How to Cook the Perfect Tomahawk Steak on the BBQ
Thomas Joseph Butchery — The BBQ Masterclass
How to Cook the Perfect Tomahawk Steak on the BBQ
The tomahawk is the king of the BBQ. A thick-cut, bone-in ribeye that demands respect, charcoal and — above all — patience. Here is the complete guide from the butchers at Thomas Joseph Butchery, including Tom's personal notes on how to get it perfect every single time.
There are steaks. And then there is the tomahawk. A thick-cut ribeye left on the full long rib bone — typically a minimum of 1kg of dry-aged, grass-fed beef with a bone that adds theatre, insulation and extraordinary flavour to every element of the cook. The tomahawk is the BBQ cut that commands a table, makes guests go quiet on first sight, and — when cooked correctly — delivers an eating experience that nothing else on the grill can match.
Cooking it correctly is the critical part. A tomahawk of this size and quality requires a different approach to a standard steak — more patience, a properly set-up two-zone grill, and the discipline to use a thermometer rather than guessing. Follow this guide and you will cook it perfectly. Every time.
"The tomahawk rewards patience above everything. Set up your grill properly, don't rush the cook, rest it properly, and it will be the best thing you've put on a BBQ this summer."
"The tomahawk is the cut I get asked about more than any other at TJB. People are sometimes intimidated by it — the size, the bone, the price tag. But it's actually one of the most forgiving cuts you can cook on a BBQ, because the bone does so much of the work for you. It insulates the meat, slows the cook down, and means you have a wider window to get it right. The two things I see go wrong most often are rushing the sear and cutting into it too early. Set up a proper two-zone fire, let the crust build on the direct heat, finish it low and slow on the cool side, and then — this is the most important part — walk away from it for ten minutes before you touch it. A rested tomahawk is a completely different animal to one carved straight off the grill. Trust the rest."
Tom Joseph — Founder, Thomas Joseph Butchery
First Things First Choose Your Tomahawk — The TJB Range
Before technique, sourcing matters. A tomahawk cooked from inferior, wet-aged beef will never reach the heights that the method is capable of. At TJB we offer two tomahawk options — both from the same prime fore-rib section, both dry-aged in-house at Coxtie Green Farm, and both cut to order. Here's how to choose between them.
Grass-Fed Dry-Aged Tomahawk Steak
Sourced from native British cattle raised on small, independent UK farms — grass-fed, pasture-raised and never grain-finished. Dry-aged in-house at TJB for a minimum of 32 days in our bespoke ageing unit, developing the deep, complex flavour and exceptional tenderness that wet-aged alternatives simply cannot replicate. At 1kg, this is a cut that comfortably serves two — or one with serious ambitions and a good wine. The foundation of our tomahawk range and the one we'd recommend for anyone cooking a tomahawk on the BBQ for the first time.
32 Day Dry-Aged — £59 | 45 Day Dry-Aged — £65 | 60 Day Dry-Aged — £70
Shop Grass-Fed Tomahawk →
Wagyu Tomahawk Steak | Golden Herd Heritage
From our exclusive Golden Herd Heritage Wagyu range — hand-selected from the top 1% of UK Wagyu farms across Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex. The extraordinary intramuscular fat marbling that runs through every millimetre of this cut guarantees a level of juiciness and richness that our grass-fed tomahawk simply cannot match, delivering that signature buttery, umami depth that Wagyu is celebrated for. At 1.2kg it's the larger cut, commands the table even more dramatically, and for a special occasion or landmark meal is the definitive version of this dish. The same method applies — but the result is on another level.
Golden Herd Heritage Wagyu / 1.2kg — £125
Shop Wagyu Tomahawk →The Method How to Cook the Perfect Tomahawk on the BBQ — Step by Step
Take It Out of the Fridge — 60 Minutes Before
Remove your tomahawk from the fridge a full hour before cooking — longer than a standard steak requires because of the cut's exceptional thickness. Cold meat hitting a hot grill creates an uneven temperature differential: the outside overcooks before the centre has a chance to come up. An hour at room temperature means the entire cut is at an even starting point and will cook consistently from edge to bone. For the Wagyu Tomahawk, allow the full 60 minutes — the intramuscular fat needs to be fully relaxed before it hits the heat.
Set Up a Two-Zone Charcoal Fire
There is no other reliable way to cook a tomahawk on the BBQ. Pile your lit lumpwood charcoal to one side of the grill — this is your direct heat searing zone. Leave the other side clear of coals — this is your indirect finishing zone where the tomahawk will come slowly to temperature without burning. You need both. The searing zone builds the crust and colour. The indirect zone finishes the cook evenly. Light the coals well in advance and allow them to ash over completely before cooking begins — at least 30–40 minutes. Never cook over raw, flaming coals.
Season — Simply and at the Right Time
Season the tomahawk generously with good flaky sea salt on both flat faces and along the fat cap immediately before it goes on the grill. Salt draws out surface moisture and then reabsorbs into the meat — this is the process you want to complete either immediately before cooking or at least 45 minutes before. Do not add cracked black pepper at this stage. Peppercorns burn at searing temperatures and turn bitter and acrid. Add them after the cook, during the rest, where the residual heat blooms them beautifully without burning. That is the only rule on pepper.
Sear Over Direct Heat — 3 to 4 Minutes Per Side
Place the tomahawk directly over your hot coals. You want to hear an immediate, aggressive sizzle the moment it makes contact — if you don't, the grill isn't hot enough. Leave it completely undisturbed for 3–4 minutes. Do not move it, prod it, press it or check underneath it repeatedly. The crust is building and every time you move it you interrupt that process. After 3–4 minutes, flip it and repeat on the other side. Once both flat faces are seared, stand the tomahawk upright on the bone for 2–3 minutes — this renders the fat cap and brings the bone up to temperature, which dramatically improves the subsequent indirect cook.
Move to Indirect Heat — 15 to 25 Minutes
Once the tomahawk has its crust, move it to the cool side of the grill, away from direct coals. Put the lid on if your BBQ has one — this creates a convection oven effect and cooks the centre of the tomahawk more quickly and evenly than open grilling. The temperature in this zone should be around 150–170°C. Insert your meat thermometer into the thickest part of the eye of the ribeye, away from the bone. The bone retains heat and will give you a falsely high reading if you measure too close to it. Monitor the temperature and pull at 54°C for medium-rare.
Pull at 54°C — Then Rest for 10 to 15 Minutes
Pull the tomahawk from the grill when the thermometer reads 54°C — not 57°C, not 60°C. It will continue to rise by 3–4°C during the rest. Place it on a warm board, bone pointing upward so the heat from the bone continues to work through the cut evenly. Loosely tent with foil — not tightly wrapped, which causes the crust to steam and soften. Rest for a minimum of 10 minutes, 15 if you can resist. This is the step that makes the difference between a good tomahawk and an extraordinary one. Do not skip it. Do not shorten it. Walk away.
Add Butter, Carve and Serve
The moment the tomahawk comes off the grill and before resting begins, place a generous disc of our Sublime Chimichurri Butter or Béarnaise Butter directly on the crust. The residual heat melts it into the meat as it rests, creating a natural, glossy sauce that requires zero additional effort and enormous additional flavour. After resting, crack black pepper generously over both faces. To carve: remove the bone first by cutting along it cleanly with a sharp knife. Then slice the eye against the grain into generous pieces, 1–2cm thick, and arrange on a warm board. Season each slice with a small pinch of flaky salt as you go. Serve immediately.
At a Glance Tomahawk BBQ Timing Summary
Temperatures Internal Temperature Guide for Tomahawk Steak
| Doneness | Pull from Grill at | Rested Temperature | What It Looks Like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rare | 50°C | 52°C | Bright red, very soft. Not ideal for a dry-aged tomahawk. |
| Medium Rare ⭐ | 54°C | 57°C | Pink throughout, deeply juicy. The TJB sweet spot. Always. |
| Medium | 60°C | 63°C | Light pink centre, beginning to firm. The limit for a dry-aged cut. |
| Well Done | 70°C+ | 73°C+ | Grey throughout. A genuine waste of a dry-aged tomahawk. Please don't. |
The Alternative Method The Reverse Sear — For the Most Even Cook Possible
The reverse sear is the preferred method for many serious BBQ cooks and produces the most consistently even result for a cut as thick as the tomahawk. It inverts the standard approach — low and slow first to bring the centre up to temperature, then a high-heat sear at the end to build the crust. The result is a steak cooked evenly from edge to edge with virtually no grey band beneath the surface, and a crust developed in the final two minutes that is extraordinary.
Start in the Oven at 120°C
Place the seasoned tomahawk on a wire rack over a baking tray and put it in an oven set to 120°C (fan). Insert a meat thermometer and leave it until the internal temperature reaches 48°C — roughly 45–60 minutes depending on thickness. The low temperature brings the entire cut to just below your target temperature extremely evenly, with minimal colour development.
Sear Over Maximum Heat for 2 Minutes Per Side
The moment it comes out of the oven, move it directly to your BBQ grill or a screaming hot cast iron pan over maximum heat. Sear for 90 seconds to 2 minutes per side — this is enough time to develop a proper crust on a hot surface without overcooking the interior that is already close to temperature. You will get more aggressive char and a thicker, more defined crust with the reverse sear than the standard method.
Rest as Standard — 10 Minutes
Rest exactly as above — butter, black pepper, 10 minutes minimum. The reverse sear produces a slightly shorter rest requirement than the standard method because the centre was already at temperature before the sear, meaning less carryover cooking occurs. But rest it nonetheless. The principle doesn't change.
🔥 Charcoal vs Gas for Tomahawk
If you have the choice, always choose charcoal over gas for a tomahawk. The dry radiant heat of lumpwood charcoal builds a crust with a character and depth that gas simply cannot replicate — and the subtle smokiness that charcoal imparts to a dry-aged cut during the indirect phase adds a dimension of flavour that makes the whole experience more complex and satisfying.
Use lumpwood charcoal rather than briquettes — it burns hotter, cleaner and without the chemical additives that can taint premium beef. Add a chunk of oak wood to the coals during the indirect phase for a gentle smokiness that pairs beautifully with dry-aged beef.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tomahawk Steak BBQ — Your Questions Answered
How long does a tomahawk steak take to cook on the BBQ?
A 1kg tomahawk steak takes approximately 25–35 minutes in total to cook to medium-rare on a BBQ using the two-zone method. This includes 3–4 minutes per side over direct heat to sear, 2–3 minutes upright on the bone, and 15–25 minutes over indirect heat at 150–170°C to come to temperature. Always verify with a meat thermometer — pull at 54°C for medium-rare. Then rest for a minimum of 10–15 minutes before carving. Total time from grill to plate: approximately 45–50 minutes including the rest.
What temperature should a tomahawk steak be cooked to?
For medium-rare — the ideal doneness for a dry-aged tomahawk — pull it from the grill at 54°C. It will rise to approximately 57°C during the rest, which is the perfect eating temperature. For medium, pull at 60°C (rested temperature 63°C). Always remove the steak 2–3°C before your target temperature to account for carryover cooking during the rest. Use an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ribeye eye, away from the bone, for an accurate reading.
Do you need to flip a tomahawk steak on the BBQ?
Yes — flip the tomahawk once during the direct searing phase: 3–4 minutes on the first side, then flip and 3–4 minutes on the second side. During the indirect finishing phase you do not need to flip — the convection heat from a closed lid circulates evenly around the cut. Avoid flipping or moving the steak during the searing phase until the full time has elapsed — interrupting the sear prevents the crust from developing properly.
How long should you rest a tomahawk steak?
A tomahawk steak should rest for a minimum of 10 minutes — 15 minutes is better for a 1kg cut. During this time the contracted muscle fibres relax and the juices redistribute evenly throughout the meat. A tomahawk carved immediately off the grill will lose a significant proportion of its juices onto the board. Rest it on a warm board, bone upward, loosely tented with foil. The temperature will continue to rise by 3–4°C during the rest, so factor this into when you pull it from the grill.
What is the difference between a tomahawk and a ribeye steak?
A tomahawk is essentially a ribeye steak left on the full long rib bone — typically 30–45cm in length. The ribeye eye muscle and fat profile are identical, but the bone adds three things: theatre (it makes a dramatic visual impression), insulation (the bone slows the cook and prevents the meat adjacent to it from overcooking), and flavour (the bone marrow and periosteum contribute to the flavour of the surrounding meat during the cook). A standard ribeye is boneless or has a short bone. A tomahawk is always the full-length rib bone, left intact.
What is the two-zone method for cooking a tomahawk?
The two-zone method divides your BBQ grill into two distinct heat zones: a direct heat zone, where the coals are piled and the temperature is highest (230–260°C), used for searing; and an indirect heat zone, on the opposite side with no coals beneath, at a lower ambient temperature (150–170°C), used for finishing the cook. The tomahawk is seared on the direct zone first to build a crust, then moved to the indirect zone to come slowly to temperature without burning the outside. This method produces a far more even result than cooking over direct heat throughout, and is the only reliable way to cook a thick cut like a tomahawk consistently well.
Where can I buy the best tomahawk steak in the UK?
Thomas Joseph Butchery stocks grass-fed, dry-aged tomahawk steaks in 32-day, 45-day and 60-day aged options from £59, alongside our exclusive Golden Herd Heritage Wagyu Tomahawk at £125. Every tomahawk is sourced from native British cattle raised on small, independent UK farms, dry-aged in-house at our Coxtie Green Farm facility in Brentwood, Essex, cut fresh to order and delivered next day anywhere in the UK.
How do you carve a tomahawk steak?
After resting, carve the tomahawk by first removing the bone — run a sharp knife along the length of the bone to separate it cleanly from the ribeye eye. This is best done on the board before slicing. Then slice the eye of the ribeye against the grain into generous pieces, approximately 1–2cm thick, at a slight diagonal. Season each slice individually with a small pinch of flaky sea salt as you go. Arrange on a warm serving board and serve immediately. The bone can be served alongside for presentation — it makes an impressive centrepiece.
