowly to rare.
- In the meantime, mix the cold coconut oil, parsley, chives, garlic, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Return the mixture to the fridge. You want the coconut oil to be solid like butter. For the best flavor, you can do this up to two days' in advance.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and remove the tomahawk steak from the skillet. You can bring the steak to this point an hour before you even serve the steak as long as you do not refrigerate it. Just let it sit and rest on the counter.
- Pre-heat your broiler for at least 10 minutes until it is smoking hot. Slice the tomahawk steak along the bone and slice into thin strips. Reassemble the steak along the bone in the skillet.
- Place the skillet under the broiler for 2-4 minutes until it reaches medium rare.
- Remove the skillet from the broiler, spread 2-3 tablespoons of the coconut oil compound 'butter' all over the tope of the steak and return to the broiler for 1 minute. The coconut oil should be melted into the steak.
- Let the steak rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Grade: Yum+.
Maybe I will finally grill a cook steak. The compound butter sounds divine.
Compound butter makes everything better Ellen! I’ve taught entire cooking classes around it.
I was vegetarian for 14 years and just started cooking steak a couple of years ago. After a few disasters, I finally figured it out. If I can learn, anyone can. Let me know how it goes.