Tomahawk Steak: The Perfect Core Temperature

Do you finally want to prepare a really impressive piece of meat perfectly? Here you can find out how you can conjure up an ingenious tomahawk steak on the table with the right core temperature for every desired doneness.

Tomahawk Steak Definition

A tomahawk steak looks powerful just because of its size, as the entire rib bone is simply left on the thickly cut rib eye piece. As a rule, this growler from the front back, i.e. the prime rib of the cow, weighs between 1-1.5 kg. By preparing it with bones, the piece of meat gets a particularly intense taste.

By the way: The hatchet of the Indian tribes in the USA gave its name to this gigantic piece of beef due to its similar shape.

Core temperature

The core temperature tells you what the inside of a piece of meat looks like. Of course, you could just cut your steak in half to see how cooked it is. But that’s obviously not very professional. It works better with a special roast or meat thermometer. The use of such a device is particularly recommended for very large pieces such as the Tomahawk Steak:

1. Carefully insert the long spike with the probe into the center of the meat without touching the bone. (otherwise, the measurement result will be falsified)
2. The temperature sensor now shows you the current core temperature.

Doneness

Rare, medium, or well done, there is no “right” or “wrong” here. Tastes are simply different and everyone likes their piece of meat with a different consistency. The roast or meat thermometer provides you with valuable services. The following table will help you to achieve the perfect doneness with the right core temperature for such a huge piece of beef:

Core temperature for the Tomahawk Steak:

• rare (bloody, red core): 48-50 °C
• medium rare (slightly bloody, light red core): 51-54 °C
• medium (pink, medium-soft core): 54-59 °C
• well done: 60-62 °C

Different devices

There are three types of thermometers used to monitor the temperature of large cuts of meat such as the Tomahawk Steak:

• Analog:

The penetration thermometer is cheap and you can read the temperature directly on the device. Disadvantage: You have to keep opening the grill lid or the oven and it has no additional function.

• Digital:

With no wires, it’s similar to the analog model, only with a digital display. The device is connected with a cable to a display that not only shows the temperature but also has a timer and alarm function. Disadvantage: They are more expensive than analog thermometers and the cable has to be cleaned afterward.

• Radio/WLAN/Bluetooth:

Sensor and reading devices are separate and only connected to each other by radio. The sensor is in the flesh, the display is conveniently carried out via an extra device or your smartphone or tablet. This allows you to easily keep an eye on the core temperature, especially with pieces of meat that are cooked for a long time, such as pulled pork. Disadvantage: They are the most expensive and wireless connections can be prone to interference.

• Alternative test method:

If you don’t have a thermometer at hand, you can also check the doneness of the Tomahawk steak with the so-called palm test: Connect your thumb loosely to the appropriate fingertip and read from the palm muscle how your Tomahawk steak should feel at a certain consistency during the pressure test.

Preparation knowledge

• grill

If you want to cook a particularly large tomahawk steak, you won’t get far with a regular skillet. With such a gigantic piece of meat, grilling on a gas or charcoal grill is the most common method. It is only briefly grilled on both sides at a high temperature, the rest is done by indirect heat. A meat thermometer will help you to determine the core temperature for perfect subsequent cooking. You can get detailed instructions on how to grill a Tomahawk steak from us.

• Pan

If your steak is not that big, you can also prepare it in a large pan. Here, too, the Tomahawk steak is only briefly heated on both sides, then placed in the indirect heat of an oven, for example, until it is fully cooked. Again, use a meat thermometer to get the consistency you want.

Shopping tip: You can recognize good products when buying meat by their beautiful marbling with intense red color. There is the tomahawk steak with or without the fat crust.

Preparation tips

• Perfect precision landing

Take the Tomahawk steak off the grill about 2 degrees before the desired core temperature and let it rest. During this time, the heat inside is still slowly increasing.

• Extremely juicy

If you want your tomahawk steak to be particularly juicy and tender, use the “dry brining” method. That said, salt it liberally and visibly on both sides first. Then let the meat rest uncovered on a wire rack in the fridge for 4-10 hours before rubbing some oil to prepare it.

• Super optics

With the 90-90-90-90 principle, you get the perfect grill pattern when searing your Tomahawk steak: grill for 90 seconds, turn 45 degrees, fry for 90 seconds, and then do the same on the other side.

• Also works backward

This procedure is called “reverse sear” and is particularly gentle. The lower the cooking temperature, the more tender the meat will be at the end:

1. Using the meat thermometer, slowly bring the meat to a core temperature of 50-55 degrees in the oven or grill. (Takes about 90-120 min at 90-100 degrees)
2. Then sear the Tomahawk steak in a pan or on the grill over very high heat.

• Skillfully served

The Tomahawk Steak is best sprinkled with coarse pepper and salt from a grinder and carved against the grain.